A group of birdwatchers spotted an Australian night parrot, once thought to be extinct, for the first time in 100 years.

A group of birdwatchers spotted an Australian night parrot, once thought to be extinct, for the first time in 100 years.

The sighting of the night parrot, a small nocturnal bird native to Australia, came three years after the bird was declared extinct and 2,000 km from where it was first rediscovered in Western Queensland, Xinhua news agency reported.

The group travelled to a habitat in the outback of Western Australia that they identified as a potential spotting place for the parrot via detailed aerial maps.

They spent a night camping out at the spot they had identified, listening out for the distinctive calls of the parrot.

One member managed to take a photo of the parrot, believed to be one of the few photos of the bird in existence.

Allan Burbidge, chair of the Night Parrot Recovery Team, said the sighting expanded the known range of the bird by thousands of kilometres.

"Having a photograph now, being absolutely certain (about the birds' presence), hopefully our regulators will be able to use that," Burbidge said.