Eastern Rosella - Taxonomy

Taxonomy

The Eastern Rosella was named by George Shaw in 1792. It is sometimes considered a subspecies of the Pale-headed Rosella (P. adscitus). The term White-cheeked Rosella has been used for a species or superspecies combining the Pale-headed and Eastern forms. Hybrids of the two taxa have been recorded where their ranges meet in northeastern New South Wales and southeastern Queensland.

Three subspecies of Eastern Rosella are recognised:

• P. e. eximius, Victoria and southern New South Wales. Black feathers on the back have green margins. Rump is pale green.
• P. e. elecica, northeast New South Wales and southeast Queensland. In the male the black feathers on the back have golden-yellow margins, and greenish-yellow in the female. The rump is bluish-green. This subspecies is also called the Golden-mantled Rosella, often abbreviated to GMR.
• P. e. diemenensis, eastern Tasmania. White cheek patches are larger and the red on the head is darker.