Rosella
From Freepedia
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A rosella is one of six species of colorful Australian parrots in the genus Platycercus. Platycercus means "broad" or "flat-tailed", a reference to the fact that rosellas are classified under the broad-tailed parrot subfamily.
Rosellas are native to Australia and some surrounding islands, where they inhabit forests, woodlands, farmlands, and suburban parks and gardens. They are confined to the coastal mountains and plains and are absent from the outback. Introduced populations have also established themselves in New Zealand and Norfolk Island.
Rosellas range in size from 25-38 cm (9.8-15 in). Their diet consists mainly of seeds and fruit.
Because of their strikingly colorful plumage, several species are widely bred as pets.
Legend has it that early settlers first encountered the Eastern Rosella at Rose Hill, now a Sydney suburb. They called it a "Rose Hiller", which eventually became "rosella".
There is also a second story that tells a different story about the name. It is supposed to come from 'Rosetta', the firstname of the wife of George Fife Angas, a settler in Australia, but somewhere a writing error occurred, hence Rosella.
Species and subspecies of Platycercus
- Pale-headed Rosella, Platycercus adscitus
- Green Rosella, Platycercus caledonicus
- Crimson Rosella, Platycercus elegans
- Adelaide Rosella, P. e. adelaide (formerly a separate species)
- Yellow Rosella, P. e. flaveolus (formerly a separate species)
- Eastern Rosella, Platycercus eximius
- Western Rosella, Platycercus icterotis
- Northern Rosella, Platycercus venustus
