King parrot

Australian king parrot

What is a king parrot?

King parrots are one of Australia’s most vibrantly coloured birds. Their scientific name is Alisterus scapularis. King parrots usually move about in pairs - a bright red and green male and a mostly green female. 

Also seen in small family groups, the high pitched whistle of Australian king parrots indicates their presence whilst flying or feeding in trees.

What do Australian king parrots look like?

Male king parrots have a bright red head and chest, a deep green back and wings, a long dark blue tail and a red beak. Juvenile male king parrots have a mottled mix of green and red feathers on their heads and chests.

Females have a green head, chest, back and tail. They have a red underbelly and legs and a dark grey beak.

King parrots have a short curved beak and two pairs of opposable toes with curved claws.

What do king parrots sound like?

Australian king parrots have a high-pitched whistle. They also sometimes make a gentle chittering when feeding.

Where do Australian king parrots live?

Australian king parrots are found along the coastal and mountainous areas of eastern and south-eastern Australia from Cooktown in far north Queensland down to Port Fairy on the southern coast of Victoria. 

Australian king parrots prefer rainforest, wet sclerophyll and dense tall-timbered forests. They also visit eucalypt forests and leafy urban areas with wattles and tall trees when food is available.

What do Australian king parrots eat?

Australian king parrots feed mainly on seeds, fruits and berries. 

In bushland areas and native gardens king parrots are often seen feeding on the green seeds of wattles - Acacia species - and hop bushes – Dodonaea species.

How are king parrots adapted to their environment?

The short pointed curved beaks and long clawed toes of Australian king parrots are used for grip when climbing around the branches of shrubs and trees to access and eat their diet of seeds and berries. 

King parrots use their sharp beak to bite off a seed or berry then often hold it in their foot and bite off small pieces to eat. The four toes of king parrots have two opposable pairs - acting like two thumbs and two fingers.

King parrots also use their sharp beak when preparing their nesting hollow and for climbing within the hollow.

How do Australian king parrots reproduce and what is their life-cycle?

King parrots usually breed between September and January. Like other parrots, they use tree hollows for nesting. Australian king parrots prefer a high and deep hollow in the trunk of an old eucalyptus or angophora tree. The hollow entrance may be more than 10 metres up the trunk with the base of the hollow close to the ground. The base of the nest is covered in decayed wood chips and dust.

The female lays three to five white eggs which she incubates for about 20 days. For the first few weeks just the female feeds the young birds, then both parents feed them. The male feeds the female whilst she is in the nest. The young king parrots stay in the nest for about five weeks until they can fly.

What is the role of Australian king parrots in the environment?

As seed and berry eaters, Australian king parrots help disperse seeds in forests.

What threats do king parrots face and how can we help them?

Habitat loss is the main threat to Australian king parrots. It can take hundreds of years for deep hollows to form so the clearing of old growth forests and mature eucalypt trees reduces the availability of nesting hollows. 

Clearing of bushland areas for housing, industry and farming also reduces native food sources and fragments habitats.

Human feeding of king parrots at feeding stations is a potential threat as it can result in birds succumbing to Psittacine beak and feather disease (PBFD). PBFD is spread through contact with faeces from infected birds.

Protecting native forests, planting vegetation corridors and planting food plants can help maintain and increase populations of Australian king parrots. 

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