Alisterus
Encyclopedia
The king parrots are three species of medium-sized parrot
s in the genus
Alisterus; the Australian King Parrot
(Alisterus scapularis), the Papuan King Parrot
(Alisterus chloropterus), and the Moluccan King Parrot
(Alisterus amboinensis). The three species are found in Eastern Australia, New Guinea, and Indonesian islands including the Maluku islands
respectively. Predominantly of red and green plumage, the long tailed parrots are related to the genera Aprosmictus
and Polytelis
.
and the Australian King Parrot
show sexual dimorphism
in their plumage and beak colouration, which contrast to the Moluccan King Parrot
where the male and female have an identical external appearance.
The two subspecies of the Australian King Parrot are similar except in size. The male has a red head and neck, red lower parts, blue back and rump, and green wings, each with a pale-green band (resembling a shoulder stripe). In the female, the head is green, the green being continuous over the neck, chest, and back. There is red plumage over the lower abdomen, and the pale-green wing band is small or absent.
The three subspecies of the Papuan King Parrot
all show sexual dimorphism and in all three subspecies the male can be identified by a prominent broad pale-green band on each wing. The differences in the females between subspecies are more marked than the differences in the males. The female of subspecies A. c. moszkowskii has green wings, and a red head, neck, chest and abdomen resembling the male, and differs from the male with its much smaller pale-green wing band. The females of A. c. chloropterus and A. c. calloterus differ from the males with broadly similar sexual dimorphism to the Australian King Parrot
with extended green plumage, except the chests of the females of these two Papuan King Parrot subspecies have vague transverse green and red striations.
within the true parrot family, the genus Alisterus was described by Australian amateur ornithologist Gregory Mathews
in 1911. They were previously considered part of the genus Aprosmictus
, which contains the Red-winged
and Olive-shouldered Parrot
s.
The king parrots appear to be most closely related to the genera Aprosmictus and the long-tailed parrots of the genus Polytelis
, united by similarities in food begging and contact calls by chicks, and by more recent molecular analysis in 2005. The molecular work placed this group in turn as sister to a group containing Eclectus
, Tanygnathus
, and Psittacula
.
There are three species and several subspecies of King parrots:
Parrot
Parrots, also known as psittacines , are birds of the roughly 372 species in 86 genera that make up the order Psittaciformes, found in most tropical and subtropical regions. The order is subdivided into three families: the Psittacidae , the Cacatuidae and the Strigopidae...
s in the genus
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
Alisterus; the Australian King Parrot
Australian King Parrot
The Australian King Parrot is endemic to eastern Australia. It is found in humid and heavily forested upland regions of the eastern portion of the continent, including eucalyptus wooded areas in and directly adjacent to subtropical and temperate rainforest...
(Alisterus scapularis), the Papuan King Parrot
Papuan King Parrot
The Papuan King Parrot , also known as the Green-winged King Parrot, is a species of parrot in the Psittacidae family.It is found in West Papua and Papua New Guinea....
(Alisterus chloropterus), and the Moluccan King Parrot
Moluccan King Parrot
The Moluccan King Parrot, Alisterus amboinensis, is a parrot that is endemic to Peleng Island, Maluku and West Papua in Indonesia. It is sometimes referred to as the Ambon King Parrot or Amboina King Parrot, but this is potentially misleading, as it is found on numerous other islands than Ambon...
(Alisterus amboinensis). The three species are found in Eastern Australia, New Guinea, and Indonesian islands including the Maluku islands
Maluku Islands
The Maluku Islands are an archipelago that is part of Indonesia, and part of the larger Maritime Southeast Asia region. Tectonically they are located on the Halmahera Plate within the Molucca Sea Collision Zone...
respectively. Predominantly of red and green plumage, the long tailed parrots are related to the genera Aprosmictus
Aprosmictus
Aprosmictus is a genus of parrots in the Psittacidae family. Several former members, including the Australian King Parrot are now placed in the genus Alisterus.It contains the following species:* Jonquil Parrot...
and Polytelis
Polytelis
The genus Polytelis of the family Psittacidae consists of three species long-tailed parrot endemic to Australia...
.
