The Elusive Princess

Abstract

this is not the start ofa fatly ~tale from the days of yore.

I'm writing because I have some

local knowledge from "Down Under" concerning the Princess Parrot Polytelis alexandrae which may be of interest to Watchbird readers.

In Eb Cravens' excellent article entitled "Parrots for Dollars" (July/ August 1995), he mentions that the Princess of Wales Parakeet (or Princess Parrots as they are known in Australia) has "Not been spotted in the wilds of Australia for nigh on 10 years." Cravens considers it rare and in this he is probably right. Unfortunately we know little of its habits in me wild and this is reflected in its status being categorized as insufficiently known in the Threatened and extinct birds of Australia (Garnett, 1992a).

Rare?

This species may only be rare because we have a hard time finding it. In some years and in some locations it may be common and then it will disappear for years. This nomadic or "irruptive" behavior (Carter,1993) may be a response to the vagaries of rain in outback Australia. Basically, the birds have to go wherever food and water are available and be prepared to breed as rapidly as possible. In mis, me Princess Parrot shares similar behavior with other species such as Budgerigars Melospittacus undulatus, Zebra Finches Taeniopygia guttata and Pacific Black Ducks Anas superciliosa, to name just a few.

Good News

Now the latest good news for lovers of this elegant desert beauty is that it is still alive and well in the wilds of Australia. With the advent of reliable 4 wheel drive vehicles, people are increasingly visiting such inhospitable regions as the Canning Stock Route in the Great Sandy Desert in Western Australia. Almost 300 Princess Parrots were seen in a single traverse of this track in July, 1993 (Carter, 1993). Despite the fact that Princess Parrots can turn up in the Northern Territory, South Australia and even Queensland, an analysis of historical data suggests that this species' core population is in the Great Sandy Desert (but it is still a very big place in which to look).

The Princess Parrot may also be rare (or scarce) because its habitat can only support a limited number of its kind. Garnett (1992b) considers that there i no evidence of a reduction in its range in the sandy deserts of inland Australia. Hopefully, this indicates that the total number of wild Princess Parrots has also not declined.

It would seem unlikely that a definitive population count will be made in the foreseeable future, or at least until the current state of knowledge concerning this species' ecology is improved. The latest "head-count" is due to the efforts of a small number of
intrepid, private birdwatchers who are literally risking their lives in a region where intense and unremitting heat dries up water stocks in wells, tanks and waterholes or, conversely, tracks become impassable due to flood waters. Thus, for the time being at least, reports of the Princess Parrot in the wild . will continue to come from the private sector. Indeed, the Australian National Parks and Wildlife Service (now the Australian Nature Conservation Agency), in its "Action plan for Australian birds" (Garnett, 1992a), requests that ornithological societies and volunteer bird watchers be encouraged to report all sightings to a central office and include as much detail as possible on habitat, possible threats, behavior, etc. Let's hope that this will be enough information to ring alarm bells if the species starts a decline for whatever reason. This request for information is something which intrepid American travellers can keep in mind if they find themselves stranded on the Canning Stock Route.

Captive Princess

There is, however, less of a problem in estimating the captive population and there appears to be more birds in captivity in Australia and overseas than in the wild.