More protection for Golden-shouldered Parrots at Alice River Station

A new exclusion fence is helping to protect endangered Golden-shouldered Parrots at Alice River Station. The fence keeps cattle out of sensitive nesting areas, improving habitat conditions for the parrots and protecting native grasses that provide a critical food source.

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Funded by the Queensland Government’s NRM Expansion Program (NRMEP), our Cape York Wetlands and Native Vegetation Resilience project brings together land managers, Traditional Owners, Indigenous ranger groups and partners to deliver coordinated, landscape-scale control of priority threats. By June 2028, this work will improve the condition of 10,000 hectares of wetlands and 10,000 hectares of native vegetation.

Cape York NRM staff recently visited the property, located approximately 215 km west of Cooktown, to carry out follow-up fauna and habitat condition surveys with property owner Allison Woodside. Baseline monitoring was completed in June 2025, with the latest surveys assessing changes over the past year.

Allison showed the team new nests from the 2026 breeding season, with several young parrots already having fledged. With her help, the team also spotted several juveniles in flight, along with adult parrots.

Project Officer Sigrid Wilkens said the fence was working well to protect this iconic Cape York species.

"It was great to see new nest activity and hear reports from Allison, who keeps a close eye on the parrots all year round. She was very positive about the exclusion fence and how it is protecting this nesting area," Ms Wilkens said.

Read our new guide on cockatoo grass and other important food sources for Golden-shouldered Parrots here.

This project is funded by the Australian Government Natural Heritage Trust and delivered by Cape York NRM, a member of the Commonwealth Regional Delivery Partners panel.

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