Yellow Crimson Rosella at Wagga Wagga
At first, when the Merlin Bird app identified this bird as a Crimson Rosella, I thought, “Pfff! That’s not a Crimson Rosella!” But a bit of research revealed that there’s a yellow morph of the so-called Crimson Rosella and this bird is it:
In my usual birdwatching area, on the east coast of Australia near Sydney, the Crimson Rosellas are really crimson. Their feathers are mostly deep red, with a blue shoulder patch, a blue and white tail, and a black back with crimson scalloping. The yellow morph is mostly yellow, with a blue shoulder patch and tail, and a red band above the beak. The back is black with yellow scalloping.
Here’s the same bird, about to launch into flight:
Common name: Crimson Rosella (Yellow)
Scientific name: Platycercus elegans elegans
Approximate length: 35 cm
Date spotted: 5 September 2026 (spring)
Location: Wagga Wagga, NSW, Australia: 35°09’14.5″S 147°28’44.4″E
