Australian King Parrot
Alisterus scapularis
The Australian King Parrot (Alisterus scapularis) is a common old world parrot found in 2 countries, weighing about 232 g. The Australian king parrot is a species of parrot endemic to eastern Australia ranging from Cooktown in Queensland to Port Campbell in Victoria.
About the Australian King Parrot
The Australian king parrot is a species of parrot endemic to eastern Australia ranging from Cooktown in Queensland to Port Campbell in Victoria. Found in humid and heavily forested upland regions of the eastern portion of the continent, including eucalyptus wooded areas in and directly adjacent to subtropical and temperate rainforest. They feed on fruits and seeds gathered from trees or on the ground.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How to identify it
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.
Where it lives
Recorded as a rare visitor in New Zealand.
When to see it
The Australian King Parrot can be seen all year round, with peak activity in October. It is a resident species across most of its range.
Easily confused with
Quick questions
- How do you identify an Australian King Parrot?
- Adults of both sexes are about 43 cm (17 in) in length, including the long, broad tail. Full identification notes are on this page.
- How big is an Australian King Parrot?
- The Australian King Parrot is a medium sized bird weighing about 232 g.
- Where can you see an Australian King Parrot?
- The Australian King Parrot occurs in 2 countries, including Australia.
- What birds look similar to an Australian King Parrot?
- The Australian King Parrot is most easily confused with the Papuan King Parrot and the Moluccan King Parrot.
- Is the Australian King Parrot endangered?
- The Australian King Parrot is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
Learn the Australian King Parrot for real
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