The NRE Tas OBP team is dedicated to providing regular updates on OBP numbers and program activities throughout the season here and on the Orange-bellied Parrot Tasmanian Program
Facebook page.
December 18
Exciting news with another promising year for the Orange-bellied Parrot wild population! We have confirmed 92 birds returned from migration this year breaking last year’s census record of 82 birds. The 92 birds include 64 wild-born and 28 captive-bred released; and 37 females and 55 males.
This small but significant increase in the population is a promising sign for these parrots classified as endangered under the Threatened Species Act 1995.
The Orange-bellied Parrot Tasmanian Program thanks partner organisations, staff, and volunteers who all contribute to the sustained increases we have witnessed over the past eight years.
Early nest inspections at the Five Mile Beach Wildlife Facility have also shown a promising start to the breeding season, reporting 25 nestlings, and a fledgling already hatched so far with more to come.
In further exciting news, NRE Tas has also completed its report on this year’s migration tracking project with the report and further details available here.
Keep track over the coming months as we move into the breeding season and begin monitoring breeding pairs at Melaleuca. We thank you for your continued support through this journey and wish everyone a safe and happy holiday season!
December 9
Good news, volunteers have confirmed another two Orange-bellied Parrots (OBPS) bringing the total to 90 arrivals so far! The latest birds are wild born from last season that fledged from nest boxes erected on poles implemented by the OBP Tasmanian Program.
The 90 is comprised of 62 wild-born and 28 captive-bred birds. Of these, 37 are females and 53 are males.
We are into the final days before our census date and we are all very excited to see what the 2024/25 number will be. Stay tuned for the final report on census next week!
December 2
The numbers of Orange-bellied parrot (OBP) arrivals have slowed this week, but we are still on the increase!
In the last week another two OBPs have been confirmed, a wild born male and a juvenile release female both from last season.
This brings the total to 88 so far and is comprised of 60 wild-born and 28 captive-bred birds. Of these, 36 are females, 51 are males and one is yet to be identified.
The NRE Tas captive breeding team have also reported 15 nestlings so far.
November 25
The record for Orange-bellied Parrots returning to Melaleuca continues to grow!
We are excited to announce this week a further three Orange-bellied Parrots have been confirmed bringing the total to 86 so far.
The returned population includes 35 females, 50 males and one yet to be identified. Of these, 59 are wild born and 27 are captive-released Orange-bellied Parrots.
Over the past winter 15 of these birds were also recorded in Victoria and two in South Australia.
We are only a few weeks away from our census date, how many more, if any, will arrive in that time?
We look forward to releasing one more update before the big reveal!
November 18
We have a new record for Orange-bellied Parrots (OBP), 83 individuals! Another seven have been confirmed in the last week by our dedicated volunteers at Melaleuca.
The returned population so far includes 34 females, 48 males and one to be determined. Of these, 56 are wild born and 27 are captive-released birds.
We also have nestlings! The NRE Tas captive breeding team are excited to announce the arrival of the first OBP nestling of the season.
The nestling was found on Friday 15 November during routine nest checks and was the first to hatch out of a clutch of 5 eggs.
We expect many more to come and still have plenty of time before our census date in mid-December, so stay tuned for updates!
November 11
Great news from Melaleuca! In the past week, our volunteers have recorded a further 20 Orange-bellied Parrots at the feed tables, bringing the total number of birds to 76. This is more than at the same time last year and is a promising sign for the population this season.
The returned population so far includes 32 females, 43 males, and one still to be identified. Of these, 51 birds are wild born and 25 are captive-released Orange-bellied Parrots.
Of the 20 birds recently sighted, one was previously seen in South Australia and three were spotted in Victoria over winter.
At the NRE Tas captive facility, Orange-bellied Parrots are attending to 40 eggs, with nestlings expected to arrive soon. Look out for updates in the coming weeks!
November 4
We've reached 56 Orange-bellied Parrots (OBPs)! In the last week, our volunteers have recorded a further 16 OBPs at the feed tables at Melaleuca, which is how many were also reported this time last season.
Of the 16 recently sighted, one was previously sighted in South Australia and another in Victoria over the winter.
In other exciting news, we are getting very close to the first eggs hatching at the NRE Tas captive facility. We will keep you posted!
October 28
We have had an influx of Orange-bellied Parrots (OBPs) arrive. In the last week, our dedicated volunteers have observed another 12 OBPs bringing the total confirmed to 40!
Of the 40, there are 25 males and 15 females including two females released in Spring in 2022 and 2023.
