Love our Rosellas! Fine shot Rob.
I check the Australian National Dictionary. It says that Rosella was a contraction from Rose Hill parrot or parekeet. I had thought that etymology was an urban myth, but they cite sources going back to 1828. They say that the Crimson Rosella was also called Nonpareil Parrot or crimson lowry/lowrie/lory. The term lowry can be traced to the 1860s, but the origin isn't explained. Contraction of lorikeet would be very Australian!
PS I checked the Macquarie Dictionary and "lory" has a more prosaic origin. It's from a Malay word for various parrots. Lorikeet is formed from Lory + parakeet.
Last edited by Des; 02-12-2018 at 02:10 AM.