Green-winged King Parrots / Australian King Parrot
King Parrot Information Page
The Australian King Parrot Alisterus scapularis are endemic to Australia. They are 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 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 (Australia's national capital) during winter, outer western suburbs of Sydney, and the Carnarvon Gorge in Central Queensland.
Description:
The adult (>4 years) males are very striking in appearance with a red head, breast, and lower undersides, with a blue lower back, and green wings and tail. They have a reddish-orange upper beak with a black tip and a black lower beak, and yellow eye ring.
Females are similar in appearance except for a green head and breast, a black upper beak, and paler yellow eye ring.
Juveniles of both sexes resemble the females.
Adults of both sexes are very majestic birds, typically 42 cm (16 inches) in length including a long tail.
There is one subspecies, A.s. minor, which is found at the northern limit of its range, and is typically about 5 cm (2 inches) shorter than the nominate species but otherwise is similar in appearance.
Captive King Parrots
In their native Australia, they are occasionally bred in aviaries and kept as calm and relatively quiet household pets if hand-raised, but are relatively unknown outside Australia. As pets, they have limited "talking" ability and normally prefer not to be handled, but do bond readily to people and can be very devoted. Life expectancy in the wild is unknown, but some pets have been known to live up to 25 years.
Care and Feeding:
These parrots love to climb and play and need to be provided either with a flight aviary or with a cage that allows them to move around freely and toys to entertain themselves with. Please refer to the following websites for information:
- Adopting or Purchasing a Parrot
- Optimal nutrition to keep your bird healthy
- Housing your bird
- Caring for your companion bird
Description
The male Australian King Parrot is a beautiful green and red parrot. These parrots are sexually dimorphic - the males have a bright red head and breast, while the plumage of females and immature parrots is generally green. (Source: Wikipedia.org)
Distribution & Habitat:
The Australian King-Parrot is endemic to forests and coastal woodlands of eastern Australia, eastern New Guinea, Huon Peninsula, and Papua. Their died consists mainly seeds, especially of eucalypts and acacias, but they also feed on a great variety of other plants.
Species: Scientific: Alisterus chloropterus chloropterus ... English: Green-winged King Parrot ... Dutch: Geelvleugelkoningsparkiet ... German: Gelbflügel Königssittich ... French: Platycerque choloptère, Royale à ailes vertes
Sub-Species: moszkowskii, callopterus, chloropterus CITES II - Endangered Species Sub-species:
Moszkowski Green-winged King Parrots: Species: Scientific: Alisterus chloropterus moszkowski ... English: Moszkowski Green-winged King Parrot ... Dutch: Moszkowski Groenvleugelkoningsparkiet ... German: Moszkowski Grünflügel Königssittich ... French: Platycerque choloptère de Moszkowski CITES II - Endangered Species Distribution: Northern New Guinea, West Irian
Related Websites: Lexicon of Parrots (Please scroll down to no.3 - click on link to view photo.)
Salvadori's Green-winged King Parrots: Species: Scientific: Alisterus chloropterus callopterus ... English: Salvadori's Green-winged King Parrot ... Dutch: Goldie Koningsparkiet, Fly River Koningsparkiet ... German: Salvadoris Grünflügel Königssittich ... French: Platycerque choloptère de Montagne CITES II - Endangered Species Distribution: Central New Guinea, West Irian
Related Websites: Lexicon of Parrots (Please scroll down to no. 2 - click on link to view photo.)
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