Red-winged Parrot
Aprosmictus erythropterus
Psittaciforme Order – Psittaculidae Family
BIOMETRICS:
Length: 30-33 cm
Weight: 120-210 g
LONGEVITY: Up to 40 years
DESCRIPTION:
Red-winged Parrot is native to Australia and Papua New Guinea.
Adult male has bright green head and neck, with a slight scattering of blue feathers on rear head and neck. Mantle, upper back and scapulars are black. Lower back is deep blue, becoming paler towards rump and tail. Tail is green with paler tip. Wings are green with conspicuous bright red patch, and black outer webs of secondary coverts.
Underparts are bright green. Underwings are dark greyish with green lesser underwing coverts. Undertail is dark greyish with greenish tips.
Hooked bill is orange-red with yellow tip. Eyes are orange. Legs and feet are grey.
PROTECTION / THREATS / STATUS:
Red-winged Parrot is common throughout most of its range. Farmers shot them sometimes for damaging fruit crops.
Red-winged Parrot is protected by law, except in Queensland, and sometimes young are taken for pet trade.
Fr: Perruche érythroptère
All : Rotflügelsittich
Esp : Papagayo Alirrojo
Ital : Parrocchetto alirosse
Nd : Roodvleugelparkiet
Russe : Краснокрылый попугай
Photographs by Patrick Ingremeau
TAMANDUA
Text by Nicole Bouglouan
Sources :
HANDBOOK OF THE BIRDS OF THE WORLD vol 4 by Josep del Hoyo-Andrew Elliott-Jordi Sargatal - Lynx Edicions - ISBN: 8487334229
PARROTS OF THE WORLD – An Identification Guide – by Joseph M. Forshaw – Princeton University Press – ISBN 0691092516
Wikipedia (Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia)
Birds in backyards (Birds Australia and Australian Museum)
Female lacks black mantle. Lower back and rump are dull pale blue. Wings show less important red patch, forming two long crescents visible on open wings. Her green plumage is duller than in male. Bill is pale orange. Eyes are darker.
Juvenile resembles female. Young male reaches adult plumage at 2 years, and sexual maturity at 3 years. Young female reaches adult plumage at 18 months, and sexual maturity at one year.
One subspecies, Aprosmictus erythropterus coccineopterus, is slightly different with stronger blue tinge on rear head and neck, paler red wing patch, and slightly smaller in size. It lives in northern Australia and southern New Guinea.
VOICE: SOUNDS BY XENO-CANTO
Red-winged Parrot utters sharp “crillik-crillik…crillik-crillik” when in flight, or after alighting. Alarm call is a repeated, harsh “chik-chik-chik”. Birds utter soft, mellow chattering while feeding.
HABITAT:
Red-winged Parrot is common in open forest, woodlands, and wooded grasslands with Eucalypts. In northern parts of the range, it is found in coastal mangroves. It can also be seen in parks and gardens in urban areas.
RANGE:
Red-winged Parrot lives in northern and north eastern Australia, and southern New Guinea, up to 600 m of elevation.
BEHAVIOUR:
Red-winged Parrot is rather arboreal than King Parrot, and spends most of time in treetops, or foraging on outer branches. It comes down to the ground for drinking, and eating fallen seeds. This parrot can eat upside down on branches, and it picks seeds from Eucalypts and Acacias. While feeding, it utters soft chattering.
If disturbed, Red-winged Parrot screeches loudly and rises into the air.
Outside of breeding season, they gather in flocks of up to 15 to 20, and larger flocks may form when food resources are not available, or when birds move to another place.
During breeding season, male attracts female by taking short flights around her while it utters soft chattering. It lands close to her, dropping the wings and displaying its blue rump, while it walks slowly towards female.
Red-winged Parrot is nomadic at the edges of the range, with irregular movements, according to the weather and food resources. It is usually seen in pairs or family groups, and near water.
FLIGHT:
Red-winged Parrot has weaving flight with slight pauses in active flight. When it is high in the air, it descends suddenly, performing series of plunging drops and pauses. It is an artistic flyer.
REPRODUCTION:
Red-winged Parrot breeds in the warmest months of the year, and produces only one brood per season.
Nest is placed in hollow in tree, usually at about 10 m above the ground, and nest-site is close to water. They favour Eucalyptus trees for nesting. Nest is lined with wood shavings, and may be about 90cm deep.
Female lays 4 to 6 white eggs. Incubation lasts about 20 days, by female, sometimes fed by male. Altricial chicks are fed by both parents. Young leave the nest at about 5 weeks after hatching, but they remain in family groups.
DIET:
Red-winged Parrot feeds on Eucalyptus and Acacia seeds, mistletoe berries, fruits, flowers, nectar, insects and larvae.
