As soon as mating has occurred the hen will deposit 4 to 7 eggs which she will brood for about 20 days. Breeders usually use peat and wood shavings as bedding for the nests, birds like to arrange the beds to their likings. Red rumps are bred easily in captivity if provided with necessary flight space and a large nesting box. Aviculture Female (left) and male (right) at Eastern Creek, New South Wales, Australia Breeding usually takes place in spring (September-November) however, in the dryer inland areas, breeding can occur at any time of year in response to rainfall. They lay 3-6 white eggs around 2 or so centimetres. Like many parrots, red-rumped parrots nest in tree hollows or similar places, including fenceposts and stumps. They spend a great deal of time feeding on the ground, and often call to one another with an attractive chee chillip chee chillip. 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. They are often seen in suburban parks and gardens. Clearing of large tracts of forest and the provision of water for stock has probably extended their range. They avoid the coast and the wetter, more heavily wooded areas. Red-rumped parrots can be found in pairs or flocks in open country with access to water. Behavior A pair in suburban Sydney, Australia The characteristic red rump is only found in the male. The female's plumage is less vibrant, with pale olive underparts, dull green wings and back and blue-black wingtips. The male's plumage is a bright emerald-green with yellow underparts, a brick-red rump and blue highlights on the wings and upper back.

Red-rumped parrots are slim, moderate-sized parrots approximately 28 cm (11 in) in length. It is also known as red-backed parrot and grass parrot. The IOC has designated red-rumped parrot as its official common name. Hence all other species in the genus have been moved to the new genus Psephotellus, leaving the red-rumped parrot as the sole member in the now monotypic genus. 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. It is the type species for the genus Psephotus. He gave it its species name on account of its red rump. He felt it was intermediate between the genera Platycercus and Nanodes, placing it in the former. The red-rumped parrot was described by John Gould in 1838 as Platycercus haematonotus from a specimen collected in New South Wales. The red-rumped parrot ( Psephotus haematonotus), also known as the red-backed parrot or grass parrot, is a common bird of south-eastern Australia, particularly in the Murray-Darling Basin.

Red rump parrot mutations