New Zealand Rosella

The eastern Rosella is a brightly coloured, broad-tailed parakeet native to south-eastern Australia. It was introduced to New Zealand in the early 1900s, and is now common over much of the North Island, with a smaller population centered on Dunedin

    

Eastern rosellas eat a wide range of seeds, fruits, flowers, buds and shoots and occasional insects.

Breeding is between October and January. They usually nest in cavities in trees or dead tree fern trunks, laying 4–6 white eggs which the female incubates for 22–24 days. The chicks fledge at around 30 days and remain with their parents for several months.

They are often present in small but fluctuating numbers on Tiritiri Matangi.