Red-winged parrot facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Red-winged parrot |
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| A pair (female on left and male on right) | |
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Aprosmictus
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| Species: |
erythropterus
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| Distribution of the red-winged parrot | |
| Synonyms | |
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Psittacus erythropterus |
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The red-winged parrot (Aprosmictus erythropterus) is a beautiful parrot that lives in Australia and New Guinea. You can find these colorful birds in places like grasslands, open woodlands, and even on farms.
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About the Red-Winged Parrot
Scientists give every animal a special name. The red-winged parrot was first described by a German scientist named Johann Friedrich Gmelin in 1788. Its scientific name, erythropterus, comes from two Ancient Greek words: erythros meaning "red" and pteron meaning "wing". This makes perfect sense because of their bright red wings!
Sometimes, people call them by other names too, like the crimson-winged parrot or blood-winged parrot.
Different Kinds of Red-Winged Parrots
Just like there are different types of dogs, there are also slightly different kinds of red-winged parrots. These are called subspecies. Here are the main ones:
- Aprosmictus erythropterus erythropterus (Gmelin, 1788)
- Aprosmictus erythropterus coccineopterus (Gould,1865)
- Aprosmictus erythropterus papua (Mayr & Rand, 1936)
What Do They Look Like?
Red-winged parrots are usually about 30 to 33 centimeters (12 to 13 inches) long. Both male and female parrots have bright red wings and a mostly green body.
Male parrots have a black area on the back of their neck. Their lower back and rump are blue, and their tail has a yellow tip. They also have an orange bill and grey feet.
Female parrots are a bit different. Their body is more yellowish-green, and their wings have red and pink colors mixed in. Females also have dark eyes and a lighter blue lower back.
Young parrots (called juveniles) have orange or yellow beaks and light brown eyes. They look a lot like the adult females. Male parrots get their full adult colors when they are about two years old, while females get theirs a bit earlier, around one and a half years old.
Where Do They Live?
These parrots live across a large part of Australia, from Western Australia all the way to Cape York Peninsula in Queensland. You can see them almost everywhere in Queensland! They also live as far south as northeast South Australia. Sometimes, they are even seen in southern New Guinea.
Red-winged parrots like to live near rivers in forests, at the edges of forests, in acacia scrub, and in savanna areas. They can also be found in mangroves and on farmland. You will often see them in pairs or in groups, especially near water.
What Do They Eat?
Red-winged parrots mostly eat seeds from plants like eucalyptus and acacia trees. They also enjoy berries, flowers, and sometimes even insects.
When they call out, their sounds can be like "ching-ching," "chink-chink," or a thin screech.
Reproduction
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An immature male at Honolulu Zoo, Hawaii, USA.
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Female at Adelaide Zoo, Australia
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Juvenile in an aviary
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Red-winged parrots usually have their babies in spring and summer. However, the exact time can depend on where they live.
They make their nests in hollow spaces inside trees, often high up, about 11 meters (36 feet) from the ground. A female parrot usually lays three to six white eggs in a season. Each egg is about 31 millimeters (1.2 inches) long.
The female parrot sits on the eggs to keep them warm (this is called incubating), while the male parrot goes out to find food for both of them. Once the chicks hatch, they stay with their parents for about five weeks before they are ready to fly off on their own.
Red-winged parrots have sometimes had babies with another type of parrot called the Australian king parrot. The babies from these mixed pairs can also have their own babies.
Images for kids
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Red-winged parrot feeding on unknown fruit
See also
In Spanish: Papagayo alirrojo para niños
