Eastern Rosella

About the Eastern Rosella

The eastern rosella (Platycercus eximius) is a parrot native and endemic to south-eastern Australia. It was first introduced to New Zealand in cages, and individuals were subsequently intentionally released or accidentally escaped into the wild. In New Zealand, it is now established in the North Island (notably in the northern half of the island, Taranaki, Waikato and in the Hutt Valley) and in the hills around Dunedin in the South Island.

The eastern rosella belongs to the genus Platycercus and subgenus Violania along with other three species members: northern rosella (P. venustus), pale-headed rosella (P. adscitus) and western rosella (P. icterotis). An early analysis of rosella phylogeny stated that the eastern rosella and pale-headed rosella are most closely related to each other, compared to the other two rosella species. However, a more recent mitochondrial study found that the eastern rosella was the earlier offshoot of the lineage that split into the pale-headed and northern rosella, and those non-sister taxa were hence able to hybridize.

The three subspecies of eastern rosella are: P. e. eximius, mainly found in Victoria and southern New South Wales, Australia... Wikipedia →