Superb Parrot - Nswfmpa.org

Animal Care Studies - Western Sydney Institute of TAFE, Richmondpositioning of breeding and foraging habitats is important to P. swainsonii. In the Haydistrict, at the western extremity of the range along the Murrumbidgee River, riparianwoodlands consist of black box Eucalyptus bicolor intermixed with river red gums, andare only a few trees wide, being replaced away from the river by extensive saltbushAtriplex plains. In this area, P. swainsonii are rarely found away from the river frontage.Towards the east there is a widening of riverine forests of river red gums, and away fromthe river the vegetation changes to open grasslands, where increasing rainfall bringsabout a gradual transition to well-watered woodlands. Along the eastern fringe of therange, river red gums often are replaced by river she-oaks Casuarina cunninhamiana.With the eastward expansion of woodlands, P. swainsonii become less restricted toriparian habitats, so that on the southwestern slopes of the Great Dividing Range there isvirtually no dependence on river systems.P. swainsonii utilise two distinct habitat types for nesting. The most extensive breedinghabitat is the river red gum forests along the Murrumbidgee, Edward and Murray Riversand their tributaries. (refer Figure 5 and 6) Also in these areas there is a strongassociation between nesting sites and the near occurrence of extensive tracts of foraginghabitat in box-eucalypt woodland on the adjoining floodplain. Demonstrating thisassociation is an observation of a nesting colony from along the Murrumbidgee Rivertravelling approximately 11km north of the river to reach their feeding sites by movingthrough remnant patches of Callitris-Eucalyptus woodland scattered through paddocks orin corridors that followed fence lines or roads. At the feeding sites this same mixedwoodland occurred as remnant patches with introduced grasses and herbs dominating thegroundcover vegetation or as roadside verges with scattered shrubs and a groundcover ofboth native and introduced species. On the southwestern slopes (refer Figure 7) of theGreat Dividing Range, in the second type of habitat utilised for nesting, differentiationbetween nesting and foraging components is not particularly evident, and here P.swainsonii nest and feed in mixed woodlands in which at least five Eucalyptus speciesbesides river red gums are used for nesting. In the same area, feeding occurs also incereal crops and in scattered remnants of woodland associationsFigure 5. Barmah-Millewa river red gum forest habitat.Keith Naylor 28/3/2005 Version 3 14