One of our region’s most stunning birds, the superb parrot, is just one of numerous species under threat in our part of the country — and a focus of National Threatened Species Day on September 7.
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The day was established to raise awareness and recognise the importance of conserving Australia’s unique biodiversity.
A mountain pygmy possum. Photo: Goulburn Broken CMA.
As part of National Threatened Species Day and the Goulburn Broken Catchment Management Authority’s 2025 Year of the Tree Hollow community awareness campaign, project officer Janice Mentiplay-Smith explained the endangered superb parrot’s specific needs.
“Found north of Shepparton, the superb parrot nests in river red gum tree hollows and is highly selective about the types of hollows it uses,” Ms Mentiplay-Smith said.
“Hollows need to be deep and have narrow entrances, to protect chicks from predators and ensure the nest stays at the right temperature.
“Suitable trees are old, with a diameter greater than 83cm. The hollows must range between 64 and 137cm deep before a superb parrot will use it, and the entrance diameter must be between 8 and 13cm.”
As the superb parrot is a seed-eater it must also have nearby access to a variety of native seed-producing plants in what is now largely a cleared landscape.
“So, with such specific needs, it’s easy to see why the superb parrot is struggling to survive,” Ms Mentiplay-Smith said.
A spotted tree frog. Photo: Glen Johson.
In response to the dwindling numbers, the Superb Parrot Project was established in 1992 to address this beautiful bird’s declining source of food plants and tree hollow nesting habitat.
The working group, located in the Picola/Barmah district, has planted and direct-seeded more than 250,000 trees and shrubs for flyways and foraging habitat.
Other examples of local threatened species the Goulburn Broken CMA has worked to protect include Macquarie perch in the Hughes Creek, mountain pygmy possum at Mount Buller and the spotted tree frog in the upper Goulburn River catchment.
The date of National Threatened Species Day was chosen to commemorate the death of the last Tasmanian tiger at the Hobart Zoo on September 7, 1936.
