Australian Ringneck Parrot, Twenty-Eight, Ring-necked Parakeet. I struggled over what to call this post as the birds seem to have plenty of different names. I went for ‘Australian Ringneck’ in the end as that’s what my book gave as a name that covers both as you can see here.
Twenty-eight’ is the call that the common local subspecies makes as he flies through the trees, hence his nickname. I often see them but very rarely get a good picture it really shouldn’t be that hard. They usually seem to fly in twos or threes. Then they land high in the trees to feed, where they are obscured by leaves and branches. This parrot is definitely a ‘Twenty-eight’ as he has a dark green chest.
This one, however, is probably a true ringneck because of his yellow chest. It’s almost impossible to know though because they interbreed, so in-between markings are common. Like the other parrots, they chatter to each other constantly as they feed.
They aren’t nearly as confident as most of the other parrots and cockatoos that I’ve come across and they aren’t as ‘cheeky’. Far more sensible, and far more focused on their feeding. So much so that they won’t stand still for a picture. There were 3 of them feeding by a tree but every one of the photos with more than 1 on was blurred or out of focus because they just can’t be still. They’re really pretty though and it’s a treat when they feed on the floor and let me get close.
