A response to Johnstone and colleagues’ paper on the Night Parrot Pezoporus occidentalis in Western Australia

WA Museum Records and Supplements | Updated 2 months ago

ABSTRACT – In a recent paper published in Records of the Western Australian Museum, Johnstone et al. (2026) reported the discovery of a Night Parrot (Pezoporus occidentalis) specimen in the eastern Pilbara. They also provided a summary of historical and recent Night Parrot records from Western Australia, including a clutch of eggs collected in 1976 near Lake Way which they conclude are likely to be Night Parrot. Here we outline concerns around the identification of the 1976 clutch, correct two errors in the summary of historical and recent records, and outline why this summary of records should be treated cautiously.