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Australian King Parrot  

Also Known As: King Parrot, Eastern King Parrot, Queensland King Parrot, King Parakeet, King Lory, Red Lory, Scarlet and Green Parrot, Blood Rosella
 
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Adult Male

Credit: (c) Greg Atkinson | License: ShutterStock
 
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Did You Know?
The Australian King Parrot acquires its adult plumage by a slow moult, which begins when the bird is over fifteen months old and is not completed for a further twelve months.

Species Profile
Genus:
Alisterus

Species:
scapularis

Size: Adult Weight:
43cm (16.8 in) 195-275g (6.8 x 9.6 oz)

Races including nominate:
two: A.s. scapularis, A.s. minor

Colourization Adult:
A.s. scapularis: male-red head, neck and underparts; hindneck has blue band; back and wings dark green; wing has silver/green band when folded; blue lower back and rump; tail black tinged with blue. Upper mandible orange/red with black tip, lower mandible black with orange base. Eye yellow. Female-green head and upperparts; red lower breast down to abdomen; silver/green on wing minimal or absent; dark green tail with pink at tip. Bill grey. A.s. minor: both adults as in scapularis, but smaller in size.

Colourization Juvenile:
A.s. scapularis: as in adult female but lower breast green. Bill dull yellow.

Call: Calls in flight are shrill and somewhat loud. When alarmed harsh and metallic shrieking. Males give high-pitched flute-like notes when perched.

Recent Academic Research: Google Scholar - search results

 

Content Sources:

CentralPets.com http://www.centralpets.com/animals/birds/parrots/prt1105.html

CITES Species Database http://www.cites.org/eng/resources/species.html

BirdLife International http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/species/index.html?action=SpcHTMDetails.asp&sid=1451&m=0

Internet Bird Collection http://www.hbw.com/ibc/

Parrots: A Guide to Parrots of the World, Juniper and Parr, 1998.

Parrots of the World, Forshaw and Cooper, 1977.

Parrots of the World, Forshaw, 2006.

Parrots in Aviculture, Low, 1992.

Psittacine Aviculture, Schubot, Clubb and Clubb, 1992.

Parrots: Their Care and Breeding, Low, 1986.