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12

Australian King-Parrot

(Alisterus scapularis)
Alternate name(s): "King Lory", "Southern King Parrot"
Aboriginal name(s): Race "scapularis": "wirtuk tuRong" [tjapwurrung];
race "minor": "biimbirran" [ngadjon]

Size: 42-44 cm
Weight: 200-285 g
Description     Classification     Distribution     Sightings     Photos     Breeding     Nest     Eggs     Behaviour     Food     Call/s

Physical description

Click here for a physical description

Taxonomy, classification

See Australian King-Parrot at Wikipedia .

Range, habitat, finding this species

Click here for information on habitat and range

Sightings

Click here for sighting information

Photos

Not the photos you want? Or are you after even better quality? Have a look here .

Race "scapularis"

ADULT

MALE

Close-up frontal portrait of a male Australian King-Parrot (photo courtesy of R. Druce)
[Queen Mary Falls, near Killarney, QLD, October 2015]

Close-up frontal view of a male Australian King-Parrot (photo courtesy of A. Ross-Taylor)
[Highland Park, Gold Coast, QLD, September 2012]

Frontal view of a male Australian King-Parrot
[Kingaroy, QLD, March 2016]

Frontal/ventral view of a male Australian King-Parrot (photo courtesy of V. Collins)
[Mt. Kaputar NP, NSW, January 2021]

Close-up near-lateral view of a male Australian King-Parrot (photo courtesy of J. Boettcher, FNQ Nature Tours)
[Lamington NP, QLD, November 2020]

Close-up lateral view of a male Australian King-Parrot (photo courtesy of A. Ross-Taylor)
[Highland Park, Gold Coast, QLD, September 2012]

Lateral view of a male Australian King-Parrot sitting in a Kurrajong tree
[20 km South of Narrabri, NSW, February 2006]

Near-dorsal view of a male Australian King-Parrot showing the blue rump (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Gold Creek Reservoir, QLD, February 2019]

Near-dorsal portrait of a male Australian King-Parrot (photo courtesy of V. Collins)
[Near Narrabri, NSW, January 2021]

Near-frontal view of a male Australian King-Parrot in flight (photo courtesy of J. Boettcher, FNQ Nature Tours)
[Lamington NP, QLD, November 2020]

FEMALE

Close-up frontal portrait of a female Australian King-Parrot (photo courtesy of A. Ross-Taylor)
[Highland Park, Gold Coast, QLD, November 2012]

Close-up near-lateral view of a female Australian King-Parrot (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Queen Mary Falls, QLD, July 2019]

Close-up near-lateral view of a female Australian King-Parrot (photo courtesy of A. Ross-Taylor)
[Highland Park, Gold Coast, QLD, April 2013]

Some Australian King-Parrot acrobatics (photo courtesy of A. Ross-Taylor)
[Highland Park, Gold Coast, QLD, November 2013]

Lateral view of a female Australian King-Parrot with tattered plumage (photo courtesy of E. Scott)
[Roseberry Creek Valley, near Toonumbar NP, northern NSW, November 2016]

Lateral/ventral view of a female Australian King-Parrot
[20 km South of Narrabri, NSW, 2006]

Near-dorsal view of a female Australian King-Parrot feeding on White Cedar nuts under a tree
[20 km South of Narrabri, NSW, April 2006]

PAIR

Direct comparison of a male Australian King-Parrot, back, and a female, right (photo courtesy of M. Mearns)
[Kingaroy, QLD, December 2015]

Lateral view of two pairs of Australian King-Parrots in flight
[Narrabri Lake, NSW, April 2016]

IMMATURE/JUVENILE

Close-up frontal portrait of an immature male Australian King-Parrot moulting into adult plumage
(photo courtesy of R. Plumtree)
[October 2018]

Close-up frontal view of a juvenile Australian King-Parrot looking sideways
[Eulah Creek, NSW, April 2023]

Near-lateral view of a juvenile Australian King-Parrot
[Eulah Creek, NSW, December 2012]

Lateral portrait of a juvenile Australian King-Parrot
[Near Narrabri, NSW, January 2021]

Lateral view of a juvenile Australian King-Parrot
[Eulah Creek, NSW, December 2012]

Near-dorsal portrait of a juvenile Australian King-Parrot
[Near Narrabri, NSW, January 2021]

Breeding information

Breeding season: Oct - Dec Eggs: 4 - 6 Incubation period: 20 days Fledging age: 35 days

Nest

"bungobittah", "lar", "malunna", "jindi" [bundjalung] = nest [Aboriginal]

Type: Tree hollow Material: Wood Height above ground: >10 m

It is not entirely certain whether the opening to the tree hollow shown below is in fact the entrance to the birds' nest. We saw them around the opening, but not actually entering it. The same treetrunk had another opening on the other side.

Entrance to the nest(?) of a family of Australian King-Parrots
[Deriah Aboriginal Area, NSW, November 2008]

Female Australian King-Parrot checking out a potential nest hollow that had been pointed out by the male
[Mt. Kaputar NP, NSW, August 2015]

Eggs

"boyanga", "booyanga", "derinya", "dirandil", "koomura", "mirk", "ngampu", "nooluk", "pateena", "pum-pum" = Egg; "dirundirri" = eggs [Aboriginal]; "gawu" = eggs [gamilaraay]

Size: 33 x 27 mm Colour: White Shape: Tapered oval

Behaviour

Social behaviour: Communal Mobility: Sedentary/dispersive Elementary unit: Pair/small flock

bonding ritual between a pair of Australian King-Parrots; the female will beg for food to test the male's suitability as a partner, knowing that she will have to rely on him while incubating and brooding the young (photo courtesy of A. Ross-Taylor)
[Highland Park, Gold Coast, QLD, August 2012]

The photo below shows that Australian King Parrots can be quite curious.

