The golden-shouldered parrot was formally described in 1858 by the English ornithologist John Gould from specimens collected by Joseph Elsey in northern Queensland while on an expedition led by Augustus Gregory.

[8] The golden-shouldered parrot is 23–28 cm long and weighs 54–56 g. The adult male is mainly blue and has a characteristic yellow over the shoulder area.

[9] The golden-shouldered parrot lives in open forested grassland liberally populated by numerous termite species and their mounds.

These conditions have led to the parrots developing a habit of leaving the eggs at night beginning around the 10th day after hatching.

The hatching moth larvae consume the faeces of the nestling parrots therefore helping to keep the nest chamber clean.

The main threat relates to changes to burning regimes and grazing pressure in the birds' grasslands and sparse open woodlands.

Grazing pressure (by cattle and agile wallabies) and damage by feral pigs reduces important food plants, like cockatoo grass.

The interaction between changed fire patterns and grazing pressure has also led to a phenomenon called "woody thickening", whereby native trees and shrubs outcompete the grasses.

Over time, this process results in the loss of grasslands and spare open woodlands, as they become dominated by higher tree densities.

The extra cover that is created by this process allow the parrot predators, such as the pied butcherbird (Cracticus nigrogularis), to hunt more successfully.

A number of cases have been noted where parrots raise nestlings on their own without a partner, or juveniles taking over the role of adults (that presumably have been killed).

In 2019, the owners of Artemis - the Shephard family - started a collaboration with ecologist Steve Murphy, based at the University of Queensland.

Together, Murphy and the Shephards started "Artemis Nature Fund" to enable practical conservation actions to take place on the property.

A dedicated group of breeders in Australia have attempted to promote the species and ensure that a viable breeding population is maintained in captivity.