The western ground parrot is so rare that in the 17 years since a supporter group formed, only one or two of its members have ever seen it.

Key points: Listed as critically endangered, it is estimated there are less than 150 western ground parrots left

Listed as critically endangered, it is estimated there are less than 150 western ground parrots left Over the past four years 80 per cent of the bird's last remaining habitat has been destroyed by successive bushfires

Over the past four years 80 per cent of the bird's last remaining habitat has been destroyed by successive bushfires 7 birds are held at the Perth Zoo in the hope that a captive breeding program can be established

Instead, Friends of the Western Ground Parrot see the bird in the parrot-shaped biscuits, watercolours, and T-shirts they sell to raise funds and advocate for its survival.

"They're incredibly cryptic; they move largely before sunrise and after sunset [and] the chances of seeing them is extremely remote," chairman of the group Paul Wettin said.

But there is another reason the plump green birds are near-to-impossible to see — it is estimated less than 150 western ground parrots remain in the world.

Extinction could be imminent

Like so many species, the population of the flightless parrot has steadily declined due to land clearing and introduced European predators.

Paul Wettin with a parrot biscuit the organisation sell to raise funds. ( Supplied: Anne Bondin )

It has gone from occupying swathes of south coast Western Australia to occupying one known place on the state's eastern fringe — and now that is threatened by fire.

In the past four years, successive bushfires have ripped through the coastal scrub the bird calls home.

"We've had about 80 per cent of their natural habitat destroyed by fires [so] it's a real issue for us," WA's Environment Minister Stephen Dawson said.

"There are about 14,000 hectares left of habitat."

At any time another fire event could eliminate the population entirely and if that were to occur, the seven birds currently held at Perth Zoo would be the sole survivors of the species.

"That would be incredibly sad because they would have almost no future whatsoever," Mr Wettin said.

Perth Zoo acquired the birds in the hope it could establish a captive breeding program but so far, no western ground parrots have reproduced.

Recovery plan underfunded?

This week Mr Dawson announced an emergency recovery plan for the parrot after the most recent bushfire was contained earlier in January.

Aerial baiting and ground trapping has begun to protect the bird from feral cats.

Other actions were identified by the Minister but no delivery date was given.

An automated recording unit for Western Ground Parrots is installed along WA's south coast. ( Supplied: Anne Bondin (file photo) )

These include the replacement of audio recording units damaged in the fires and the development of a translocation plan.

The audio recorders capture parrot calls and are used to locate the birds and estimate how many have survived.

Friends of the Western Ground Parrot is raising money to purchase additional audio recording units and said more money was needed to avoid extinction.

The group claims the Department of Biodiversity Conservation and Attractions' (DBCA) recovery plan for the parrot is underfunded.

DBCA would not say how much money was allocated to the parrot's recovery plan but a spokesperson for the department said it had invested "significant funds on conservation activities at a landscape scale".

'At risk of being forgotten'

The parrot was not included in the recently released list of 250 threatened species hit by bushfire on a technicality: less than 10 per cent of its habitat burnt in the most recent fire.

This list will inform how a $50 million wildlife recovery package is delivered but a spokesperson at the Federal Department of Environment said the parrot would be considered by the expert panel advising how to deliver the recovery package.

Fires have devastated the world's largest temperate woodland, the Great Western Woodland, in south-east Western Australia. ( Supplied: Lynn Webb )

"The Department is aware that other fires in recent years have affected the habitat of the western ground parrot and the cumulative impact of these fires has been substantial," the statement read.

As well as the fires around Cape Arid which have impacted the parrot, bushfires have devastated the Great Western Woodland and the Stirling Ranges.

"There are some really critical conservation issues happening in our part of the world that clearly aren't getting the notice that is happening in the Eastern states," Mr Wettin said.

While he does worry the parrot is at risk of being forgotten because it is West Australian, he has not yet lost hope.

"We have a belief that the birds can avoid extinction and if we didn't believe that was the case, we'd probably find another cause," he said.

He said the slippery slope towards widespread species extinction must be halted no matter the economic cost.

"If you allow it to continue, what is the world around us going to be like," Mr Wettin asked.