This book is about Queensland grazier Cyril Jerrard, who, on December 11, 1921, found a pair of Paradise Parrots on his property, near Gayndah, about 300 kilometres northwest of Brisbane. At this point, two decades had passed, during which this colourful parrot was feared extinct. The species was sporadically spotted during the 1920s and very occasionally during the 1930s and 1940s, but fell off the radar after this and was declared extinct by the IUCN, victims of habitat loss, predation by feral cats, and trapping for the aviary trade.
This book tells the story of Cyril and the extinct Paradise parrot through his essays and diary notes. We follow the parrot through Cyril's words, from its dramatic rediscovery to the parrot's tragic disappearance. Tony Pridham, one of Australia's foremost wildlife artists, has contributed 30 beautiful paintings of Paradise parrots, plus some of his other artwork.