Australian King-Parrot

Alisterus scapularis

Family: Psittacidae (Parrots, 40 species in Australia)
Size: 42 cm
Distribution: Within about 300 km of the coast of NSW and most of VIC and Southern QLD
Status: Common
Habitat: Moist, tall forests, and adjacent farmlands. Orchards, parks and gardens in autumn and winter
References: Simpson and Day, Reader's Digest

The Australian King-Parrot is a fairly common bird in some parts of the Blue Mountains, but not seen nearly as often as the Crimson Rosella. They are larger than rosellas and the sexes are obviously different.

The male (pictured below) has a red head while the female has a green head and does not have the "fluoro" bright green stripe on the side like the male does.

Australian King-Parrot - Alisterus scapularis
Photo: Featherdale Wildlife Park, Sydney NSW. High Resolution (1750 x 2735)

Australian King-Parrot - Alisterus scapularis
Photo: Featherdale Wildlife Park, Sydney NSW. High Resolution (2000 x 2967)

Australian King-Parrot - Alisterus scapularis
Photo: Featherdale Wildlife Park, Sydney NSW. High Resolution (1899 x 1488)

Some Birdwatching Resources


Field Guide to Australian Birds, by Michael Morcombe Field Guide to Australian Birds, by Michael Morcombe. This one has colour drawings of the eggs and the nests which not many other field guides do (I can't think of any that do). It's an excellent field guide and one of the four main ones (the other three being above this one). The weakness of this field guide is that some of the pictures of the birds aren't as good (or accurate) as the other three most used field guides. It's also the heaviest though there is a pocket edition which is much smaller and lighter.

Purchase from Australia (Booktopia)

Purchase from Australia (Angus & Robertson)


Birdsong, Don Stap Birdsong, Don Stap. From the promotional material: "Following one of the world's experts on birdsong from the woods of Martha's Vineyard to the tropical forests of Central America, Don Stap brings to life the quest to unravel an ancient mystery: Why do birds sing and what do their songs mean? We quickly discover that one question leads to another. Why does the chestnut-sided warbler sing one song before dawn and another after sunrise? Why does the brown thrasher have a repertoire of two thousand songs when the chipping sparrow has only one? And how is the hermit thrush able to sing a duet with itself, producing two sounds simultaneously to create its beautiful, flutelike melody?"

Purchase from Australia (Booktopia)

Click here to purchase from Australia (Fishpond)

Click here to purchase from Wilderness Awareness School $24.00 USD (May not work)

See Also

Australian Bird Field Guides

Return to Australian Birds
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Australian King-Parrot - Alisterus scapularis

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