Australia’s Night Parrots Can’t See In The Dark

A critically endangered nocturnal parrot that lives in the middle of Australia’s outback ‘has not evolved to see in the dark’, putting it in danger of crashing into fences

by GrrlScientist for Forbes | Twitter | Newsletter

NOTE: This piece was a Forbes Editor’s pick.

A night parrot in the darkness. A 2020 study has discovered that Australia’s rare and elusive night parrot (Pezoporus occidentalis) does not see as well in the dark as expected for a nocturnal bird and thus, could be fatally harming itself when it collides with fences. (Credit: Nick Leseberg, The University of Queensland.)