Superb Parrot

About the Superb Parrot

The superb parrot (Polytelis swainsonii), also known as Barraband's parrot, Barraband's parakeet, or green leek parrot, is a parrot native to south-eastern Australia. It is a dimorphic species and one of three species in the genus Polytelis.

The superb parrot is mostly bright green with darker flight feathers and is about 40 cm (16 in) long with a long pointed tail. Adult males have continuous yellow foreheads and throats, with a red horizontal band across the border of the throat.

First described by French naturalist Anselme Gaëtan Desmarest in 1826, the superb parrot is one of three species in the genus Polytelis of long-tailed parrots. Common names include superb parrot and, in avicultural circles, Barraband's parrot or parakeet, named after the artist Jacques Barraband who illustrated it for Francois Le Vaillant in 1801 or green leek (although the last is applied to several unrelated species). Its closest relative is the regent parrot.

The superb parrot is medium-sized, bright green, approximately 40 cm (16 in) long, and has long tail feathers, a yellow-green neck, and yellow-orange irises. The adult male has a scarlet band on its upper chest and... Wikipedia →