This season's Spring Release birds have all now been released with the intent to increase the number of breeding pairs. This fantastic work is made possible through incredible partnerships across captive institutions, great work everyone!
October 21
The wild, Orange-bellied parrots (OBPs) continue to arrive! Spring release for the season will be complete by the end of the week and captive birds are starting to lay eggs.
Our volunteers have observed another 11 OBPs at Melaleuca, bringing the total confirmed to 28.
The second Spring release cohort of birds from Healesville Sanctuary and Priam will be released by the end of week, who will join the NRE Tas birds from the first cohort and wild birds at Melaleuca.
At the NRE Tas Wildlife Management Facility our staff are also excited to announce the first eggs of the season are here, these were laid by a five-year-old female OBP.
Here's hoping for a successful breeding season ahead!
October 14
17 Orange-bellied parrots (OBPs) have returned to Melaleuca!
In the past week, our volunteers observed another nine OBPs at the feed tables, adding to the eight already confirmed return birds.
The first round of spring releases also kicks off in the coming weeks with seven adult birds to be released this week and a further release planned for the following week. These birds are released from captive management facilities to help boost the size of the wild breeding population in time for the breeding season.
October 7
Orange-bellied parrots (OBPs) continue to arrive at Melaleuca!
In the last week, our volunteers have observed another four OBPs at the feed tables, bringing the total to eight confirmed returns.
Amongst these new birds are two wild-born males from 2020 and 2022, who were also observed in Victoria over the winter.
September 30
Our volunteers and Orange-bellied Parrots (OBPs) are back at Melaleuca!
We are very excited to report that as at Monday 30 September, four OBPs have arrived after their long migration!
Our dedicated volunteers will provide supplementary feed and monitor feed tables every day from now through to April to provide critical information on the wild population.
OBP Tasmanian Program staff also spent last week installing and preparing OBP nest-boxes at Melaleuca and surrounding areas.
Our partners with captive populations are also in full swing preparing for our upcoming Spring release in the next few weeks, which aims to increase the number of potential breeding pairs in the wild population.
We are expecting more OBP returns between now and December and will provide weekly updates on population size until census on 15 December 2024.
September 12
To mark the beginning of the breeding season, our captive breeding team has received the final list of Orange-Bellied Parrots (OBPs) selected for breeding. A total of 27 pairs have been selected.
Our team aims to establish all pairs in their breeding aviaries by mid-September.
Currently, 23 pairs are in place, with four pairs still awaiting the arrival of their remaining mates, who are waiting patiently in their respective aviaries. The team anticipates the first eggs to be laid by mid-October.
Preparations for the upcoming season at Melaleuca are also in full swing. New and seasoned volunteers have been selected for monitoring the OBPs in the wild. They will begin next week and continue monitoring every day until mid-April.
We will now provide weekly updates on the OBPs and look forward to the season ahead with your enthusiasm and support!
March 14
At the NRE Wildlife Management Facility, the last, Orange-bellied Parrot nestling has left its nest.
The total number of fledglings for the season was 74. Breeding participation was high with 90 per cent of breeding attempts resulting in laid eggs, compared with 63 – 85 per cent participation between 2019 and 2023. Fledgling success rate was average at 2 fledglings produced per nest with eggs, compared with 1.9 and 2.4 fledglings per nest between 2019 and 2023.
The release of captive-bred, juvenile, Orange-bellied Parrots for the season is also now complete. Between January and early March, a total of 40 birds were released into the wild at Melaleuca. The parrots were born in captivity across three facilities, Moonlit Sanctuary, Healesville Sanctuary and the NRE Tas 5 Mile Beach Wildlife Management Facility.
The aims of releasing captive-bred juveniles at Melaleuca are to increase the size of the migrating population and to give the released juveniles the chance to learn wild behaviours from Orange-bellied Parrots at Melaleuca before migration, improving survival rates of captive-bred and wild-born birds.
The juveniles are integrating well within their new environment with our volunteers keeping a close eye on them at the feed tables.
January 8
Happy new year from the Tasmanian Orange-bellied Parrot Program!
The first nestlings at the Five Mile Beach Wildlife Management Facility have fledged. The young birds are now spending time mastering their ability to fly and exploring their new surroundings. Fledglings will also socialise by chatting with family and birds in neighbouring flights, learning from their parents which food items to eat and when to be mindful of potential danger.
We have seen 77 nestlings hatch at the Five Mile Beach Wildlife Management Facility this season and will report with the total number of fledglings in March.
Previous updates
Updates from previous years are availble on the Previous Updates page.