Adelaide Rosella

Adelaide Rosella (Platycercus elegans adelaidae)

The Adelaide Rosella is a common parrot of the Mt Lofty Ranges and Adelaide Hills where we live, and can also be found on the Adelaide Plains, here in South Australia. They are also common up to about 50 kilometres to the west of the Mt. Lofty Ranges.

This unique species is actually a hybrid of the Yellow Rosella found further north, along the River Murray - and the Crimson Rosella of eastern Australia and the south east part of South Australia. The feathers can vary from a dark rich orange-red in the south through to a quite pale washed out orange-yellow colour in the north.

The Adelaide Rosella is found throughout the Fleurieu Peninsula and is generally regarded as one of the four subspecies of the Crimson Rosella.

More intense colours.

The Adelaide Rosella averages 13.5 - 14.4 inches or 35 - 36 cm in length. What really attracts me to these birds is the dash of blue. The cheeks are violet-blue. The abdomen and breast are yellow more or less strongly tinged orange-red.

The bend of the wing and outer median wing edges are bright blue. The upperside of the middle tail-feathers are dark violet-blue and with a dark green base. The outer tail feathers are dark blue with bright blue edging and paler tips. The tail underside is pale bluish.

In their natural habitat, they mostly feed on grass and tree seeds, as well as a variety of fruits, berries, flowers and nectar. We feed these birds with a quality mixed seeds for wild birds that they simply love to eat. The word is out regarding our bird feeder!