Australian King Parrot looking into a house clinging to the flyscreen on a window
[20 km South of Narrabri, NSW, 2006]

Food, Diet

Adults: Seeds, fruit Dependents: Regurgitated seeds Water intake: Daily

Australian King-Parrots eat both fruit and seeds. They love apricots and figs (just before they turn ripe) and the fruit of the White Cedar tree. The latter they will eat either sitting in the tree or later from the ground, once they have fallen.

We were surprised to find Australian King-Parrots feeding on (unripe) mistletoe fruit. Photos are available here.

Male Australian King-Parrot feeding on what looks like the fruit of native Lilypily (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Gold Creek Reservoir, QLD, February 2019]

Close-up view of a male Australian King-Parrot chewing some kind of fruit (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Anstead, QLD, August 2017]

Male Australian King-Parrot chewing on a White Cedar nut
[20 km South of Narrabri, NSW, April 2006]

Close-up portrait of a female Australian King-Parrot chewing on a White Cedar nut
[20 km South of Narrabri, NSW, April 2006]

Pair of Australian King-Parrots taking White Cedar nuts from the ground
[20 km South of Narrabri, NSW, April 2006]

When food is in such abundance, Australian King-Parrots can occasionally be seen in considerable numbers, although usually they come in pairs or small family units
[20 km South of Narrabri, NSW, April 2006]

Young male Australian King-Parrot feasting on the seeds of a shrub
[Deriah Aboriginal Area, NSW, November 2008]

Here a closer look at the seeds
[Deriah Aboriginal Area, NSW, November 2008]

Close-up lateral view of a male Australian King-Parrot feasting on lychees (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Moggill, QLD, January 2023]

Near-lateral view of a female Australian King-Parrot feasting on lychees (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Moggill, QLD, January 2023]

Near-dorsal view of a female Australian King-Parrot feasting on lychees (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Moggill, QLD, January 2023]

Some species of parrots, in this case Australian King-Parrots, know how to find reliable water supplies in tree hollows
(photo courtesy of R. Plumtree)
[Cape Conran Wildlife Caravan Park, East Gippsland, VIC, September 2007]

Australian King-Parrots checking whether it is safe to approach a bird bath
[Eulah Creek, NSW, July 2018]

Australian King-Parrots drinking from a bird bath
[Eulah Creek, NSW, July 2018]

Male Australian King-Parrot feeding on sunflower kernels
[Kingaroy, QLD, March 2016]

Female Australian King-Parrot feeding on sunflower kernels
[Kingaroy, QLD, March 2016]

Immature male Australian King-Parrot feasting on lychees (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Anstead, QLD, December 2020]

Immature male Australian King-Parrot feasting on lychees (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Anstead, QLD, December 2020]

Call(s)/Song

For this species we have recorded the following call(s)/song. The interpretation of their meaning is our own; comments and suggestions for improvement are welcome.

kingpar_20140125_2.mp3 scapularis
(NW NSW)
Contact call © MD
kingpar_20140110_3.mp3 scapularis
(NW NSW)
Contact calls © MD
kingpar_20191203_2.m4a scapularis
(NW NSW)
Contact calls © MD
kingpar_art_20131107.m4a scapularis
(SE QLD)
Calling mate © ART
kingpar_20200919.m4a scapularis
(NW NSW)
Q&A (arrival) © MD
kingpar_20140704.mp3 scapularis
(NW NSW)
Alarm call © MD
kingpar_20180131_2.m4a scapularis
(NW NSW)
Warning/departure © MD
kingpar_20191203.m4a scapularis
(NW NSW)
Warning/departure
(family of 4)
© MD
kingpar_20160406.mp3 scapularis
(NW NSW)
Disturbed/suspicious;
alarm/departure
© MD
kingpar_20140502_2.mp3 scapularis
(NW NSW)
Alarm calls (in-flight) © MD
kingpar_20140127.mp3 scapularis
(NW NSW)
Alarm call (Brown Goshawk) © MD
kingpar_20140319.mp3 scapularis
(NW NSW)
Alarm call (Brown Goshawk) © MD
kingpar_art_20131125.m4a scapularis
(NW NSW)
Feeding call © ART
kingpar_20151016.m4a scapularis
(NW NSW)
Male wooing female (short) © MD
kingpar_20151016_2.m4a scapularis
(NW NSW)
Male wooing female (long) © MD
kingpar_20180131.m4a scapularis
(NW NSW)
Various © MD
kingpar_20191014.m4a scapularis
(NW NSW)
? (family approaching water hole) © MD
kingpar_20191014_2.m4a scapularis
(NW NSW)
? (family approaching water hole) © MD
kingpar_20191014_3.m4a scapularis
(NW NSW)
? (family approaching water hole) © MD
kingpar_20191014_4.m4a scapularis
(NW NSW)
? (family approaching water hole) © MD

More Australian King-Parrot sound recordings are available at xeno-canto.org .

These pages are largely based on our own observations and those of our contributors. The structure of these bird pages is explained HERE. For more salient facts on any bird species please refer to a field guide.

Would you like to contribute photos or sound recordings to this site?
If interested, please CLICK HERE. Credits to contributors are given HERE.