It’s a race against time to keep my commitment to adding a new post every Friday, hopefully I’ll get it finished before midnight! I’ve just come home from a trip to Apollo Bay, it was one of those trips that fills you with contentment, I think I’ll be smiling in my sleep.
This morning on our way to the rain forest at Lake Elizabeth we took a wrong turn and found a lively family of Australian King Parrots cavorting in the casuarina.
Australian King Parrot (Alisterus scapularis)
Canon 7D, 100-400mm L IS USM, 1/250, f/5.6, ISO 200, focal length 170mm
The image above is of a male Australian King Parrot showing off his resplendent red feathers, green wings, bright shoulder flash, long tail, yellow iris and lovely bill. Male King Parrots are the only Australian parrots to have a completely red head; females have a green head, neck and breast. They are large parrots weighing just over 200g and measuring about 42cm.
Australian King Parrot
Canon 7D, 100-400mm L IS USM, 1/500, f/5.6, ISO 640, focal length 400mm
Like the females, juvenile Australian King Parrots also have green heads, the bird above is a young male, the green feathers on his head, neck and breast are being replaced with adult colouring.
Australian King Parrot
Canon 7D, 100-400mm L IS USM, 1/640, f/5.6, ISO 500, focal length 400mm
I like the direct look from the parrot above, he didn’t look so peaceful in the next image.
Australian King Parrot
Canon 7D, 100-400mm L IS USM, 1/500, f/5.6, ISO 400, focal length 380mm
It looks as though he is squawking like a cockatoo but actually he was yawning, a quiet, long yawn. King Parrots don’t squawk, their call is a distinctive high-pitched whistle that sounds perfect amongst the tall trees and ferns of the rain forest.
I really like the way the casuarina looked today and especially liked the opportunity to photograph such splendid birds. It’s 23:59, I think this post will be published on the right day!
Happy birding, Kim
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Awesome shots of these gorgeous birds! The colours are amazing.
Thanks Gunilla 🙂
I’m a parrot lover and so enjoyed your king parrot photos. What a cool bird and you are so lucky to see them in the wild!
It really is a privilege to see King Parrots in the wild, I’m glad you like the images!
Hello Kim
OH I LOVE IT, I love parrots. Greats photos Kim !!!!!!
Thank you Nath 🙂
Kim, these are awesome shots of the King-Parrot. It is a gorgeous bird. Another bird I would love to see in the wild. Happy a happy weekend!
Hopefully you will get to see them Eileen, and hear them. Happy weekend!
Nice shots.
Judy (wife) loves King Parrots.
Mal
Hi Mal, I’m pleased to have posted images of birds that Judy likes 🙂
hi kim
theses parrots are so brigth, impressive colors
and you have got nice attitudes, the 1st is very fun in this position ;))
thanks a lot, and happy birding of course :))
It was tricky to get an image of a complete bird as the casuarina hung down in every direction, I was so pleased when he posed the way he did. I’m glad you like the images.
We regularly get King Parrots visiting our feeder – and welcome them. Despite being bigger than the Crimson Rosellas they take a back seat to them. And, as your stunning photos show, the males red colouration extends to its beak – the females have green beaks. Which is one of the ways we are able to indentify young males before their colour has completely developed. If the bird has a green head, but a red beak it is an adolescent male. And I love the flash of blue that can sometimes be seen too.
Thanks for adding information EC, very interesting. You’re lucky to have them visit so often, they are rare and fleeting visitors to my garden.