Scarlet-chested Parakeet
Neophema splendida
Also called Scarlet-chested parrot, Splendid parakeet, Splendid grass parakeet, Scarlet-breasted parrot
From Arid interior of south-western to south-eastern Australia, mainly the Great Victoria Desert, in mallee and mulga scrub with sparse spinifex.1
At a glance the quick version
Looks how to spot one
Feathered; small grass parakeet
A small, jewel-bright parakeet. Males have a cobalt-blue face, bright green back, a vivid scarlet patch on the chest and throat, and yellow underparts. Hens share the blue face in a paler shade but have a green chest instead of red.12
Personality what they are like
A calm, quiet little parrot whose call is a gentle twitter, softer than its grass parakeet relatives. It spends much of its time on the ground.21
Daily activity how busy a day looks
Likes to forage on the ground and fly. Give a walk-in aviary of at least 2.1 m or an indoor aviary of at least 1.8 m, with foraging toys, bird-safe branches and, ideally, soil to scratch in.1
Grooming and care the hands-on bits
Provide shallow bowls for bathing and an area of soil or dirt for natural scratching and foraging.1
Home where they are happiest
Walk-in enclosure at least 2.1 m long or an indoor aviary at least 1.8 m long.1
Food basics what goes in the bowl
A small-seed mix (canary seed, millet, some oats, buckwheat, safflower and a little hemp) with limited sunflower, spray millet, greens such as chard, dandelion and chickweed, seeding grasses, fruit like apple, pear and banana, and a complete pellet. Wild birds eat grass seeds from the ground.12
Company who they like around
Forms big flocks outside the breeding season and nests in loose groups, so it enjoys the company of other birds.1
The story where it all began
John Gould described the bird in 1841, and its species name comes from the Latin for 'splendid'. Tommaso Salvadori placed it with the other grass parakeets in the genus Neophema in 1891. It has become increasingly popular with bird keepers thanks to its quiet voice and small size.2
Fun facts for the dinner table
- 1
Hens carry green leaves back to the nest tucked into their rump feathers.1
- 2
Wild birds can manage well without drinking water, getting moisture from succulent plants.2
- 3
Young males start showing red at 2-3 months but need 15-18 months to finish their scarlet chest.2
- 4
It favours recently burnt scrubland in the wild.1
Recognised by the official bits
- IUCN Red List
- Least Concern; population size unknown but stable, with natural ups and downs.1
- CITES
- Appendix II.1
- Taxonomy
- Described by John Gould in 1841 as Euphema splendida and moved to Neophema by Salvadori in 1891.2
The care rhythm Furry Diary remembers it for you
A typical home-care rhythm for a Scarlet-chested Parakeet. It is our own starting plan, not a vet's advice, and you can change every line in the app.
- Fresh food and waterevery day
- Cage linerevery 2 days
- Full cleanevery week
- Bath offerA shallow dish or gentle mistevery 3 days
- Nails checkevery month
- Toy rotationevery 2 weeks
- Out-of-cage timeAbout an hour a day, if tameevery day
- Vet check-upevery year
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Where this comes from
Every breed page shows where each fact comes from. If we got something wrong, sorry, we are pet people, not a science magazine. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.
- Scarlet-chested Parrot - World Parrot Trust Parrot Encyclopedia parrots.orgused for size, weight, lifespan, range, status, captive care, diet, fun facts
- Scarlet-chested parrot - Wikipedia en.wikipedia.orgused for history, taxonomy, length, voice, mutations, fun facts
Checked 2026-09-30. Text is written in our own words from these sources.