CreatureData

Superb parrot

Polytelis swainsonii (Desmarest, 1826)

LCLeast Concernparrots

The superb parrot (Polytelis swainsonii) is a species in the family Psittaculidae, order Psittaciformes. Recorded adults weigh 153 g to 154.3 g and live up to 15.1 years. Source checklists list it for 1 country: Australia. Its IUCN Red List status is Least Concern.

Superb parrot (Polytelis swainsonii)
Photo: Duncan McCaskill · CC BY 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Quick facts about the superb parrot

Weight
153 gsrc for Weight
Length
Not recorded
Lifespan
15.1 yearssrc for Lifespan
Diet
Omnivoresrc for Diet
Longest recorded lifespan
24.2 years
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
forestsrc for Habitat
Egg incubation
20 dayssrc for Egg incubation
Young per litter or clutch
5src for Young per litter or clutch
Age at maturity
11.9 months – 2 yearssrc for Age at maturity
Lifestyle
Perchingsrc for Lifestyle
Migration
Partialsrc for Migration
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
Countries on record
1 countrysrc for Countries on record

Where does the superb parrot live?

Countries where Catalogue of Life checklists list the species. Many checklists carry no country data, so the list is often incomplete. It is not a range map.

The superb parrot is listed for 1 country.

Australia
  • Listed
  • Not listed
small islands are not drawn at this scale

The same countries as a list

  1. Australia

Listed by: ITIS (scope: global), through the Catalogue of Life.

What is the superb parrot?

Quoted from WikipediaCC BY-SA 4.0

The superb parrot (Polytelis swainsonii), also known as Barraband's parrot, Barraband's parakeet, or green leek parrot, is a parrot native to south-eastern Australia. It is a dimorphic species and one of three species in the genus Polytelis.

The superb parrot is mostly bright green with darker flight feathers and is about 40 cm (16 in) long with a long pointed tail. Adult males have continuous yellow foreheads and throats, with a red horizontal band across the border of the throat.

From the Wikipedia article “Superb parrot” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Superb_parrot&oldid=1379017321), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.

Is the superb parrot endangered?

The superb parrot is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.

  1. LCLeast Concern
  2. NTNear Threatened
  3. VUVulnerable
  4. ENEndangered
  5. CRCritically Endangered
  6. EWExtinct in the Wild
  7. EXExtinct

Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species.

How is the superb parrot classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classAves
  4. orderPsittaciformes
  5. familyPsittaculidae
  6. genusPolytelis
  7. SpeciesPolytelis swainsonii (Desmarest, 1826)

Synonyms Polytelis swainsoni, Polytelis swainsonii whitei, Psittacus barrabandi, Psittacus swainsonii

Other names and names in other languages (38)
  • Barraband parakeetEnglish
  • Barraband parakeetEnglish
  • Green leek parrotEnglish
  • Green leek parrotEnglish
  • ببغاء بارباندArabic
  • cotorra superbaCatalan
  • papouškovec nádhernýCzech
  • papoušek nádhernýCzech
  • parot gwychWelsh
  • BarrabandparakitDanish
  • SchildsittichGerman
  • flavgorĝa papagoEsperanto
  • Perico soberbioSpanish
  • jõgipapagoiEstonian
  • loistokaijaFinnish
  • Régente de BarrabandFrench
  • Perruche de BarrabandFrench
  • žutogrla papigicaCroatian
  • sárgatorkú papagájHungarian
  • sárgatorkú ragyogópapagájHungarian
  • Pappagallo superboItalian
  • ミカヅキインコJapanese
  • Sveinsono spalvingoji papūgaLithuanian
  • Лачокла паян попугайWestern Mari
  • BarrabandparkietDutch
  • gulstrupeparakittNorwegian
  • księżniczka tarczowaPolish
  • سوہنا طوطاWestern Panjabi
  • periquito-soberboPortuguese
  • Роскошный попугайRussian
  • Роскошный баррабандов попугайRussian
  • kráľčik nádhernýSlovak
  • Baraband papagajSerbian
  • gulstrupig parakitSwedish
  • Harika Renkli PapağanTurkish
  • періко жовтолобийUkrainian
  • 靓鹦鹉Chinese
  • 華麗鸚鵡Chinese

Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistWikidataIUCN Red List

Relatives of the superb parrot

Other species in the same genus Polytelis.

CompareSuperb parrot vs Regent parrotSuperb parrot vs Princess parrot

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

How big is the superb parrot?

An adult superb parrot weighs 153 g, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

Where does the superb parrot live?

Catalogue of Life checklists list the superb parrot for 1 country: Australia. Checklist coverage is uneven, so the true range may be wider.

Is the superb parrot endangered?

The superb parrot is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, meaning it is not currently at risk of extinction.

How long does the superb parrot live?

The superb parrot has a recorded lifespan of 15.1 years.

What kind of animal is the superb parrot?

The superb parrot (Polytelis swainsonii) belongs to the family Psittaculidae in the order Psittaciformes.

Sources and how to cite this page

Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.

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APA

CreatureData. (2026). Superb parrot (Polytelis swainsonii). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/superb-parrot

MLA

“Superb parrot (Polytelis swainsonii).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/superb-parrot.

BibTeX
@misc{superb_parrot_2026,
  title = {Superb parrot (Polytelis swainsonii)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/superb-parrot},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}