By Crystal Bauer
Geographic Range
Polytelis alexandrae (princess parrot), is found only in central and western Australia. (Eastman, 1966; Wildlife Fact File, 1993)
Biogeographic Regions:
australian 
(native ).
Habitat
Princess parrots are nomadic; they usually search out acacia trees, their favorite food source, which are found about twenty miles from water. They live in some of the largest deserts in the world, such as the Great Sandy Desert, the Gibson Desert and the Great Victoria Desert. These areas are open, sandy and dry with spinifex, casuarinas and acacia trees, eucalyptus scrubland, and grassland savannah. (Barrett, 1949; Eastman, 1966; Verlag, 2000)
These animals are found in the following types of habitat:
tropical ; terrestrial .
Terrestrial Biomes:
desert or dune ; savanna or grassland ; scrub forest .
Physical Description
(3.99 oz)
(18 in)
(6.11 to 6.36 in)
Princess parrots are sexually dimorphic by color. The male has a blue crown with blue-gray on the sides of head, and pink around the chin and throat. His body is olive-green, and the tops of his wings are bright green with a blue-violet under wing. He has orange eyes and an orange beak. His legs are gray with pink, and each foot has three black tipped toes. The female looks like the male, except her crown is a gray-mauve, her wings are a duller color green, and her tail feathers are shorter than the male's. The male has a wingspan of 161.5 mm on average, and the female has an average wingspan of 155.2 mm. Young are a duller color than their mothers until they are eight to nine months old. At this point the color differences between the males and females start to appear.
Princess parrots weigh 113.4 g, on average, and are about 45.72 cm in length. (Bird World, 1998; Wildlife Fact File, 1993)
Some key physical features:
endothermic ; bilateral symmetry .
Sexual dimorphism: male larger, sexes colored or patterned differently, male more colorful.
Reproduction
September to December
During courtship the male is very aggressive when approaching the female. The male will be in an upright position with raised head feathers, and his pupils will dilate and contract while he bobs his head. He will spread his wings and tail as he runs back and forth in front of the female.
We do not have information on mating systems for this species, however, since most parrots (family Psittacidae) are monogamous, it is likely that this species is too. (Sibley, 2001; Verlag, 2000)
The breeding season is from September to December. The nests are usually found in holes at the top of high trees, or in holes of eucalyptus tree branches. There is often more than one nesting pair per tree. Nests are composed of fine sawdust/ wood shavings and are lined with small pieces of rotted wood. Females lay four to six eggs, on average. Eggs hatch in approximately 3 weeks and the chicks fledge after about 2 to 3 weeks. Princess parrots reach sexual maturity at the age of three to five years old, although some start breeding at a younger age. The earliest documented age at first reproduction is seven months. There are subtle physical traits that indicate sexual maturity, these include: blue feathers that appear on the front of the crown and on the rump of males; females acquire pinkish-mauve feathers on the crown and gray feathers on the rump. (Bird World, 1998; Hiddert, 2001; The Oakland Zoo, 2001; Verlag, 2000; Wildlife Fact File, 1993)
Key reproductive features:
iteroparous ; seasonal breeding ; gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate); sexual ; oviparous .
The incubation period for the eggs is approximately three weeks. Young are altricial. Once the eggs hatch, it takes about two to three weeks for the chicks to fledge. Once the young leave the nest neither they nor their mother will return to that particular area for many years.
Most parrots (family Psittacidae) have both male and female parental care; usually both parents take part in incubation and feeding young. This is likely to be true for this species as well. (Bird World, 1998; Hiddert, 2001; Sibley, 2001; Verlag, 2000; Wildlife Fact File, 1993)
Parental investment:
no parental involvement; altricial ; pre-fertilization; pre-hatching/birth (protecting); pre-weaning/fledging (provisioning); pre-independence (provisioning).
Lifespan/Longevity
There are no documented reports of the lifespan of princess parrots, however, other members of this family (Psittacidae) have been reported to live 20 to 30 years in captivity. (Sibley, 2001)
Behavior
Princess parrots are rarely seen by humans; when seen they are usually in pairs or small groups of up to fifteen or twenty individuals. They often breed in small colonies. They are nomadic; they will nest in an area and then depart, sometimes not returning for up to twenty years. They relocate in relation to seasonal plant growth, this way they have food year round. They are remarkably tame and easily approached by humans. (Verlag, 2000; Wildlife Fact File, 1993)
Home Range
We do not have information on home range for this species at this time.
Communication and Perception
Princess parrots communicate with a "Clack-clack" followed by a clucking sound, which sounds similar to domestic hens. Their call note is a simple whistle, however, they are quiet and rarely call. (Eastman, 1966)
Communicates with:
acoustic .
Food Habits
Princess parrots are herbivorous. Their diet is mainly herbaceous plants low to the ground, and grass seeds. Fruit and blossoms of the acacia are their preferred food. They also eat berries and other seeds. (Wildlife Fact File, 1993)
Plant Foods:
seeds, grains, and nuts; fruit; flowers.
Predation
There are very few reports of animals that prey upon princess parrots. This may be due to their rarity; they are not frequently seen by humans, and may also be infrequently seen by predators. (Bird World, 1998; Wildlife Fact File, 1993)
Ecosystem Roles
Because of their feeding habits, princess parrots have an impact on the plants and seeds they eat.
Economic Importance for Humans: Negative
There are no known adverse affects of princess parrots on humans.
Economic Importance for Humans: Positive
Australian Aborigines have been known to occasionally eat princess parrots and their young. Princess parrots can also be found in aviaries. (Verlag, 2000; Wildlife Fact File, 1993)
Conservation Status
These birds are rarely seen, and are labeled as a lower risk/near threatened species by the IUCN and as Appendix II by CITES. They are protected by law from capture. Threats to these birds include: habitat modifications, changes in the amounts of water available, changes in burning regimes, introduced predators and introduced competitors. BirdLife International estimates the population size to be 5,000 individuals. (BirdLife International, 2003; Wildlife Fact File, 1993)
For More Information
Find Polytelis alexandrae information at
Contributors
Crystal Bauer (author), Fresno City College.
Carl Johansson (editor), Fresno City College. Alaine Camfield (editor), Animal Diversity Web.
