Feather proves rare parrot lives in SA

Scientists have found a feather of a bird previously thought extinct in South Australia, with no sightings for more than 100 years.

The feather of the night parrot was found in the Kalamurina wildlife sanctuary in the state's northeast after a prolonged investigation by ecologists from the Australian Wildlife Conservancy, who used cameras, a helicopter and old records in their search.

Ecologists John Young who made the find said there was no doubt about the feathers origins after it was found in a wedge-tailed eagle's nest.

"An unmistakable small green feather appeared within the fresh base lining of one of the nests," Mr Young said in a statement.

The feather of the parrot, which is nocturnal, relatively small and short-tailed, has been independently verified and the conservancy said the next step would be to assess the night parrots' population size.

The parrot is known as one of Australia's most elusive birds, with only a few confirmed sightings.