Australian King Parrot
The Australian King Parrot (Alisterus scapularis) 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. They feed on fruits, seeds or small insects.
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| Australian King Parrot |
image source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/arthur_chapman/
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| Australian King Parrot |
image source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/arthur_chapman/
Taxonomy
The Australian King Parrot was first described by the German naturalist Martin Lichtenstein in 1818. The species belongs to the genus Alisterus, whose three members are known as king parrots. The genus is sometimes sunk into the genus Aprosmictus.
Two subspecies are recognised, which are differentiated by size:
Two subspecies are recognised, which are differentiated by size:
- Alisterus scapularis (Lichtenstein, 1816)
- Alisterus scapularis minor Mathews, 1911
- Alisterus scapularis scapularis (Lichtenstein, 1816)
