Exciting news in the bird world! One of the world’s most elusive and rare parrots—the Night Parrot, which is found only in Australia—just got a big boost in estimated population size. That’s because a colony of 50 Night Parrots was recently discovered in a remote area of Western Australia.

How rare are these parrots? From 1912 to 1979, there were no confirmed sightings, which led many to assume the bird was extinct. According to the Wikipedia page on the Night Parrot, sightings have been reported sporadically throughout the years—some confirmed, some redacted. A roadkill specimen was discovered in 1990, and another dead Night Parrot was found in 2005. In 2015,  ornithologist Steve Murphy and partner Rachel Barr captured and radio tagged a live Night Parrot in southwestern Queensland, which you can watch here.

Their exact population number is unknown, with some reports estimating between 50 to 250 individuals, which, sadly, lands the night parrot on the list of The International Union of Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species. Their small population numbers puts this discovery of 50 Night Parrots in perspective and offers new hope for the species.

Shedding a Spotlight on the Night Parrot

For comparison, Night Parrots are bigger than budgies but smaller than green-cheeked conures in length, but they are chunkier and have short tails. Their feather coloring, which is a yellowish-green, mottle with dark brown, black, and yellow spots, somewhat resembles another very rare parrot, the kākāpō. Kākāpōs, though, are much larger and are also the heaviest of all parrots.

The Night Parrots’ habits truly set them apart from other parrots. As their name suggests, they become active at night and hide in vegetation during the day. They also prefer to run around on the ground than flying. If they do fly, it is a short, low-to-the-ground flight as they dart back into vegetation. Their nighttime habits and penchant for hiding in the brush make them especially challenging to track.

One fascinating study suggests that Night Parrots, ironically, don’t have good night vision. In fact, their eyes are similar in size to other parrots, with smaller optic nerves and optic probes.

Researchers theorize that perhaps they developed other senses such as smell or hearing to make up for less-than-ideal night vision.  A study by Flinders University team of paleontologists might explain why the species can survive with limited night vision in the dark outback. They did a CT scan on a Night Parrot’s skull and discovered that the parrot has an asymmetrical skull and ears (similar to owls), to locate where sound is coming from.

Why The Night?

A theory among conservationists and researchers about the Night Parrot’s nocturnal nature is centered on the thought that due to scarcity of water in their arid natural habitat, the parrots have adapted to staying out of the heat during the day and instead choosing to stay hidden while the sun’s out.

More on the Night Parrot

• Here’s what Night Parrot calls sound like.
• Estimated lifespan: 10 years
• Also known as the porcupine parrot, nocturnal ground parakeet, midnight cockatoo, solitaire, spinifex parrot, and night parakeet.
• Males and females look visually the same, with no noticeable differences
• Interesting Fact: Scientists and local Ngururrpa rangers found that dingoes are common in Night Parrot habitat, regularly feeding on feral cats, which could be helping the survival of several endangered species, including the Night Parrot.