Breeding only in Tasmania in spring and summer, the critically endangered swift parrot migrates to the mainland each winter.
Conservation Status in NSW: Endangered
Commonwealth Status: Critically Endangered
With its bright green plumage, flashes of red around the face and a distinctive high-pitched call, the Swift Parrot is one of Australia’s most remarkable birds. It is also one of our most threatened.
Habitat and Diet
Listed as Critically Endangered nationally, the Swift Parrot undertakes an extraordinary annual migration. Each spring and summer, it breeds in Tasmania before crossing Bass Strait and travelling across south-eastern Australia in search of food during autumn and winter. Along the NSW coast, flowering eucalypts provide an important source of nectar and insects that sustain these birds during their migration. The map indicates areas in which the swift parrot might be found during migration, however this will vary each year.
Identification:
Swift Parrots are small, fast-flying parrots, measuring around 25 centimetres in length. At first glance they appear bright green, but a closer look reveals several distinctive features.
Adults have vivid red patches on the face and throat, with blue colouring on the crown and cheeks. When in flight, flashes of red can also be seen on the shoulders and under the wings. Their long, pointed tail and streamlined shape help them travel quickly between feeding sites, giving rise to their name.
One of the best ways to detect a Swift Parrot is by listening. They produce a distinctive series of high-pitched, sharp calls often described as a repeated “kip-kip-kip” or rapid chattering sound. These calls are frequently heard as birds fly overhead or move between flowering trees. Their fast, direct flight and constant calling can make them easier to hear than to see.
During winter on the NSW coast, Swift Parrots are often found feeding in flowering eucalypts alongside lorikeets and honeyeaters. Birdwatchers can distinguish them from lorikeets by their slimmer build, longer tail, and the bright red face patch that contrasts sharply against their green plumage.
Key Threats:
The Swift Parrot faces a range of threats across its migratory range. Habitat loss and fragmentation have reduced the availability of both breeding and feeding habitat. Climate change is also affecting flowering patterns and food availability, while competition from other species and predation continue to place pressure on populations.
The Australian Government’s Threatened Species Action Plan identifies the Swift Parrot as one of Australia’s priority species for recovery, recognising the urgent need to protect habitat across both Tasmania and the mainland migration corridor. Protecting and restoring native forests, particularly those containing flowering eucalypts and hollow-bearing trees, is critical to the species’ survival.
What can you do?
Residents can help support Swift Parrots and other native wildlife by:
Protecting and restoring native vegetation, particularly local eucalypt species.
Planting native flowering trees in appropriate locations.
Recording sightings through citizen science programs such as BirdLife Australia surveys
Keeping cats contained, especially during dawn and dusk when birds are most active.
Supporting conservation efforts that protect important woodland and forest habitats
A special visitor to the Port Macquarie-Hastings region
The Port Macquarie-Hastings region plays a role in the Swift Parrot’s winter migration. According to an ABC news article, in June this year(2026), birdwatchers recorded a flock of approximately 50 Swift Parrots at Lake Cathie, one of the largest recent sightings in New South Wales. Additional birds were also reported at Crescent Head, highlighting the significance of our local coastal forests and woodlands as feeding habitat.
Conservationists described the sightings as particularly encouraging after very few Swift Parrots were recorded in NSW during the previous migration season. The abundance of flowering eucalypts and other food sources along the Mid North Coast may have helped attract the birds north this year
Did you know?
The Swift Parrot is one of only a handful of migratory parrots in the world. Despite weighing less than 70 grams, it undertakes an annual journey of hundreds of kilometres between Tasmania and mainland Australia in search of food.
The recent sightings at Lake Cathie and Crescent Head are a timely reminder that the Port Macquarie-Hastings region provides important habitat for some of Australia’s most threatened wildlife. By protecting our native forests and woodlands, we can help ensure future generations continue to hear the distinctive call of the Swift Parrot each winter.
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References:
Swift Parrot – profile | NSW Environment, Energy and Science
Large flock of critically endangered swift parrots seen near Port Macquarie – ABC News
Swift parrot – DCCEEW