Description
King parrots are medium-sized parrots, 35–43 cm (14–17 in) in length with long-broad tails. They have relatively small beaks for their size. The beaks of the adults are two colours, blackish and orange-reddish, except for the subspecies buruensis of the Moluccan King Parrot which has a grey-black beak, and female Australian King Parrot which has a grey beak.Sexual dimorphism
The Papuan King ParrotPapuan King Parrot
The Papuan King Parrot , also known as the Green-winged King Parrot, is a species of parrot in the Psittacidae family.It is found in West Papua and Papua New Guinea....
and the Australian King Parrot
Australian King Parrot
The Australian King Parrot is endemic to eastern Australia. It is found in humid and heavily forested upland regions of the eastern portion of the continent, including eucalyptus wooded areas in and directly adjacent to subtropical and temperate rainforest...
show sexual dimorphism
Sexual dimorphism
Sexual dimorphism is a phenotypic difference between males and females of the same species. Examples of such differences include differences in morphology, ornamentation, and behavior.-Examples:-Ornamentation / coloration:...
in their plumage and beak colouration, which contrast to the Moluccan King Parrot
Moluccan King Parrot
The Moluccan King Parrot, Alisterus amboinensis, is a parrot that is endemic to Peleng Island, Maluku and West Papua in Indonesia. It is sometimes referred to as the Ambon King Parrot or Amboina King Parrot, but this is potentially misleading, as it is found on numerous other islands than Ambon...
where the male and female have an identical external appearance.
The two subspecies of the Australian King Parrot are similar except in size. The male has a red head and neck, red lower parts, blue back and rump, and green wings, each with a pale-green band (resembling a shoulder stripe). In the female, the head is green, the green being continuous over the neck, chest, and back. There is red plumage over the lower abdomen, and the pale-green wing band is small or absent.
The three subspecies of the Papuan King Parrot
Papuan King Parrot
The Papuan King Parrot , also known as the Green-winged King Parrot, is a species of parrot in the Psittacidae family.It is found in West Papua and Papua New Guinea....
all show sexual dimorphism and in all three subspecies the male can be identified by a prominent broad pale-green band on each wing. The differences in the females between subspecies are more marked than the differences in the males. The female of subspecies A. c. moszkowskii has green wings, and a red head, neck, chest and abdomen resembling the male, and differs from the male with its much smaller pale-green wing band. The females of A. c. chloropterus and A. c. calloterus differ from the males with broadly similar sexual dimorphism to the Australian King Parrot
Australian King Parrot
The Australian King Parrot is endemic to eastern Australia. It is found in humid and heavily forested upland regions of the eastern portion of the continent, including eucalyptus wooded areas in and directly adjacent to subtropical and temperate rainforest...
with extended green plumage, except the chests of the females of these two Papuan King Parrot subspecies have vague transverse green and red striations.
Behaviour and ecology
The three species are forest-dwelling, and are found singly, in pairs, or in groups. Australian King Parrots sometimes gather in groups of up to 30 or more around food sources, while Moluccan King Parrots sometimes form groups up to ten, and the Moluccan King Parrots may gather in groups of fives or sixes. They generally feed on seeds, fruits and berries in trees.Taxonomy
Classified in the subfamily PsittacinaePsittacinae
The Psittacinae a subfamily in the parrot family Psittacidae. It contains the true parrots, parakeets and macaws, but not the lories, lorikeets and cockatoos...
within the true parrot family, the genus Alisterus was described by Australian amateur ornithologist Gregory Mathews
Gregory Mathews
Gregory Macalister Mathews CBE was an Australian amateur ornithologist.Mathews made his fortune in mining shares, and moved to England around 1900....
in 1911. They were previously considered part of the genus Aprosmictus
Aprosmictus
Aprosmictus is a genus of parrots in the Psittacidae family. Several former members, including the Australian King Parrot are now placed in the genus Alisterus.It contains the following species:* Jonquil Parrot...
, which contains the Red-winged
Red-winged Parrot
The Red-winged Parrot , is a parrot native to Australia and Papua New Guinea.-Description:The Red-winged parrot is typically about 30 to 33 cm in length. Both sexes have bright red wings and a bright green body. The male birds have a black nape, lower blue back and rump with a yellow tip on their...
and Olive-shouldered Parrot
Olive-shouldered Parrot
The Jonquil Parrot or Olive-shouldered Parrot is a species of parrot in the Psittacidae family. It is found in forest, woodland and acacia savanna in East Timor and the Indonesian islands of Wetar, West Timor and Roti. It is fairly common, but potentially threatened by habitat loss...
s.
The king parrots appear to be most closely related to the genera Aprosmictus and the long-tailed parrots of the genus Polytelis
Polytelis
The genus Polytelis of the family Psittacidae consists of three species long-tailed parrot endemic to Australia...
