Northern Rosella
Photo: Summerdrought · CC BY-SA 4.0

Old World Parrots

Northern Rosella

Platycercus venustus

LCLeast Concern Endemic to Australia
Family
Old World Parrots (Psittaculidae)
Order
Psittaciformes

Overview

The northern rosella (Platycercus venustus), formerly known as Brown's rosella or the smutty rosella, is a species of parrot native to northern Australia, ranging from the Gulf of Carpentaria and Arnhem Land to the Kimberley. It was described by Heinrich Kuhl in 1820, and two subspecies are recognised. The species is unusually coloured for a rosella, with a dark head and neck with pale cheeks—predominantly white in the subspecies from the Northern Territory and blue in the Western Australian subspecies hillii. The northern rosella's mantle and scapulars are black with fine yellow scallops, while its back, rump and underparts are pale yellow with fine black scallops.

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

Range and habitat

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Sources and further reading

Last updated September 29, 2026.