Additional Information

Swift parrots are a critically engaged species. Their numbers are currently estimated at as low as 300 – 2000 due to habitat destruction in Tasmania, where the species breeds, and land clearing in NSW and Queensland where they migrate to feeding grounds outside of breeding season. They are part of the Loriinae family of birds, the same family as lorikeets, which all have a brush-tipped tongue specialised for feeding on nectar. The swift parrot requires flowering eucalyptus habitat including the yellow box, mugga, swamp mahogany, blackbutt, lemon-scented gum and forest red gum, and unfortunately, these types of flowering gum woodlands are now significantly fragmented across all of their traditional migratory routes.

This item is from my 2021 collection – Threatened Species: Discarded Objects. I made a series of works depicting threatened species that are local to my part of NSW. The objects that I painted on were collected from roadside collection and clearing sales throughout 2020. The objects, previously destined for landfill were rescued and made into something collectable through the process of painting them and honouring their intrinsic beauty. I hope that the threatened plants and animals that I painted throughout the series will be rescued in time as well. Perhaps through painting them I will be able to contribute to the cause through increased local awareness of their plight.