Swift Parrot for colouring in - please feel welcome to print off this image as a gift during this time of having to stay indoors. Love Aleta
Swift Parrot
Can you colour this Swift Parrot in by next Wednesday 9 Dec? Here is a fun way you can help to save the critically endangered Swift Parrot this week!
Tassie’s Swift Parrot is critically endangered and this week (first week of Dec 2020) ANU scientists announced there may be only 300 parrots left. In response, a snap demonstration for immediate protection of all Swift Parrot habitat has been called by the Bob Brown Foundation for Wed 9 Dec at 1pm on Hobart’s parliament lawns.
If you can make that - awesome! and you can bring your coloured Swift Parrot to hold up while you’re there.
If you can’t make that - no worries! You can still make a big difference by sending a picture of your coloured Swift Parrot (with a little message about how much you care about saving these beautiful birds and their habitat) to Peter Gutwein (Tassie’s current Minister for Climate Change). I’m hoping to get as many coloured parrots as possible, and to start a little movement of ‘Creatively Caring’ for wildlife and the environment. If you’re happy to also send a picture of your colouring in to me I will put all the ones i receive into a collage to make one big beautiful picture showing how many people care about Australia’s Swift Parrots.
Peter Gutwein
peter.gutwein@parliament.tas.gov.au
Instagram: @petergutweinmp
To get an idea of the impact we make through this ‘Creatively Caring’ initiative it would be wonderful and much appreciated if you could let me know if you end up using your coloured parrot for wildlife justice and protection. You could either cc me in the email you send (aleta@animalsandbotanicals.com) or tag @animals.and.botanicals and @bobbrownfoundation in your social media post.
Thanks so much and here’s to making a positive difference in a fun, positive and gentle way!
Love Aleta
Colour me in
Please feel welcome to print this image for your child (or yourself) to colour/paint/collage (you might like to give this beautiful swift parrot something to eat by adding some extra leaves or some flowers (you could use real leaves and possibly dry some flowers by using a flower press or simply placing some under a heavy book. When it’s dry, which may take a few days, it will be ready to glue on to your drawing/painting). Please note that if you print as is it will use up colour as the paper has a warm tint. I recommend printing as black and white so not to waste your ink.
COMMON FACTS
What do they look like?
The male, of this beautiful medium-sized parrot, has an incredible bright green body and a long pointy purple-red tail. It has a beautiful crimson patch from the top of its beak to its neck, which is surrounded by a strip of bright yellow. The feathers of the under part of the wing are a brilliant scarlet (a vibrant dark red). You will also find a little blue patch upon its head. The female is not as brightly coloured.
Where do they live?
The swift parrot lives across south-east Australia and has an annual migration pattern (every year they enjoy the same journey). At breeding time, which is between September and March, you will find them in Tasmania, and when the cool of winter falls upon us these beautiful birds fly north to mainland Australia (Tasmania is an island off the main land of Australia). When on the mainland they fly across Victoria and NSW (and sometimes even as far as the bottom of Queensland), enjoying the nectar of flowering winter trees.
Swift parrots nest in tree hollows, which are found in old trees, in dry sclerophyll forests (including eucalypt, wattle and banksia) and woodlands. They particularly like old Tasmanian Blue Gums, as they have lovely cosy nesting hollows and are beautifully tall. Imagine living high up in a beautiful tree - oh the fresh air! They can also be found in parklands and backyards with flowering fruit trees.
What do they do?
Swift parrots love the tree life. They spend most their time high up in trees, only coming to the ground to drink. They are a noisy bunch and very active – like colourful acrobats they are very agile (able to change direction quickly), and super speedy flyers – the fastest parrot in the world! Swift parrots roost (rest and sleep) in little groups and often return to the same tree each night.
What do they eat?
Like most birds swift parrots enjoy a range of seeds, nectar, fruit, and insects. They love nectar! Flowering eucalypts and golden wattle are favourites, doesn’t that sound nice! Have you ever tried nectar? You might like to learn about nectar giving plants in your local area and give some a try! The Grevillea is a favourite of ours – though, make sure it’s not near cars; you don’t want it covered in pollution! And of course, make sure there’s plenty left for the birds. While it’s a nice idea to try some nectar from a flowering tree it’s best not to eat like a swift parrot, though it would be fun, as they often hang upside down to feed – they are quite the acrobats!
Who are their predators?
Sugar gliders are the main predator in Tasmania, and cats to a much lesser extent.
Are they endangered?
Yes. Scientists say that there are only 1000 pairs (2000 in total) remain in the wild. The main reasons for their low population is loss of habitat, including old trees for nesting in, and sugar gliders, which eat their eggs, chicks and nesting females. Fortunately, swift parrots enjoy safety on Bruny and Maria Islands (off Tasmania mainland) as there are no sugar gliders there.
Amazing facts
Swift parrots often return to the exact same tree every breeding season to lay their eggs. Can you imagine finding the exact same tree in a forest!
They are the fastest parrot in the world! The sight of a swift parrot flying overhead is spectacular! - a flash of vibrant colour!
A recent effort to save this species involved making nesting boxes for them out of wood and placing them high in trees, in the hope to provide them with safe places to lay eggs – safe from sugar gliders, and it is working! The documentary below is about this and it’s beautiful.
ACTIVITY IDEAS
Have a close look at a photo of a swift parrot (or other bird) that shows you their feathers and detail the feathers on your drawing. I’ve done a few to get you started. Or you might already know how to draw feathers on your bird. I like to sharpen my pencil often so i can get lovely fine details into my feathers. You might like to give this ago, or invent your own technique!
Find a map of Australia and identify the areas of Australia where the swift parrot breeds and migrates to (refer to where does it live section if you can’t remember).
Find out what trees in your neighbourhood produce nectar, and which are safe for humans to eat. If you find some, why not give it a try! Enjoy! Make sure you do this with an adult though and only try it if you are sure it is the plant you think it is. Some plants can be toxic.
Game time! If you enjoy a little game of hide n seek you might enjoy pretending to be a swift parrot hiding away from a sugar glider (or a cat) and watch out you don’t get caught! With your siblings or parents/guardians, one person is the sugar glider and others are swift parrots. While the sugar glider counts and closes their eyes, the swift parrots fly off to find a nest (your hiding place). If there is more than one swift parrot in your game then if one gets caught the other can go and free them by tapping on them. The aim is to get back to your nest before being seen! The game is over once the sugar glider catches all the swift parrots. Have fun!
Documentary
Here is a link to a beautiful and uplifting short (11min) documentary. It’s about some amazing work being done to help the swift parrot. It’s truly beautiful. My daughters loved it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YctKVI7Yr7E
References and for more information:
https://birdlife.org.au/bird-profile/swift-parrot
https://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/threatenedspeciesapp/profile.aspx?id=10455