AUSTRALIAN SPECIALISTS!

Australian King, Blue Mountains Australia

AUSTRALIAN KING PARROT (Alisterus scapularis)

    The Australian king parrot is an amazing bird that made a lasting impression on us when we traveled through the Blue Mountain region of Australia.  It's bright red plumage makes it conspicuous in the forests where it occurs.  In some areas the wild birds have become quite tame, due to feeding, and they will perch on your body as they scramble to snap up the seeds in your palm.  They occur along the eastern coast of Australia, excluding Tasmania and the far reaches of the Cape York Peninsula.  The isolated population found in northeastern Queensland is considered a subspecies (Alisterus scapularis minor) and is similar to A. s. scapularis but smaller.  King parrots are common throughout their range, but do seem to be affected by clearing of the Eucalyptus forests that they normally reside in.  They usually occur in pairs or small groups except when congregated due to humans feeding them or during the fall when large numbers of juveniles flock together.  The staple diet of this species is the seeds of Eucalyptus, Acacia and Angophora.  Pairs nest in hollow trees with the deep hollow often reaching nearly to ground level.  It gets quite cold where these birds live and we have personally seen them in the snow!

    I purchased all of my adult breeding pairs from the "King of Kings", Bill Ratray, when his health prevented him from keeping birds any longer.  It took 3 to 4 years for the adult pairs to finally begin producing babies for us, so one must be patient with these birds.  Australian kings are a wonderfully calm and non-aggressive bird and even parent raised individuals will allow very close approach.  These birds can be kept in a mixed aviary and have in fact bred for us when kept with other species.  Nesting occurs in April-June and hens lay 4-6 eggs (normally 4).  Incubation is 19 days and the young are quick to grow but slow to wean.  The males begin to get adult plumage after about 14 months, but are not fully colored until nearly 3 years old.  Pairs can breed in their second year.  Hand fed birds can make good pets and are sought as such.

Pricing

$1500 per pair, $750 for singles.

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