King Parakeet
| King Parakeet | ||||||||||
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King Parakeet, male |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||
| Alisterus scapularis | ||||||||||
| ( Lichtenstein , 1818) |
The King Parakeet ( Alisterus scapularis ), also known as the Australian King Parakeet , is a parrot species that is only found in Australia. There are two subspecies. The distribution area is limited to the coastal areas and the adjacent mountainous area in eastern Australia. This species does not occur in Tasmania. King parakeets are common birds locally. The species is protected by law in Australia, but shooting permits are occasionally issued to prevent crop damage. At the same time, she becomes very trusting and can be found at picnic areas, for example, to be fed by visitors.
King parakeets are quite large and powerful parrots with a long tail in proportion to their body size. This is broad and strongly stepped. The gender dimorphism is very noticeable. While they are rarely kept in Australia, outside of their natural range, they are relatively often tended aviary birds. They are considered to be durable and robust. Their breeding, however, is considered relatively demanding. According to Joseph M. Forshaw , who specializes in Australian parrots, this is due to unfavorable climatic conditions, non-harmonizing breeding pairs and unsuitable nesting holes.
Appearance
King parakeets reach a size of 42 centimeters and weigh between 195 and 285 grams.
Characteristic of the appearance of the King Parakeet is the long, broad and wedge-shaped, stepped tail, which is almost as long as the wings. The males of the nominate form have scarlet plumage on the head, neck and underside of the body. The under tail cover is greenish black and has - as is characteristic of this genus - broad scarlet feathers. A narrow blue band runs down the neck. The adjoining front back is dark green. The inner wing covers are bright light green. The back and rump are ultramarine blue. The outer hand wings are gray-black, the other wing feathers are dark green. The inner control springs are black and play slightly green. The upper beak is orange-red and turns black towards the tip of the beak. The lower bill is black and only orange at the base of the beak. The iris is yellow. The legs are gray.
The females of the nominate form are green on the head, neck and top of the body. In a few individuals there is a slight reddish tinge on the throat. The lower chest is scarlet. The feather bases, on the other hand, are greyish green, so that the lower breast plumage appears spotty. The belly is scarlet. As in the male, the dark green under-tail-cover has a broad, scarlet-red feather border. The rump and the back are blue and play slightly green. The beak is predominantly dark gray. In some females the sides of the upper bill are colored reddish brown. Young birds are similar to females.
The subspecies Alisterus scapularis minor resembles the nominate form in plumage, but is somewhat smaller overall. It occurs exclusively in northeast Queensland.
The King Parakeet moves awkwardly and waddles on the ground. The flight of the king parakeet is powerful with sweeping and rhythmic wing beats. Due to the pointed wings and the long tail, the flight silhouette of the king parakeet is unmistakable. They are very agile fliers who, despite their size, also fly skillfully through dense forest or scrubland. During the flight they make a high-pitched two-syllable krassak-krassak ... krassak-krassak as a contact sound . Excited birds scream harshly metallic.
habitat
King parakeets only inhabit dense forest areas with high levels of rainfall. The forest types in which one can find king parakeets include the rainforest, closed gallery forests along watercourses, moist hardwood forests , tall eucalyptus forests and plant communities dominated by acacias. Tree savannas are mainly populated in the east of the Australian state of New South Wales . They also use agricultural land, in particular orchards and corn and sorghum fields. They have also developed into urban habitats and are found in urban gardens and parks.
According to current knowledge, king parakeets are predominantly resident birds. Their habitat offers them sufficient food reserves, so that the nomadic wandering way of life, which is characteristic of many Australian parrots and cockatoos, is eliminated. There seems to be a migratory movement only between the highlands and the lowlands of their respective area of distribution.
behavior
King parakeets live in pairs or form small groups. Only young birds that are not yet sexually mature occasionally form flocks of 30 to 40 individuals. Loose accumulations of breeding pairs only occur when there is a particularly rich local food supply. Fruit plantations or fields with ripening maize also belong to such intensively used feeding places. Their food spectrum includes seeds, fruits, berries, nuts, nectar, flowers and flower buds. In addition to semi-ripe maize, apples, pears and peaches as well as potatoes are among their preferred crops. In gardens they can become a nuisance and eat tomatoes, peas and beans among other things. To prevent crop damage, shooting permits are occasionally issued, although the King Parakeet is a protected species in Australia.
The breeding season of the king parakeets extends from September to January. They are cave-breeders that usually breed in the trunk of a high tree in the middle of the forest or on the edge of the forest. They prefer very deep trunk caves that are in large eucalyptus trees. The clutch consists of three to six eggs, usually four eggs. Little is known about nesting behavior in the wild. In the case of King Parakeets kept in human care, the breeding period was 30 days. The female brooded alone. The young birds leave the nest box in the sixth to seventh week. They are then looked after by both parent birds for a further two weeks.
supporting documents
Individual evidence
- ^ Forshaw, p. 354.
- ^ Forshaw, p. 347.
- ^ Forshaw, p. 346.
- ^ Forshaw, p. 347.
- ↑ Forshaw, pp. 348-349.
- ^ Forshaw, p. 349.
- ^ Forshaw, p. 352.
- ^ Forshaw, p. 350.
- ^ Forshaw, p. 353.
- ^ Forshaw, p. 350.
- ^ Forshaw, p. 356.
literature
- Joseph M. Forshaw : Australian Parrots. 1st, German-language edition. Volume 2, Arndt-Verlag, Bretten 2003, ISBN 3-9808245-2-7 .
Web links
- Videos, photos and sound recordings of Alisterus scapularis in the Internet Bird Collection
- Alisterus scapularis onthe IUCN Red List of Threatened Species .