Night Parrot
Photo: Elizabeth Gould (1804–1841) · Public domain

Old World Parrots

Night Parrot

Pezoporus occidentalis

CRCritically Endangered Endemic to Australia
Family
Old World Parrots (Psittaculidae)
Order
Psittaciformes

Overview

The night parrot (Pezoporus occidentalis) is a small parrot endemic to the continent of Australia. It has also been known as porcupine parrot, nocturnal ground parakeet, midnight cockatoo, solitaire, spinifex parrot and night parakeet. It is one of the most elusive and mysterious birds in the world, with no confirmed sightings of the bird between 1912 and 1979, leading to speculation that it was extinct. Sightings since 1979 have been extremely rare and the bird's population size is unknown, though based on the paucity of records it is thought to number between 50 and 249 mature individuals, and it is classified by the IUCN as a critically endangered species.

Summary from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Range and habitat

Central Australia (northern semiarid Western Australia and southwestern Queensland).

Range description: AviList Global Avian Checklist.

Continents

Countries

Sources and further reading

Last updated September 29, 2026.