andrewt@cs.su.oz (Andrew Taylor) (10/25/90)
The Night Parrot is a nocturnal ground-dwelling parrot of the arid country of central Australia. Though there have been a number of reported sightings in recent years the last solid evidence of its existence was a specimen taken in 1912. Last week a small museum expedition stopped to show an overseas visitor some Pratincoles beside the road. At the feet beside the road they found a dead Night Parrot! Incidently the finder was an American, Walter Boles curator of birds at the Australian Museum. The location in remote central queensland is also interesting as there don't seem to be historical records for the region. It raises hope that Night Parrots exist in small and very inconspicous numbers through central Australia. A $50,000 reward offered by Australian Geographic seems likely to go to research on the Night Parrot. Now if only the Paradise Parrot would be rediscovered. No reliable reports since 1928 and unfortunately much less likely to remain unobserved. There are however rumours of sightings kept secret. Andrew