Hopes rare parrot survived WA bushfires

Hopes for the survival of the endangered Western Ground Parrot are pinned on two small pockets of untouched bushland in a West Australian national park recently ravaged by bushfires.

Close to 90 per cent of the critically endangered parrot's habitat was destroyed as fires tore through Cape Arid National Park last month.

Department of Parks and Wildlife regional ecologist Sarah Comer says she's optimistic some of the small ground-dwelling birds, with an estimated population of 140, managed to escape the blaze.

"It is possible some may have escaped but it's a very hard thing to judge unless you're on the ground - it was a very intense fire - it certainly moved through that area of habitat very quickly," she told AAP.