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Coxen’s Fig Parrot (CFP) is one of Australia’s rarest and least known birds. It has been recorded on just 200 occasions with 60 sightings in South East Queensland. The parrot is cryptic and extremely difficult to see in its habitat and may therefore be more common than the sightings suggest. CFP occurs wherever fig trees are present in lowland and upland forest types, riparian corridors, land and urban environments.

Coxen's Fig Parrott

It is an attractive,  small predominantly green parrot whose seemingly overlarge head and bill, together with an extremely short tail give it a somewhat dumpy top heavy appearance resembling an exotic lovebird. It attains a length of 16 cms. Both sexes are rich green above and yellowish green below with a yellow sided upper breast and flanks. CFP have been sighted in this area at Kenilworth 1997.

The flight call of CFP is a short clipped two note call. Variously described as a loud high pitched metallic ‘zeet zeet’.

Ian Gynther from QLD Parks and Wildlife is confident they could well be here in an isolated patch of forest. They are omnivors and feed mainly on seeds of near ripe or ripe fruits of native figs and or insect larvae. Favoured species are the Moreton Bay Fig, Strangler Fig various other figs as well as various Syzygium species, blue quandong, red ash, silky oak and other fruiting trees in agricultural areas. They are thought to nest in high trees usually within or near the edge of rainforest. The nest chamber is excavated on the underside of a dead or decaying limb or trunk in a living or dead tree.