5 Swift Parrot at Deakin, ACT
Identification history
| Lathamus discolor | 20 Sep 2021 | MatthewFrawley | ||
| Lathamus discolor | 20 Sep 2021 | LisaH |
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User's notes
I was fortunate to see three (definite), maybe four, swifts this morning. While I was standing and listening (couldn't see them), suddenly one plummeted out of the tree in front of me, straight into the ground, tail up (photo two). It stayed there just twitching up and down, then pulled itself upright (photo 1) and flew off into a nearby tree, where it seemed to be not so well - beak open, panting. Prior to this, the swifts had been chased away by eastern rosellas (photos 4 and 5); and I thought I saw a lone swift being separated and pursued by other birds - noisy miners etc. I'm wondering if the bird on the ground was the one who had been the object of the chase . . .
4 comments
MatthewFrawley
wrote:
20 Sep 2021
Great find, Lisa. Not sure if they have been recorded at this location before your sightings? Do you know if that block of woodland has a name? There is the Hughes Garran Woodland nearby, down closer to the hospital, but this block doesn't appear to have a name.
RAllen
wrote:
20 Sep 2021
I’ve seen them in same flowering apple argyles eucalyptus cinerea in Hughes corner of Groom and Webster maybe 10 years ago.
LisaH
wrote:
20 Sep 2021
Thank you, @MatthewFrawley - sounds like they have been seen around this area before (thanks, @RAllen), but perhaps not recorded? My understanding is that this area is known as the Hughes Grassy Woodland?
Do you have any idea what might be a reason for the bird falling? It was quite a shock to see, and I'd be pleased to know that my catastrophising is completely off the mark . . .
Do you have any idea what might be a reason for the bird falling? It was quite a shock to see, and I'd be pleased to know that my catastrophising is completely off the mark . . .
RAllen
wrote:
20 Sep 2021
They are usually only seen on ground when drinking from puddles. That could be a possible explanation. They get thirsty when feeding on lerps which are dry and sugary. However the eucalyptus cinerea at your site is flowering profusely and so nectar would be the main food source here. I have visited twice in past days and have missed out. They certainly get chased by miners and could have collided with something but that would have shown the bird tumbling to ground. They are already arriving in southern Tasmania for their breeding season. They are one very few migratory parrots in the world.
Location information
Sighting information
- 3 Abundance
- 20 Sep 2021 08:05 AM Recorded on
- LisaH Recorded by
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Queanbeyan-Palerang Animals To Watch! Threatened Species Action Plan 2022-2032 Priority Species
Species information
- Lathamus discolor Scientific name
- Swift Parrot Common name
- Sensitive
- Very rare / threatened
- Non-Invasive
- 162 images trained Machine learning
- External link More information
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- More than one media file
- Confirmed by an expert moderator
- Nearby sighting(s) of same species
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