NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment

Nature conservation

Threatened species

Swift Parrot (Lathamus discolor)



Saving our Species strategy

This species has been assigned to the Landscape species management stream under the Saving our Species (SoS) program.

Justification for allocation to this management stream

This species is distributed across relatively large areas and is subject to threatening processes that generally act at the landscape scale (e.g. habitat loss or degradation) rather than at distinct, defineable locations.

Conservation status

Management objectives

This SoS strategy aims to ensure that the species is secure in the wild in NSW and that its NSW geographic range is extended or maintained and maintain its conservation status under the BC Act.

Species sightings and management sites across NSW

The map below displays the species’ distribution in NSW, based upon the species’ geographic range, habitat distribution or area of occupancy (to as high a resolution as available data allow, using a range of data sources).

Information about the species’ habitat and ecology is available here.

The map may also display one or more management sites where management of important populations is underway. More information is available in the tables below.

Your search returned one or more sites that are restricted due to the sensitive nature of either the species or the site. Individuals involved in management on these sites can access detailed information via the database.

IBRA

The species occurs in the following IBRA (Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia) regions in NSW:

 
NSW North Coast
NSW South Western Slopes
South East Corner
South Eastern Highlands
Sydney Basin

Proportion of the species' distribution on reserve

12% of the species' distribution occurs on reserve (within NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service estate).

Critical actions for this species

The key threats to the viability of landscape-managed species are loss, fragmentation and degradation of habitat, and widespread pervasive factors such as impacts of climate change and disease. Many of these threats are addressed by NSW planning, native vegetation, and biodiversity legislation, policy and programs including the offsets program (BioBanking, NSW Biodiversity Offsets Policy for Major Projects), Biodiversity Certification, management of environmental water and reservation under the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1974.

Threats to this species are outlined here.

The actions listed in the action toolbox are supplementary to NSW legislation, policy and programs and can be used by stakeholders, where applicable to guide management at a site, regional or state scale.

Action toolbox

Action DescriptionScale
Raise public awareness of the importance of large old trees of species that provide important food resources. Protect large old trees, including from the effects of fire. Ensure the recruitment of large old trees by retaining medium-sized trees, facilitating regeneration, and undertaking replanting. Site
Within a region, increase the extent and quality of habitat to increase food supply and improve foraging efficiency. Focus on sites that may better function as drought refuges. Include locally occurring species that provide important food resources in revegetation programs where appropriate. Ensure that fuel reduction burns do not result in canopy scorch, which can reduce flowering in subsequent years. Manage aggressive honeyeater impacts through habitat modification (e.g. reduce the amount of edge and establish a structurally complex understorey). Site, Area
Engage the community in the identification and enhanced management of priority sites. Priority sites are those that (1) have been used by a large proportion of the population, or (2) have been used in multiple seasons, or (3) have been used for an extended period of time within a season. Engage stakeholders in the identification and development of site-based management projects for priority areas, being areas containing a high proportion of priority sites, or areas that contribute to the overall diversity and distribution of resources available to swift parrots under a range of environmental conditions. Area, State
With the assistance of the community, monitor swift parrot distribution, abundance, and habitat use. Investigate knowledge gaps to improve the effectiveness of management actions, including understanding the phenology of key food species, determining movement strategies, patterns and pathways between regions, and modelling the impacts of climate change projections on the distribution and abundance of foraging habitat and resources. Area, State
Establish the Beak and Feather Disease Virus (BFDV) status of rehabilitated parrots proposed to be released using appropriate tests and quarantine procedures. Parrots carrying BFDV should not be released into the wild. State
Raise public awareness on collision risks and how these can be minimised. At priority sites and movement pathways assessed as having a high risk of collision, develop and implement mitigation strategies. State, Site, Area

How will this species be managed?

Key management sites for this threatened species are being identified by the NSW Government and other program partners, where feasible, cost-effective and beneficial management actions can be undertaken. Currently, 2 management sites have been identified for this threatened species.

Management sites

Click on column headers to sort
Site nameSite typeStatusLocal government area (LGA)
Central Coast Priority management siteActive Central Coast, Lake Macquarie, Newcastle 
Riverina Priority management siteActive Cootamundra-Gundagai Regional, Greater Hume Shire, Wagga Wagga 

Are you or is someone you know doing conservation work for this species or in this area?

Contact us to tell us about the work. Your input will help OEH evaluate the status of threatened species and provide a broader picture of conservation work across NSW.