Australian King-Parrot

Australian King-Parrot

Alisterus scapularis

Silhouette: Michael Scroggie · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR Endemic
Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
at Sydney

In 3 days ~40% in a week ~70%

3,089 Verified sightings at Sydney
10,133 In all 9 parks From 2019 to 2026
September Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Australian King-Parrot

The Australian king parrot (Alisterus scapularis) is a species of parrot endemic to eastern Australia ranging from Cooktown in Queensland to Port Campbell in Victoria. 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 and seeds gathered from trees or on the ground.

The Australian king parrot was first described by the German naturalist Martin Lichtenstein in 1816 as Psittacus scapularis. The species belongs to the genus Alisterus, whose three members are also known as king parrots. The species are sometimes allied to the genus Aprosmictus.

Two subspecies are recognised, which are differentiated by size: Naturally occurring hybrids with the red-winged parrot (Aprosmictus erythropterus) have been recorded from Bell in southeastern Queensland. "Australian king parrot" has been designated the official name by the International Ornithologists' Union (IOC).

Adults of both sexes are about 43 cm (17 in) in length, including the long... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Call0:04

Australia · 2026

© Faustino Hollmann · XC1176849 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Song0:59

Australia · 2023

© Romuald Mikusek · XC1166269 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Recording0:45

Australia · 2025

© Harvey L · XC981048 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Lamington National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
~80%
2 Blue Mountains National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
~50%
3 Springbrook National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
~40%
4 Royal National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
~40%
5 Booderee National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
~30%
6 Great Otway National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
~30%
7 Wilsons Promontory National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
~20%
8 Kosciuszko National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
~10%
9 Daintree National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Sydney 🇦🇺 Australia
~10%
2 Melbourne 🇦🇺 Australia
~10%
3 Brisbane 🇦🇺 Australia
~10%

Zoos & Centres Where Found

# Zoo / Centre Country
1 Australia Zoo 🇦🇺 Australia In captivity
2 Kyabram Fauna Park 🇦🇺 Australia In captivity
3 Hellabrunn Zoo 🇩🇪 Germany In captivity
4 Kyiv Zoo 🇺🇦 Ukraine In captivity
5 Dyrehaven i Nørreskoven 🇩🇰 Denmark In captivity
6 Healesville Sanctuary 🇦🇺 Australia In captivity
7 Taronga Zoo 🇦🇺 Australia In captivity
8 Singapore Zoo 🇸🇬 Singapore In captivity
9 Cleland Wildlife Park 🇦🇺 Australia In captivity
10 Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary 🇦🇺 Australia In captivity
11 Budapest Zoo & Botanical Garden 🇭🇺 Hungary In captivity
12 Auckland Zoo 🇳🇿 New Zealand In captivity
13 Bird Paradise 🇸🇬 Singapore In captivity
14 Rainforest Wild Asia 🇸🇬 Singapore In captivity
15 Moonlit Sanctuary Wildlife Conservation Park 🇦🇺 Australia In captivity
16 Loro Parque 🇪🇸 Spain In captivity
17 Monkeyland 🇿🇦 South Africa In captivity
18 Adelaide Zoo 🇦🇺 Australia In captivity
19 Tamworth Marsupial Park & Adventure Playground 🇦🇺 Australia In captivity
20 Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens 🇨🇳 China In captivity
21 Featherdale Sydney Wildlife Park 🇦🇺 Australia In captivity
22 Prospect Park Zoo 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
23 Bali Bird Park 🇮🇩 Indonesia In captivity
24 Birds of Eden 🇿🇦 South Africa In captivity
25 Ipswich Nature Centre 🇦🇺 Australia In captivity
26 Vogelpark Heiligenkirchen 🇩🇪 Germany In captivity
27 Brooklands Zoo 🇳🇿 New Zealand In captivity
28 Rainbow Jungle Birdpark (closed) 🇦🇺 Australia In captivity
29 Sea Life Sydney Aquarium 🇦🇺 Australia In captivity
30 Alexandra Park Zoo 🇦🇺 Australia In captivity
31 Flying High Bird Sanctuary 🇦🇺 Australia In captivity
32 Edward Youde Aviary 🇭🇰 Hong Kong SAR China In captivity
33 Wild Life Sydney 🇦🇺 Australia In captivity
34 National Aquarium 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
35 Birdworld Kuranda 🇦🇺 Australia In captivity
36 Bloedel Conservatory 🇨🇦 Canada In captivity
37 Kuranda Koala Gardens 🇦🇺 Australia In captivity
38 Aquaria KLCC 🇲🇾 Malaysia In captivity
39 Campbelltown Forest of Wild Birds 🇯🇵 Japan In captivity
40 Tierpark Schlichtweg 15 in München 🇩🇪 Germany In captivity
41 Zoo Schlichtweg 11 in München 🇩🇪 Germany In captivity
42 Zoo Siebenbrunner Straße 6 in München 🇩🇪 Germany In captivity

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing an Australian King-Parrot in Sydney?

With luck

About 10% of wildlife watchers report an Australian King-Parrot sighting in Sydney on a given day, based on 3,089 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 49th most-seen of the 243 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 70%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see an Australian King-Parrot in Sydney?

August to November

In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report an Australian King-Parrot in Sydney on a given day, against about 10% in December to July, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see an Australian King-Parrot?

Between 2 and 5 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Australian King-Parrot sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is Sydney the best place to see an Australian King-Parrot?

Yes

Of the 3 cities where we can rate Australian King-Parrot sightings, Sydney has the highest daily chance: about 10%. Next come Melbourne (Australia, about 10%) and Brisbane (Australia, about 10%).

Which relatives of the Australian King-Parrot live in Sydney?

Same family: Psittacidae

The closest relatives of the Australian King-Parrot that you can see in Sydney (family Psittacidae, New World and African Parrots) are Coconut Lorikeet (about 80%), Sulphur-crested Cockatoo (about 60%) and Little Corella (about 30%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Australian King-Parrot sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Australian King-Parrot is recorded against all the birds logged in Sydney (3,089 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.

← Back to Sydney