Platycercus elegans

Overview

The Australian Museum describes several colour forms within Platycercus elegans. The selected crimson adult has bright blue cheeks, black back and wing-coverts broadly edged with red, blue-edged flight feathers and a long blue tail. Yellow and orange forms share much of the pattern, while many juveniles have olive body plumage before acquiring adult colours. Thus a red adult illustration represents one form and life stage, not an appearance shared by every individual throughout its range.

A primary experiment reported through the University of Bristol measured plumage reflectance in twenty-one rosellas undergoing dietary manipulation while moulting. Some changes in colour were associated with handling-induced corticosterone, whereas baseline hormone measurements were not associated with colour measures. The study distinguishes pigmentary and structural patches and found plumage pigmentation independent of carotenoid accumulation. These measured associations do not let a viewer diagnose an individual bird's stress or diet from an illustration.

Origins & earliest records

Colour forms within a species are not independent evolutionary origin dates.

Evidence & interpretation

Retained scientific and institutional passages.

Selected bibliography

Documented works and useful reading. This is not a list of every appearance.

1. 01

   Crimson Rosella

   Australian Museum

2. 02

   Do glucocorticoids or carotenoids mediate plumage coloration in parrots? An experiment in Platycercus elegans

   Mathew L. Berg and colleagues

   Public abstract only.

Family & connections

A source-supported family tree or inspiration record has not yet been compiled for this profile. Related reading below indicates a connection in subject matter, not a proven lineage or creative influence.

References

Sources supporting this profile. Linked pages have their own scope and editorial standards.

1. Institutional species accountCrimson RosellaResearch access: 2026-10-12
2. Primary research abstractRosella plumage experimentResearch access: 2026-10-12

Image credits

Modern AI interpretation of selected crimson adult rosella.

Modern AI interpretation of a selected crimson adult rosella; fine feather structure is schematic.