Forehead crimson; cheeks light blue; crown of the head, back of the neck, back, rump, upper tail-coverts, and all the under surface pale yellow, the feathers of the back being black in the centre and pale yellow on their outer edges; middle of the wing pale blue; spurious wing and the outer web of the basal portion of the primaries deep violet-blue, the remainder of the primaries dark brown; two central tail-feathers tinted with green at the base, passing into blue towards the tip; the remaining feathers have the basal portion of their outer webs deep blue, passing into very pale blue towards their tips; the inner webs brown for a greater or less portion of their length, the extreme tips of all being white; bill light horn-colour; feet dark brown.
The Plate represents a male of the natural size.
PLATYCERCUS PALLICEPS: Vig.
J. & E. Gould del et lith. C. Hullmandel Imp.
PLATYCERCUS PALLICEPS, Vig.
Pale-headed Parrakeet.
Platycercus palliceps, Vig. in Lear’s Ill. Psitt., pl. 19.
Moreton Bay Rose-hill, Colonists of New South Wales.
This elegant species of Platycercus, which, up to the present time, has been more frequently seen alive in a state of captivity than preserved in our zoological collections, is a native of the eastern coast of Australia, and is tolerably numerous at Moreton Bay, where all the specimens I have seen were procured. It is known in Sydney by the name of Moreton Bay Rose-hill, an appellation bestowed on it from its near alliance to the Platycercus eximius. The specific name of palliceps has been applied to this species from the light colouring of the head, which amounts, in some specimens, to a total absence of colour: this however, I think, may be attributed to the effects of exposure to light, since, in recently moulted birds, there is always a delicate tinge of yellow pervading the crown; the delicate blue on the cheeks also appears to be affected by the same cause, though not to so great an extent.
It bears confinement remarkably well, and is very docile and familiar, which, added to its very elegant plumage, renders it a general favourite.
Crown of the head and cheeks either wholly white or pale gamboge-yellow; in some specimens also there is a fine line of scarlet crossing the forehead, and the lower part of the cheeks is deep blue; feathers of the nape, back and scapularies black, broadly margined with gamboge-yellow; rump in some instances greenish blue, in others this part is strongly tinged with gamboge-yellow; primaries and secondaries blackish brown, with the base of their external webs deep blue; greater and lesser wing-coverts, and the shoulders, both above and below, beautiful blue; that part of the wing nearest the body black; all the under surface verditer-blue, with the exception of the under tail-coverts, which are scarlet; two middle tail-feathers greenish blue; the basal half of the remainder being blackish-brown on their internal webs, rich deep blue on their outer webs, and the terminal half delicate pale blue, passing into white at the tip; bill horn-colour; irides blackish brown; feet dark mealy brown.