Pet Breed Guide NZ
Eastern Rosella
The Eastern Rosella is a beautiful, medium-sized parrot native to Australia. They are popular in New Zealand, but wild populations are protected, so pets must be sourced from captive breeders.
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NZ Ownership Snapshot
Verified NZ Status- Noise Level
- moderate
- Social Needs
- pairs preferred; can be kept solo if given lots of attention
Legal as captive-bred pets in NZ. Note: Eastern Rosellas exist as an established feral population in NZ (Wellington region) — wild birds are protected under the Wildlife Act and cannot be captured. Only purchase from licensed NZ breeders.
Breed Snapshot
- Size
- Medium: ~30 cm; ~100 g
- Lifespan
- 15–20 years
- Origin
- Australia
- Care Focus
- Active, curious, independent, intelligent, loud
- NZ Price
- NZD $150–$400 from licensed NZ breeders
- Annual Vet Cost
- NZD $80–$150 for avian vet consult; find an avian vet before buying
Personality Scores
Origins & History
The Eastern Rosella (Platycercus eximius) is a medium-sized parrot native to southeastern Australia and Tasmania. Renowned for its stunning, multi-coloured plumage consisting of red, yellow, blue, and green, this species has been kept as a popular aviary bird worldwide. In New Zealand, Eastern Rosellas hold a unique ecological position. Originally introduced in the early 1910s (likely escaping from a shipment), they have established a self-sustaining wild population, particularly in the Wellington, Wairarapa, and Auckland regions. As captive pets, they are beloved for their beautiful coloration and whistle-like calls.
Wild Population & NZ Wildlife Regulations
The status of Eastern Rosellas in New Zealand requires careful understanding of local wildlife regulations:
- Wild Population Protection: Under the New Zealand Wildlife Act 1953, wild-born Eastern Rosellas are classified as wild birds and are protected. It is illegal to trap, capture, or take eggs from the wild population without a permit.
- Captive Breeders: To keep an Eastern Rosella legally as a pet in New Zealand, you must source a captive-bred bird from a licensed NZ breeder. These birds should be closed-ringed (wearing a metal leg band) as proof of their captive origin.
- Social Setup: Rosellas are active and need plenty of flying space. While they can be hand-tamed with extensive patience from a young age, they are generally better suited to spacious outdoor flight aviaries rather than small indoor cages. For general care guidelines, consult the SPCA NZ bird care advice.
Diet & Nutrition
Eastern Rosellas require a varied diet to support their active lifestyles and vibrant feather condition.
- Base Mix: A high-quality parrot or parakeet seed mix containing millet, canary seed, and a limited amount of sunflower seeds.
- Fresh Foods: Daily fresh vegetables (broccoli, carrots, spinach) and fruits (apples, pears).
- Foraging: Offering fresh native NZ branches (such as Eucalyptus or Manuka) provides both nutritional enrichment and wood to chew, keeping their beaks trim.
- Supplements: Calcium supplements, cuttlebone, and fresh clean drinking water are mandatory.
For details on similar Australian parakeets available in New Zealand, you can read our Red-rumped Parakeet guide.
Temperament & Noise Level
Eastern Rosellas are active, curious, and independent birds. Unlike cockatiels or budgies, they are less inclined to cuddle and can be headstrong. However, they are highly capable of learning to mimic tunes, whistles, and occasional words. Their calls are loud and whistle-like; while pleasant to many, they can be noisy during early morning and late evening, making them less suitable for close-proximity townhouse or apartment living in NZ cities.
Fun Facts
Fact 1
Eastern Rosellas have been feral in the Wellington region since around 1910, originally escaping from a ship arriving from Australia.
Fact 2
Their bright red, yellow, green, and blue plumage makes them one of the most colourful parrot species in the world.
Fact 3
Unlike many parrots, they nest in deep tree hollows, sometimes up to a metre deep, to protect eggs from predators.
Fact 4
They are excellent whistlers and can easily learn to whistle complete musical tunes with clear pitch.
Fact 5
The name 'Rosella' is believed to have originated as 'Rosehill parakeet', named after Rose Hill near Sydney, Australia.
Related Breeds
Blue-fronted Amazon Parrot
The Blue-fronted Amazon is a medium-sized green parrot from South America, marked by blue across the forehead and yellow on the crown and cheeks, and it suits experienced keepers rather than first-time bird owners. Outgoing, playful and often boisterous, it is an accomplished talker that can repeat words and phrases with real clarity. It is also genuinely loud, calling most at dawn and dusk, and adolescents commonly move through a bluffing stage that calls for patient, consistent handling. A lifespan of 40 to 60 years makes this a decades-long commitment. Daily care means fresh food and water, spot cleaning, and two to four hours of supervised time out of the cage, with rotating destructible toys and training sessions to head off the boredom that shows up as feather plucking or aggression. Best suited to a settled, experienced household with daily time and tolerance for noise.
Bourke's Parakeet
Bourke's Parakeet is a small, softly coloured parrot from inland Australia, rosy pink below with a grey-brown back and blue in the wings, and it is one of the gentler options for a first-time bird owner. It is quiet by parakeet standards, offering melodic chirps rather than squawking, and it is crepuscular, so most of its activity falls around dawn and dusk while the day passes in dozing and gentle foraging. Bourkies are docile, rarely bite, and become tame with steady, unhurried handling, though they tend to enjoy company more than cuddling and are not mimics. They do best in pairs or small groups, with a roomy cage, varied perches, chewable toys and supervised flight in a bird-proofed room. A lifespan of 8 to 12 years and soft vocalisations make them workable in flats and quiet homes that want a calm, undemanding bird.
Budgerigar (Budgie)
The Budgerigar, or budgie, is a small long-tailed seed-eating parrot from Australia and one of the most widely kept companion birds in the world. It is lively, inquisitive and intensely social: budgies live in large flocks in the wild, so a single bird needs either a companion budgie or committed daily human interaction to stay settled. They are bright enough to learn to step up, perform simple tricks and mimic speech, males more readily than females. Wild birds are green and yellow with black scalloping on the wings, while selective breeding has produced blue, white, yellow, grey and pied colour mutations. Care is straightforward rather than trivial: fresh food and water twice daily, a pellet-based diet with seed as a treat, spot cleaning, and 30 to 60 minutes of supervised flight in a bird-safe room. Their small size suits apartments, though near-constant chirping makes them a poor match for a noise-sensitive household.
Caique
The Caique is a small, stocky South American parrot represented by two species, the Black-headed and the White-bellied, both bold, comical and relentlessly busy. Roughly 23 to 25 cm long and 150 to 170 grams, it carries a large personality in a compact frame and is better known for its hopping gait across flat surfaces than for talking, although it mimics sounds and chirps freely. Noise sits at a moderate level rather than a piercing one. A Caique needs at least two to four hours of supervised time out of the cage each day, the largest enclosure a home can fit, and a steady rotation of chewable and foraging toys, since a bored bird slides quickly into plucking or aggression. With a lifespan of 25 to 40 years, it fits an active, sociable household that is home often and ready for a decades-long companion.