Platycercus venustus
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 ~30% in a week ~50%
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. The long tail is blue-green, and the wings are black and blue-violet. The sexes have similar plumage, while females and younger birds are generally duller with occasional spots of red.
Found in woodland and open savanna country, the northern rosella is predominantly herbivorous, consuming seeds, particularly of grasses and eucalypts, as well as flowers and berries, but it may also eat insects. Nesting takes place in tree hollows. Although uncommon, the northern rosella is rated as least concern on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)'s Red List of Threatened Species. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nitmiluk National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Litchfield National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 3 | Kakadu National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Loro Parque | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 2 | Featherdale Sydney Wildlife Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Northern Rosella sighting in Litchfield National Park on a given day, based on 42 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 58th most-seen of the 110 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April and May
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Northern Rosella in Litchfield National Park on a given day, against under 5% in November, the lowest month. Those are among Litchfield National Park's driest months, with about 30 mm of rain a month against 400 mm in January.
Between 7 and 10 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Northern Rosella sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
2nd of 3
Of the 3 parks where we can rate Northern Rosella sightings, Litchfield National Park ranks 2nd at about 10%. The best odds are in Nitmiluk National Park (Australia, about 20%).
Same family: Psittacidae
The closest relatives of the Northern Rosella that you can see in Litchfield National Park (family Psittacidae, New World and African Parrots) are Sulphur-crested Cockatoo (about 50%), Red-collared Lorikeet (about 50%) and Red-tailed Black-Cockatoo (about 40%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Northern Rosella is recorded against all the birds logged in Litchfield National Park (42 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.
