FaunaHub
CRCritically EndangeredPartial review

Swift Parrot

Lathamus discolor

Swift parrot (Lathamus discolor), a slim green parrot with red face markings.

Swift parrot (Lathamus discolor), Tasmania.

Image: Charles J. Sharp, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

At a glance

IUCN category
CR · Critically Endangered
Animal group
Birds
Population trend
Decreasing
Last verified

Conservation overview

The swift parrot is a fast-flying migratory parrot that breeds in Tasmania and winters on mainland Australia. It is assessed as Critically Endangered.

It depends on flowering eucalypts and tree hollows for nesting.

Range & habitat

Breeds in Tasmania and migrates to mainland south-eastern 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.

  • Loss of breeding and foraging trees
  • Predation by introduced sugar gliders
  • A small population

Why it matters

A migratory parrot squeezed between logging and introduced predators, the swift parrot is a flagship for Australia's threatened temperate woodlands.

Gallery

A swift parrot perched.

Swift parrot (Lathamus discolor).

Image: Ron Knight from Seaford, East Sussex, United Kingdom, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Sources

Sources for Swift Parrot

Frequently Asked Questions

What threatens swift parrots while they nest?
On parts of Tasmania, introduced sugar gliders prey on nesting females and chicks in tree hollows, a major and unusual threat alongside the loss of nesting and feeding trees.
Why is the swift parrot Critically Endangered?
Published assessments cite loss of breeding and foraging habitat, predation by introduced sugar gliders, and a small population. See the IUCN Red List.

Last updated: