Eastern Rosella in Prickly Tea Tree, Victoria, Australia

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Although Eastern Rosellas are fairly common birds in Victoria, they are usually quite skittish and difficult to photograph in the wild. In this instance I got lucky. I came upon this one perched in a prickly tea tree (Leptospermum continentale) feeding on its seed pods. They can easily eat the seeds from these trees, using their strong, curved beaks to crack open the woody seed pod capsules. Seeds from native trees and shrubs provide a crucial, high-energy supplement to their daily diet.