Australian King-Parrot
Alisterus scapularis
A heavy-set and colorful forest parrot of eastern Australian woodlands, forests, and gardens. Male has entirely orange-red head/chest/belly, female has bright orange-red belly, immature is emerald green. Feeds on fruiting trees and often comes to gardens and feeders. Makes a loud piercing metallic "squeak" like a forced metal hinge.
Identification
Adults of both sexes are about 43 cm (17 in) in length, including the long, broad tail. The adult male has a red head, breast, and lower undersides, with a blue band on the back of the neck between the red above and green on the back, the wings are green and each has a pale green shoulder band, the tail is green, and the rump is blue. The male has a reddish-orange upper mandible with a black tip, a black lower mandible with an orange base, and yellow irises. The plumage of the female is very different from the male having a green head and breast, a grey beak, and the pale shoulder band is small or absent. Juveniles of both sexes have brown irises and a yellowish beak, and otherwise resemble the female.<p>The two subspecies are A. s. minor, found at the northern limit of the species range and is similar in appearance to the nominate subspecies but smaller, typically about 5 cm (2 in) smaller in length.<p>On those rare individuals which have areas without melanin, feathers are orange to yellow. Such a bird can look startingly different from the more common scarlet and green variety.
Taxonomy
The Australian king parrot was first described by the German naturalist Martin Lichtenstein in 1816 as Psittacus scapularis. The species belongs to the genus Alisterus, whose three members are also known as king parrots. The species are sometimes allied to the genus Aprosmictus.<p>Two subspecies are recognised, which are differentiated by size:<p>Naturally-occurring hybrids with the red-winged parrot (Aprosmictus erythropterus) have been recorded from Bell in southeastern Queensland.<p>"Australian king parrot" has been designated the official name by the International Ornithologists' Union (IOC).
- Scientific name
- Alisterus scapularis
- Authority
- (Lichtenstein, MHC, 1816)
- Order
- Psittaciformes
- Family
- Psittaculidae
- Genus
- Alisterus
Range and habitat
Australian king parrots range from north and central Queensland to southern Victoria. They are frequently seen in small groups with various species of rosella. Further from their normal eastern upland habitat, they are also found in Canberra during winter, the outer western and northern suburbs of Sydney, and the Carnarvon Gorge in central Queensland.
- Migration
- Vertical migration
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
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