It has adapted well to rural and suburban areas and is commonly observed foraging on the ground for a variety of seeds.

It was long presumed to be closely related to the mulga parrot, however analysis of multiple genetic material shows it to be an early offshoot of a group containing the genera Platycercus and Barnardius.

[3][7] Two subspecies are recognised:[8][9][10] The IOC World Bird List has designated red-rumped parrot as its official common name.

The plumage of juvenile males resemble females, except for their red rumps and light blue-green faces.

An off-white white underwing bar is present on females of all ages and is retained in juvenile and immature males.

It is similar in appearance to the closely related mulga parrot (Psephotellus varius) which can be distinguished by its overall difference in colour, mainly the yellow band above its bill, red patch on the nape and smaller, darker red patch at the base of the tail which is present in both males and females.

[13] Red-rumped parrots are widely distributed throughout lightly timbered plains, open woodland and other grassy habitats in south-eastern Australia below 1,000 metres (3,300 ft).

[9][10][13][15] They have adapted well to some urban and suburban areas and can be found in farmland, on roadside verges and in parks and gardens.

Their green plumage provides such a good camouflage in ankle length grasses that they can hide quite effectively until the viewer is only 10–20 metres away.

[18][19][14] Courtship involves a display where the male stretches out his body, fans out and wags his tail, bobs his head up and down and thrusts out his shoulders, exposing the bright yellow and blue wing patches.

[14][20] The red-rumped parrot's diet primarily consists of seeds and leaves of grasses and other herbaceous plants, both native and introduced.

[1][17] Red-rumped parrots are often hit by cars and other vehicles when feeding on roadside verges, and are often killed by feral and outdoor cats.

[13] The introduced and invasive common myna (Acridotheres tristis) and European starling (Sturnus vulgaris) regularly outcompete red-rumped parrots and other native hollow-nesting species for nest sites.

A study published in 1997 reveals that these two introduced birds are the dominant occupiers of available nest hollows and show strong evidence that they reduce the breeding success of native species.

[24] Red-rumped parrots are becoming increasingly popular in aviculture due to their large range of attractive colour mutations and ease of care.

Compatible pairs breed readily in captivity if provided with necessary flight space and a large nesting box.