Papuan king parrot facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Papuan king parrot |
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| Male at Jurong Bird Park | |
| Conservation status | |
Scientific classification  |
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| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Psittaciformes |
| Family: | Psittaculidae |
| Genus: | Alisterus |
| Species: |
A. chloropterus
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| Binomial name | |
| Alisterus chloropterus (Ramsay, 1879)
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The Papuan king parrot (Alisterus chloropterus) is a beautiful bird found in New Guinea. It's also known as the green-winged king parrot because of the bright green stripe on its wings. This parrot belongs to the Psittaculidae family, which includes many colorful parrots.
You can find these parrots living in subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and also in moist montane forests, which are forests found in mountains.
Contents
About the Papuan King Parrot
What is a Papuan King Parrot?
The Papuan king parrot is a type of parrot that lives in the wild. It's one of three species known as king parrots. These birds are special because of their bright colors and how they live in the forests of New Guinea.
How Big Are They?
Papuan king parrots are about 36 cm (14 in) long. This measurement includes their long, wide tail. They have dark grey legs and orange eyes, which are called irises.
Spotting Males and Females
It's easy to tell the male and female Papuan king parrots apart. This is called sexual dimorphism. Males have a clear, wide, pale-green band on each wing. This band looks like a shoulder stripe.
The males usually have a red head and neck. Their lower body is also red. Their back and rump are blue, and their wings are green with that special pale-green band. In some types of this parrot, the blue color from the back goes up to the back of the neck.
Females look a bit different depending on where they live. Some females have a red belly, and their head, neck, back, and wings are mostly green. Their chest might have a mix of green and red stripes. Other females look more like the males, with a red head, neck, and chest. However, their pale-green wing band is much smaller than the male's.
Where They Live and What They Do
Where Do Papuan King Parrots Live?
You can find Papuan king parrots in the central and eastern parts of New Guinea. They live in forests that can be as high as 2600 meters (about 8,500 feet) above sea level.
How Do They Behave?
These parrots are often quiet and hard to spot. They usually hang out alone, in pairs, or in small groups of up to 10 birds. They like to feed in thick forests, often in small trees or on lower branches of bigger trees. Because they are so quiet, people often don't even notice them!
What Do They Eat?
Papuan king parrots enjoy eating berries, fruits, and seeds. They might also eat some insects. They spend their time quietly looking for food in the dense forest.
 | James Van Der Zee |
 | Alma Thomas |
 | Ellis Wilson |
 | Margaret Taylor-Burroughs |
