Northern Rosella (Platycercus venustus)
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Northern Rosella

Platycercus venustus (Kuhl, 1820)

29–32 cmLength89 gWeight

The northern rosella (Platycercus venustus), formerly known as Brown's rosella or the smutty rosella, is a species of parrot native to northern Australia, ranging from the Gulf of Carpentaria and Arnhem Land to the Kimberley.

Busiest months: July · Most records: Australia

Least Concern

Where and when it's recorded

Northern Rosella has been recorded at 8 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 1 country or region.

Records by month Southern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

  1. Muirhead bushlandAustralia48 records
  2. Kakadu National Park – Yellow WaterAustralia14 records
  3. Katherine Wastewater Treatment PlantAustralia13 records
More places
  1. Fogg Dam Conservation ReserveAustralia10 records
  2. Holmes Jungle Nature ReserveAustralia3 records
  3. East PointAustralia2 records
  4. George Brown Darwin Botanic GardensAustralia2 records
  5. Buffalo CreekAustralia2 records

Countries and regions with the most records

Australia

eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.

About

The northern rosella (Platycercus venustus), formerly known as Brown's rosella or the smutty rosella, is a species of parrot native to northern Australia, ranging from the Gulf of Carpentaria and Arnhem Land to the Kimberley. It was described by Heinrich Kuhl in 1820, and two subspecies are recognised. The species is unusually coloured for a rosella, with a dark head and neck with pale cheeks—predominantly white in the subspecies from the Northern Territory and blue in the Western Australian subspecies hillii.

Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia

Questions

How big is the Northern Rosella?

The Northern Rosella is about 29–32 cm long and weighs around 89 g.

Where does the Northern Rosella live?

Its breeding range: Australasia: north-central Australia. It is most often recorded in Australia.

When is the best time to see the Northern Rosella?

At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in July (Southern Hemisphere).

Is the Northern Rosella endangered?

The IUCN Red List classifies the Northern Rosella as Least Concern.

What does the Northern Rosella eat?

Main food: Seeds.

What family is the Northern Rosella in?

It belongs to the family Old World Parrots (Psittaculidae), order Parrot (Psittaciformes).

At a glance

Length
29–32 cm
Weight
89 g
Habitat
Woodland
Diet
Seeds
Lifestyle
Perches in trees
Migration
Resident (barely migrates)
Conservation
Least Concern
More measurements
Wing
146 mm
Tail
146 mm
Bill
18 mm
Tarsus
17 mm

Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.

Range

Australasia: north-central Australia

Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2

Classification

Order
Parrot Psittaciformes
Family
Old World Parrots Psittaculidae
Genus
Platycercus

Other birds in the genus Platycercus

Green RosellaGreen RosellaPlatycercus caledonicusCrimson RosellaCrimson RosellaPlatycercus elegansPale-headed RosellaPale-headed RosellaPlatycercus adscitusEastern RosellaEastern RosellaPlatycercus eximiusWestern RosellaWestern RosellaPlatycercus icterotisPesquet's ParrotPesquet's ParrotPsittrichas fulgidusGreater Vasa ParrotGreater Vasa ParrotCoracopsis vasaSeychelles Black ParrotSeychelles Black ParrotCoracopsis barklyiComoro Black ParrotComoro Black ParrotCoracopsis sibilansLesser Vasa ParrotLesser Vasa ParrotCoracopsis nigra
Northern Rosella

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Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by Graham Winterflood. ↗

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