Welcome to BirdLife Australia!

As of 1 January 2012, BOCA has merged with Birds Australia to become BirdLife Australia. The new BirdLife Australia website will go live in early February, and until then the current BOCA site will continue to be available.

At BirdLife Australia we are dedicated to achieving outstanding conservation results for our native birds and their habitats. With our specialised knowledge and the commitment of an Australia-wide network of members, volunteers and supporters, we are creating a bright future for Australia’s birds. Look out for our new website from February 2012 at birdlife.org.au


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	What makes parrots unique? - Coming in all colors, shapes and sizes, parrots are mainly found in the Southern Hemisphere, particularly in South America and Australasia. - Approximately 1/6 of all the world’s 330+ parrot species live in Australia. - Parrots can be distinguished from all other birds by the shape of their bill and the organisation of the toes on their feet. The upper bill of a parrot is short, deep and curves downward - looking a bit like that of a bird of prey. With this beak, the parrot is able to crack even the toughest nuts with ease. Parrot feet have four toes - two (the 2nd and 3rd digits) that point forwards and two (the 1st and 4th digits) that point backwards. This foot arrangement allows parrots to grasp and manipulate objects quite handily. They show remarkable skill in using their feet to climb, and use their feet as a “hand” to bring food up to their bill. While other birds may have similar bills or similar feet, it is the combination of these two features that is unique to parrots. - Parrots use their bill for manipulating objects, for cracking hard nuts, and as a third “foot” in climbing. They are able to do all of these things with their beak because, unlike other birds and most vertebrates, the upper jaw of the parrots is highly mobile. This feature is unique to parrots. - The short, thick, and fleshy tongue of parrots is very powerful. Together with the beak and jaws, the tongue is used to husk seeds before they are eaten. Lorikeets have very specialized brush-like tongues for feeding on nectar. - Lacking the ability to make musical calls, parrots nevertheless are noisy and vocal - squawking and twittering as they feed and fly together. - Most parrot species mate for life. Parrot nests are usually found in tree hollows; Ground and Night Parrots are the exception in that they nest on the ground.
						Eclectus Parrot (male) two toes forward


						Parrots nest in Tree Hollows


						Beak of Yellow-tailed Black-Cockatoo