278 Sydney Porter—Notes on the Cyanorhamphus Parrakeets


The Eed-fronted Parrakeet (Cyanorhamphus novaezelandiae)

There is no doubt that in the course of time both this bird and its

ally, the Yellow-fronted Parrakeet, will vanish from the mainland of

New Zealand. Fortunately it will not vanish from the face of the earth

so long as the New Zealand Government still retain the Little Barrier

Island, Kapiti Island, and the islands off Stewart Island as sanctuaries

for New Zealand’s much persecuted bird life. On these islands the birds

are numerous, especially the Bed-fronted. The latter birds are also

extremely common on some more very small islands, the names of

which had perhaps better not be mentioned.


Once exceedingly common, the Eed-fronted Parrakeets were to be

seen in flocks of thousands ; now on the mainland they are restricted to

a few very remote localities. On my arrival in New Zealand I spent

a considerable time in searching for these birds, and at last tracked

down a small colony in the forest reserve of Lake Waikaremoana. In

every other locality I was told that the Parrakeets were very plentiful

forty years or more ago, but had now quite disappeared and were now

never seen.


Like most of New Zealand’s birds, it is dependent on the forests for

its food, and it is intolerant of any interference on the part of man.

For wherever timber-felling operations are started prior to the burning

of the forest, the birds quickly disappear. Many years ago Parrot

shooting was a favourite “ sport ” with the colonists, and this no doubt

helped to reduce the numerical strength of the birds to a great degree.


This Parrakeet is very rarely kept in captivity in New Zealand now.

When I was first in New Zealand I did hear of one, but when I tracked

it down it proved to be a White Cockatoo ! We shall never see this

interesting species in our aviaries again, except perhaps an odd one or

two now and again which happens to be smuggled out of the country,

for the New Zealand Government would rather see fifty perish in a forest

fire than a single pair leave the country for breeding purposes.


To show the great rarity of this bird on the mainland, many people

who were interested in birds had never seen it and most ordinary

people had never even heard of it. The birds which I did manage to see

on the mainland were exceedingly timid and it was impossible to get

within a good many hundred yards of them, except once in the forest



