Platycercus elegans
Silhouette: Farelli (photo), John E. McCormack, Michael G. Harvey, Brant C. Faircloth, Nicholas G. Crawford, Travis C. Glenn, Robb T. Brumfield & T. Michael Keesey · PhyloPic
In 3 days >90%
The crimson rosella (Platycercus elegans) is a parrot native to eastern and south eastern Australia which has been introduced to New Zealand and Norfolk Island. It is commonly found in, but not restricted to, mountain forests and gardens. The species as it now stands has subsumed two former separate species, the yellow rosella and the Adelaide rosella. Molecular studies show one of the three red-coloured races, P. e. nigrescens, is genetically more distinct.
The crimson rosella was formally described in 1788 by the German naturalist Johann Friedrich Gmelin in his revised and expanded edition of Carl Linnaeus's Systema Naturae. He placed it with the parrots in the genus Psittacus and coined the binomial name Psittacus elegans. This Latin name had been used in 1605 by the Flemish botanist Carolus Clusius in his book Exoticorum libri decem for the hawk-headed parrot, however this predates the start of Linnean taxonomy.
The crimson rosella had been described and named by John Latham in 1781 as the "Beautiful Lory", from a specimen in the collection of Sir Joseph Banks, and then as the "Pennantian Parrot" in 1787 in honour of Thomas Pennant. However, Latham did not give the... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lamington National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Grampians National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 3 | Kosciuszko National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 4 | Great Otway National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 5 | Wilsons Promontory National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 6 | Blue Mountains National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 7 | Booderee National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 8 | Flinders Chase | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 9 | Royal National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 10 | Hattah-Kulkyne National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 11 | Springbrook National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Le Pal | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 2 | Liberec Zoo | 🇨🇿 Czechia | |
| 3 | Walsrode World Bird Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 4 | Toronto Zoo | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 5 | Yumka' | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 6 | Yerevan Zoo | 🇦🇲 Armenia | |
| 7 | Kyiv Zoo | 🇺🇦 Ukraine | |
| 8 | Dyrehaven i Nørreskoven | 🇩🇰 Denmark | |
| 9 | Fort Worth Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | Potter Park Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 11 | Auckland Zoo | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | |
| 12 | Bioparque Educativo Quillón | 🇨🇱 Chile | |
| 13 | Paphos Zoo | 🇨🇾 Cyprus | |
| 14 | Loro Parque | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 15 | Castellar Zoo | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 16 | The Green Planet | 🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates | |
| 17 | Ranger Red’s Zoo & Conservation Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
Very likely
About 90% of wildlife watchers report a Crimson Rosella sighting in Lamington National Park on a given day, based on 4,462 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 3rd most-seen of the 171 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
February, August and October–December
In those months about 90% of wildlife watchers report a Crimson Rosella in Lamington National Park on a given day, against about 80% in January, March–July and September, the lowest months.
Between 2 and 5 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Crimson Rosella sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 11 parks where we can rate Crimson Rosella sightings, Lamington National Park has the highest daily chance: about 90%. Next come Grampians National Park (Australia, about 80%) and Kosciuszko National Park (Australia, about 80%). All parks ranked.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Crimson Rosella is recorded against all the birds logged in Lamington National Park (4,462 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
