Bright green birds in Australia are often parrots, but not always. Look at head colour, body shape, tail length, bill type and feeding behaviour before deciding.
Rainbow Lorikeet — Photo: Cyron Ray Macey, CC BY 2.0, source.
Australian King-Parrot — Photo: Glen Fergus, CC BY-SA 2.5, source.
Eastern Rosella — Photo: SuperJew, CC BY-SA 3.0, source.
Rainbow Bee-eater — Photo: Peter Firminger, CC BY 2.0, source.
Likely birds to compare
- Rainbow Lorikeet — green wings and back with a blue head and orange-yellow breast; often noisy in flowering trees.
- Australian King-Parrot — females and juveniles can look strongly green, while males combine green wings with a red head and body.
- Eastern Rosella — green is only one part of a highly patterned red, yellow, blue and green plumage.
- Rainbow Bee-eater — slim green insect-hunter with a black eye stripe and long pointed wings.
Useful field marks
A curved heavy bill strongly suggests a parrot. A slender slightly down-curved bill and aerial insect-catching behaviour point more toward a bee-eater. Also check whether the bird was climbing through flowers, feeding on the ground or launching from an exposed perch.
See the parrot identification guide for more green parrot candidates.