At a glance
- IUCN category
- EN · Endangered
- Animal group
- Birds
- Population trend
- Stable
- FaunaHub record reviewed
- Checked against IUCN
- Sources disagree — IUCN's 2022 global assessment says Critically EndangeredChecked 2026-10-09 against IUCN's Red List export published 2026-07-28 · assessment
Conservation overview
The night parrot is an elusive, ground-dwelling nocturnal parrot of the Australian outback, once feared extinct for decades. It is assessed as Endangered.
It shelters in dense spinifex grass and is almost never seen.
Range & habitat
Remote arid interior of Australia.
Major threats
Threats below are drawn from the authoritative sources listed on this page. For the current, complete assessment, see the IUCN Red List.
- Introduced cats and foxes
- Changed fire regimes
- An extremely small, scattered population
Why it matters
One of the world's most mysterious birds, rediscovered after decades, the night parrot is a flagship for arid-zone conservation and predator and fire management.
Sources
Sources for Night Parrot
- IUCN Red List — look up Night Parrot (authoritative status)
- BirdLife International
Frequently Asked Questions
Why was the night parrot thought extinct?
It is nocturnal, ground-dwelling, and lives in remote, hard-to-survey country, so for much of the 20th century there were almost no confirmed sightings — until photographic proof emerged in recent years.
Why is the night parrot Endangered?
Published assessments cite introduced cats and foxes, altered fire regimes, and its extremely small, scattered population. See the IUCN Red List.