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  1. Species
  2. ›
  3. Psittaculidae
  4. ›
  5. Platycercus
  6. ›
  7. Pale-headed Rosella
Pale-headed Rosella
Photo · no rights reserved

BirdUp · Species

Pale-headed Rosella

Platycercus adscitus(Latham, 1790)

Updated 11 June 2026

Origin: Endemic
Order
PSITTACIFORMES
Family
Psittaculidae
Genus
Platycercus

At a glance

The Pale-headed Rosella is a medium-sized bird, about 28–34 cm long, endemic to Australia. It can be seen year-round.

Size
28–34 cm
Origin
Endemic
Best seen
Year-round
Commonness
Endemic
  • Identification
  • Where
  • When
  • Voice
  • Behaviour
  • Gallery

01 · Identification

How to tell it apart

What does a Pale-headed Rosella look like?

The Pale-headed Rosella is a medium-sized bird, about 28–34 cm long and weighing 86–285 g.

The pale-headed rosella, is a broad-tailed parrot of the genus Platycercus native to northeastern Australia. It is a moderate-size parrot with a pale yellow head, predominantly white cheeks, scalloped black and gold back and pale blue underparts. Two subspecies are recognised, although some authorities consider it to be conspecific with the eastern rosella of southeastern Australia.

Description · wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

Field specs

Length
28–34 cm
Weight
86–285 g

Measurements · avonet · CC BY 4.0

03 · When

When to look

When can you see a Pale-headed Rosella?

The Pale-headed Rosella is present across its Australian range year-round, so it can be seen in any month.

  1. Jan
  2. Feb
  3. Mar
  4. Apr
  5. May
  6. Jun
  7. Jul
  8. Aug
  9. Sep
  10. Oct
  11. Nov
  12. Dec

04 · Voice

What it sounds like

Call

Greg Tasney · Yarrabilba QLD 4207, Australia

Call

Steven Taylor · Queensland, AU

Call

Greg Tasney · Image Flat QLD 4560, Australia

Call

Bethlea Bell · Bouldercombe QLD 4702, Australia

05 · Behaviour

Habits and haunts

What does a Pale-headed Rosella eat?

The Pale-headed Rosella feeds on fruit, seeds and terrestrial invertebrates, usually foraging in pairs or flocks.

06 · Gallery

Plumage up close

6 photos

The BirdUp app

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02 · Where

Where to find it

Where does the Pale-headed Rosella live in Australia?

The Pale-headed Rosella is endemic to Australia, recorded across 31 of Australia’s bioregions, with a core range spanning north-east and east-central Australia.

BreedingNorth-east and east-central Australia

Distribution from BirdUp Australia community data

Legend

  • Resident
  • Breeding
  • Vagrant

8 regions recorded