NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Rock Parrot
Neophema petrophila (Gould, 1841)
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The rock parrot (Neophema petrophila) is a species of grass parrot native to Australia. Described by John Gould in 1841, it is a small parrot 22–24 cm (8+3⁄4–9+1⁄2 in) long and weighing 50–60 g (1+3⁄4–2 oz) with predominantly olive-brown upperparts and more yellowish underparts. Its head is olive with light blue forecheeks and lores, and a dark blue frontal band line across the crown with lighter blue above and below. The sexes are similar in appearance, although the female tends to have a duller frontal band and less blue on the face. The female's call also tends to be far louder and more shrill than the male's. Two subspecies are currently recognised. Rocky islands and coastal dune areas are the preferred habitats for this species, which is found from Lake Alexandrina in southeastern South Australia westwards across coastal South and Western Australia to Shark Bay. Unlike other grass parrots, it nests in burrows or rocky crevices mostly on offshore islands such as Rottnest Island. Seeds of grasses and succulent plants form the bulk of its diet.
Wikipedia contributors, Rock parrot; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T02:18:31.078324+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Neophema petrophila (Gould, 1841)
- Name authority
- (Gould, 1841)
- Common name
- Rock Parrot
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Psittaciformes
- Family
- Psittaculidae
- Genus
- Neophema
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classAves
- orderPsittaciformes
- familyPsittaculidae
- genusNeophema Salvadori, 1891
- speciesNeophema petrophila (Gould, 1841)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Neophema. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Turquoise ParakeetNeophema pulchella (Shaw, 1792) | PsittaculidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Orange-bellied ParakeetNeophema chrysogaster (Latham, 1790) | PsittaculidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Blue-winged ParrotNeophema chrysostoma (Kuhl, 1820) | PsittaculidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Elegant ParrotNeophema elegans (Gould, 1837) | PsittaculidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Scarlet-chested ParakeetNeophema splendida (Gould, 1841) | PsittaculidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Euphema petrophila Gould, 1841 Gould, 1841 | synonym |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=177591 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:46Q3X. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.