, united by similarities in food begging and contact calls by chicks, and by more recent molecular analysis in 2005. The molecular work placed this group in turn as sister to a group containing Eclectus
Eclectus
The parrot genus Eclectus consists of two species, the extant Eclectus Parrot and the extinct Oceanic Eclectus Parrot ....
, Tanygnathus
Tanygnathus
Tanygnathus is a genus of parrots of the Psittaculini tribe.Genus Tanygnathus* Great-billed Parrot, Tanygnathus megalorynchos* Blue-naped Parrot, Tanygnathus lucionensis* Blue-backed Parrot, Tanygnathus sumatranus...
, and Psittacula
Psittacula
Members of the parrot genus Psittacula or Afro-Asian Ringnecked parakeets as they are commonly known in aviculture originates found from Africa to South-East Asia. It is a widespread group, with a clear concentration of species in south Asia, but also with representatives in Africa and the islands...
.
There are three species and several subspecies of King parrots:
- Alisterus amboinensis (Linnaeus, 1766) - Moluccan King ParrotMoluccan King ParrotThe Moluccan King Parrot, Alisterus amboinensis, is a parrot that is endemic to Peleng Island, Maluku and West Papua in Indonesia. It is sometimes referred to as the Ambon King Parrot or Amboina King Parrot, but this is potentially misleading, as it is found on numerous other islands than Ambon...
- Alisterus amboinensis amboinensis (Linnaeus, 1766)
- Alisterus amboinensis buruensis (Salvadori, 1876)
- Alisterus amboinensis dorsalis (Quoy & Gaimard,1830)
- Alisterus amboinensis hypophonius (S. Müller, 1843)
- Alisterus amboinensis sulaensis (Reichenow, 1881)
- Alisterus amboinensis versicolor Neumann, 1939
- Alisterus chloropterus (E.P. Ramsay, 1879) - Papuan King ParrotPapuan King ParrotThe Papuan King Parrot , also known as the Green-winged King Parrot, is a species of parrot in the Psittacidae family.It is found in West Papua and Papua New Guinea....
- Alisterus chloropterus callopterus (Albertis & Salvadori, 1879)
- Alisterus chloropterus chloropterus (E.P. Ramsay, 1879)
- Alisterus chloropterus moszkowskii (Reichenow, 1911)
- Alisterus scapularis (Lichtenstein, 1816) - Australian King ParrotAustralian King ParrotThe Australian King Parrot is endemic to eastern Australia. It is found in humid and heavily forested upland regions of the eastern portion of the continent, including eucalyptus wooded areas in and directly adjacent to subtropical and temperate rainforest...
- Alisterus scapularis minor Mathews, 1911
- Alisterus scapularis scapularis (Lichtenstein, 1816)
| Species | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Common and binomial names | Image | Description | Range |
| Moluccan King Parrot Moluccan King Parrot The Moluccan King Parrot, Alisterus amboinensis, is a parrot that is endemic to Peleng Island, Maluku and West Papua in Indonesia. It is sometimes referred to as the Ambon King Parrot or Amboina King Parrot, but this is potentially misleading, as it is found on numerous other islands than Ambon... (Alisterus amboinensis) |
 |
35 cm (14 in) long. Male is similar to female in all six subspecies. Wings do not have a scapular band. Five subspecies have green wings and one subspecies has blue wings. Orange irises. Dark grey legs. | Numerous islands and western New Guinea of Indonesia. |
| Papuan King Parrot Papuan King Parrot The Papuan King Parrot , also known as the Green-winged King Parrot, is a species of parrot in the Psittacidae family.It is found in West Papua and Papua New Guinea.... (Alisterus chloropterus) |
 |
36 cm (14 in) long. Three subspecies all showing sexual dimorphism. The differences in the females between subspecies are more marked than the differences in the males. The pale green band on wing is much more marked in the males. Orange irises. Dark grey legs. | New Guinea |
| Australian King Parrot Australian King Parrot The Australian King Parrot is endemic to eastern Australia. It is found in humid and heavily forested upland regions of the eastern portion of the continent, including eucalyptus wooded areas in and directly adjacent to subtropical and temperate rainforest... (Alisterus scapularis) |
 |
43 cm (17 in) long. Male is mainly red and green and the female is mainly green. A band of pale green feathers on each wing is prominent in the male and small or absent in the female. Blue back and rump. Yellow irises. Grey legs. Its two subspecies are similar except in size, the northern subspecies being the smaller. | Eastern Australia |