Western Australia is home to many beautiful birds. Among them is the Mulga parrot (Psephotus varius). The name "mulga" comes from their vegetation type and their common name 'many-colored parrot' from the males multi coloured plumage.

It was these colours that inspired me to paint this beautiful parrot. When I started studying the birds plumage I was amazed at the variety and subtle changes blending from one hue to the other. I used a multi layering technique in acrylic to enrich these colours.

The average length for these parrots is 27 - 28 cm in length from beak to tip of tail. They are generally found in pairs in the drier central regions of Western Australia as well as inhabiting regions of New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia.

They are growing less common in the wild but due to the ease of breeding they are common in captivity.