At first, I thought I was photographing a Crimson Rosella in poor light under a dense pittosporum canopy. But when I looked at the image later, I was surprised to find this was a very unusual rosella, as it partially had markings and colours of an Eastern Rosella. This bird was in a pair with a normal Crimson Rosella and was the same size as it's partner, that is larger than an Eastern Rosella. I suspect this individual is a hybrid between the two rosella species.
Yes - this is a Crimson/Eastern Rosella hybrid. The white cheek patch with a suffusion of blue is generally one of the most reliable indicators, the plumage blending on the rest of the body can be a bit more variable, but this one looks fairly typical of a mid-way intermediate.
This should probably be recorded as a hybrid, rather than either Crimson or Eastern Rosella, which would require a new taxonomic entry but the Project administration page is currently being redeveloped.
I agree that it should be recorded as a hybrid and not a Crimson Rosella, but for uploading purposes thought it was closer to being a Crimson Rosella, as this was the species it associated and paired with. I have only once recorded an Eastern Rosella on our block as our forest area is not the preferred habitat for that species.
To better show the colours of this hybrid rosella I have edited out some of the heavy shadows from the original images. It appears that the head and fore part of the body are more like a Crimson Rosella and the rear mostly Eastern Rosella with colours of a duller tone than typical for that species.
Describe how you intend to use these images and/or audio files and your request will be sent to the author for consideration.
Your request has been successfully submitted to the author for consideration.
809,841 sightings of 22,027 species from 13,775 members CCA 3.0 | privacy
We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of this land and acknowledge their continuing connection to their culture. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present.