CONSERVATION BACKGROUND

Orange-bellied Parrots migrate annually from their breeding site in remote south-western Tasmania to the south-east coasts of Victoria and South Australia, where they over-winter in coastal salt marshes and dunes.  While on the mainland, they stay close to the coast and feed mostly on coastal saltmarsh vegetation.

Orange-bellied Parrots have declined because their over-wintering mainland habitat has been fragmented and degraded.  In recent decades the most regularly used mainland locations have been reduced to small areas of suitable habitat on Port Phillip Bay near Werribee and Queenscliff in Victoria. 

The Orange-bellied Parrot's breeding range has also dramatically contracted.  Historically, breeding was recorded from areas across south and western Tasmania, but the parrots now only breed at one site in Melaleuca.  This reduction may indicate that problems exist within former breeding habitats.

Populations may also be affected by introduced predators (e.g. foxes and cats) and competition for nesting hollows with Sugar Gliders, Common Starlings and Honey Bees, or for food with finches.  However, the impacts of predation and competition are not clearly understood. 

CONSERVATION STATUS

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species - Critically Endangered
Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (Federal) - Critically Endangered
Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988 - Threatened
DSE Advisory List of Vertebrate Fauna in Victoria 2007 - Critically Endangered

Orange-bellied Parrots are primarily threatened by habitat loss due to:

• Drainage of wetlands for grazing 
• Alteration and destruction of saltmarsh for industrial and urban development 
• Grazing of native vegetation 
• Vegetation clearance for agricultural purposes 
• Changes to land use practices 
• Inappropriate fire regimes 
• Weed invasion 
• Recreational activities

Given the small wild population size, the species is also at risk from loss of genetic diversity and stochastic events (e.g. wildfire or storms).

RECOVERY PLAN

Signficant reductions in the wild population have been documented since the Recovery Plan was written in 2006.  The Action Plan for Orange-bellied Parrots now aims to:

• Increase the genetic diversity of the captive population by bringing new individuals into the breeding program from the wild
• Increase the rate of breeding in the wild by providing critical resources (e.g., supplementary food and nesting sites)

Read the 21 April 2010 media release

CONSERVATION PARTNERS

The Orange-bellied Parrot Recovery Team includes representatives from the:

• Department of Sustainability and Environment (Victoria)
• Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities (Federal) 
• Department of Defence
• Tasmanian Parks & Wildlife Service
• Birds Australia
• WWF - Australia
• University of Melbourne
• Latrobe University
• Sydney University
• University of Tasmania