Fun Australian King Parrot Facts For Kids

The Australian king parrot (Alisterus scapularis) is from the family Psittaculidae. It is known to be endemic to the eastern part of Australia. The range of the Australian king parrots consists of central and northern Queensland, southern Victoria. The types of habitat these birds inhabit consist of rainforests, dense and moist forests, and eucalyptus wooded regions.

A male Australian king parrot and females of this parrot species look different. The plumage of the male includes a red head, undersides, and breast, and they have green to dark green wings in color. There is a blue-colored band on the back of the neck between the green and red parts. The tail is also green in color. The females of this parrot species tend to have a green head and breast. Unlike males, females lack the shoulder band. Juveniles and adult females are similar in certain features. Juvenile females have a yellow beak similar to males young ones.

The diet of this bird species is known to be omnivorous and feed on berries, nectar, insects, and leaf buds. This bird species can be spotted in small groups in the wild. These Australian parrots are commonly kept as pets in Australia but are not very popular in the USA and other parts of the world. If the pet is hand raised, it turns out to be a calm and quiet bird. This bird makes a good pet and feeding can be done through seeds and berries.

It is very gripping to explore and learn about this species and if you like, read about kea parrot and Amazon parrot, too.

What type of animal is an Australian king parrot?

The Australian king parrot is a type of bird.

What class of animal does an Australian king parrot belong to?

It is placed under the class of Aves of birds.

How many Australian king parrots are there in the world?

There is no total estimation of the global population of this king parrot recorded.

Where does an Australian king parrot live?

The distribution of the population of these parrots is found in Australia ranging from central and northern Queensland including Cooktown in Queensland, southern Victoria. These parrots are also known to be spotted in Sydney, Canberra, New South Wales, and Carnarvon Gorge in Queensland. It is found in Canberra during winters.

What is an Australian king parrot's habitat?

These parrots are found in rainforests, dense and moist forests, and eucalyptus wooded areas. These parrots also live in gardens, suburban parks, and farmlands.

Who does the Australian king parrot live with?

These birds can be spotted in small groups. King parrots can be spotted in flocks with some species of rosella.

How long does an Australian king parrot live?

These parrots are known to live for about 30 years in the wild and also in captivity.

How do they reproduce?

The breeding season of these species of parrots takes place between August and January but the breeding season also depends on locality. The males are known to engage in displays and they tend to tighten their plumage and stretch, whereas, the females respond by begging for food and bobbing their heads. Mating pairs are for life. The nests are built and placed in dense forests in hollows of trees, specifically in the trunk of Eucalyptus. The nest is lined with wood shavings and wood dust. Three to six eggs are laid by the female and these eggs are glossy. Incubation takes place for about 20 days and is done by the female only. Males are known to attend the females during the incubation. The chicks are altricial at birth and both sexes are known to feed the young ones. Fledging takes place at about five weeks of age. As the breeding season ends, the groups of families disperse.

What is their conservation status?

 These birds are placed under the Least Concern category of conservation status.

What does the Australian king parrot look like?

An adult male has a red-colored head, lower parts of undersides, and breasts. On the back of the neck, it has a blue band between the red and green parts of the back. The wings of this bird are green to dark green and have a dull green-colored band on the shoulder. The rump of this bird is blue and the tail is different in color. The tail of the male adult is green. The upper mandible of the male is orange-reddish and has a black tip and the lower mandible is black and has a base that is orange. It is known to have yellow irises. The females are quite different than their counterparts as they have green-colored heads and breasts. They have a gray-colored beak and the shoulder band is absent in the females. Juveniles of both sexes have a yellow beak and brown iris and red belly and apart from these features, young ones resemble females.

How cute are they?

These birds are considered cute because of their colors.

How do they communicate?

Communication of the Australian king parrots takes place through various types of sounds and calls. When flying, these birds tend to produce a shrill noise that is described as 'crassak-crassaak...crasaak', whereas, the alarm call is a shriek that is metallic and harsh. A perched male is known to produce 'pwee-eet...pwee-eet' and it is high pitched. Females are known to be comparatively quieter than their male counterparts.

How big is an Australian king parrot?

The length of these king parrots ranges from 16-17 in (41-43 cm). They are known to be larger than a Senegal parrot and a mealy parrot.

How fast can an Australian king parrot fly?

The flying speed of these Australian king parrots is not known. They are known to have a direct flight and have rhythmic and deep wing beats.

How much does an Australian king parrot weigh?

The weight of these king parrots is around 6.8-9.7 oz (195-275 g).

What are the male and female names of the species?

Males and females of this species do not have any specific names.

What would you call a baby Australian king parrot?

Baby birds are in general, referred to as chicks, juveniles, or young ones.

What do they eat?

The diet of these king parrots is omnivores and they tend to feed on seeds and nuts, specifically Acacias and Eucalyptus and also of other plants. They also tend to feed on berries, fruits, blossoms, nectar, insects, and leaf buds.

Are they dangerous?

These king parrots are not considered dangerous. These birds are harmful to the orchards when they feed in flocks.

Would they make a good pet?

These parrots are usually only kept in australia as pets, please check the legalities of owning them as pets as it is illegal to keep them as pets in many other countries.

Did you know...

The first description of this bird was done in 1818 by Martin Lichtenstein, a German naturalist.

Two subspecies of this bird have been recognized and their scientific names are Alisterus scapularis minor and Alisterus scapularis scapularis. The subspecies are known to differ by size.

This species is known to be arboreal and they can be spotted on the ground only for feeding on fallen fruits and drinking.

It has been recorded that because of the four cones in the retina, the ultra-violet wavelength can be seen by the king parrots, whereas, humans only have three cones in the retina.

It has also been recorded that the wings of the king parrots seem yellow when viewed under ultra-violet light.

A group of king parrots is known as a company of king parrots.

Some believe that these birds look similar to the rainbow lorikeet and budgerigar sometimes.

Why is a king parrot called a king parrot?

The king parrots are named so based on the proposition of George Caley in honor of the Governor king.

Do Australian king parrots migrate?

The Australian king parrots are known to be sedentary birds but there might be some seasonal movements.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other birds from our magpie fun facts and hawk interesting facts pages.

You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable birds of prey coloring pages.