Australian Ringneck

Barnardius zonarius

George Shaw was the first to describe the species, in 1805.

Barnardius commemorates Edward Barnard, English zoologist and Agent-General for the Crown Colonies; zonarius is from the Latin zona (girdle or belt), referring to the bird’s yellow ‘collar’.

William T. Cooper, (from top) Cloncurry Parrot (Barnardius barnardi macgillivrayi),
Mallee Ringneck Parrot (Barnardius barnardi barnardi),
Port Lincoln Parrot (Barnardius zonarius zonarius) 1970 (all adult male)

Author’s note: The Australian Ringneck varies quite markedly across its wide range. Four subspecies are generally recognised: in north-western Queensland, macgillivrayi, with a green crown, blue back and yellow belly; across inland eastern Australia from Port Augusta in South Australia to south-western Queensland, barnardi, with a red forehead, mostly green crown, blue back and mostly green belly; in the far south-west, semitorquatus, with a black head, red forehead, green back and yellow-green belly; and, over the rest of the species’ range, zonarius, with a black head and green back and yellow belly. The subspecies also vary in size, being larger and more robust in the south than in the north.

Richard Polydore Nodder, Zoned Parrot (Psittacus zonarius) 1805

Author’s note: This is the first published illustration of the species.

John William Lewin, Mallee Ringneck (Barnardius zonarius barnardi) 1819