Red-capped Parrot
A species of Red-capped Parrot Scientific name : Purpureicephalus spurius Genus : Red-capped Parrot
Red-capped Parrot, A species of Red-capped Parrot
Botanical name: Purpureicephalus spurius
Genus: Red-capped Parrot
Content
Description General Info
Photo By Splurben , used under CC-BY-SA-2.5 /Cropped and compressed from original
Description
The red-capped parrot has a long bill and bright, clear patterned plumage, variously described as magnificent, gaudy, or clownishly coloured. Measuring 34–38 cm (13.5–15 in) in length with a 42–48 cm (16.5–19 in) wingspan, and weighing 105–125 g (3.7–4.4 oz), the adult red-capped parrot is a distinctive and easily recognised medium-sized parrot. The adult male has a crimson forehead and crown, which extends from the gape or base of the lower mandible through the eye and grey-brown lores. Its hindneck and cheeks are green, and its ear coverts are more yellow-green. In March and April, the crown feathers and ear coverts of birds with new plumage can have fine black edging. The feathers of the head, back and underparts, have grey bases that are generally hidden. The upperparts, including the wings, are dark green, the rump yellow-green, and the tail is green with a dark blue tip. The underparts are purplish-blue, the flanks green and red, and the iris dark brown with a dark grey eye ring. The bill is pale blue-grey with a dark grey tip, its upper mandible elongated to a slender hook. The colouring of the female is similar to, though slightly duller than that of the male; the red of its plumage is not as intense and its red flanks are spotted with some green and yellow. Its breast is a more greyish shade of violet than purple. In flight, it has a whitish stripe visible on the underside of the wing. Female birds have white spots on seven or more underwing feathers, although a few of both sexes lack spots entirely. Birds with white spots on fewer than seven wing feathers can be either female or subadult male. The male has a slightly wider and flatter head, noticeable when birds are compared directly with each other, as well as longer wings and tail. Adult moulting takes place in the Southern Hemisphere summer and autumn. The red-capped parrot perches and walks with a distinctive upright posture. Juveniles have greenish plumage overall, before beginning their first moult around August. Their subsequent plumage much more closely resembles that of adult birds. The faintly seen markings of the adult pattern begin as a dark green crown, with a reddish frontal band, the grey-violet of the female breast, and red underparts mottled green. The bill is more orange, but turns the pale blue-grey of adult birds by two to five months of age. Juvenile birds with white spots on ten or fewer feathers on the wing undersurface are male, while those with more cannot be sexed. Male subadults often have residual white spots on their wing feathers. The rapidly repeated contact call has been transcribed as krukk-rak or crrr-uk, while the alarm call consists of a series of high-pitched loud notes. Male birds chatter loudly when agitated or marking their nest territory, but, unlike rosellas, not while feeding. Nestlings and fledglings up to two weeks post leaving the nest make a high-pitched two-syllable food begging call.
Size
36 cm
Nest Placement
Cavity
Feeding Habits
Red-capped Parrot primarily consumes marri seeds, extracting them with precision due to their specialized beak. They also feed on seeds from various eucalypts and other plants, as well as insects, showing a preference for feeding on the ground. This parrot employs its left foot and beak dexterously to pry seeds from capsules, and has adapted to eating orchard fruits and suburban garden produce.
Habitat
The red-capped Parrot thrives in southwestern eucalypt forests and woodlands, preferring marri-dominated areas. Their habitats range from coastal heathlands to urban landscapes including parklands and orchards. Adapted to both dense and open spaces, red-capped Parrot tends to remain within 100 km of the coastline but may wander in drier zones. Key eucalypt species like jarrah, tuart, and wandoo are essential to their environment.
Dite type
Herbivorous
General Info
Feeding Habits
Bird food type
Behavior
The parrots are found in pairs or small groups of 4 to 6 individuals, or occasionally in larger flocks of 20–30 birds. Rarely a flock of up to 100 birds may be encountered; these are generally composed of juveniles. Birds may associate with Australian ringneck parrots (Barnardius zonarius) or western rosellas (Platycercus icterotis). The red-capped parrot is shy, and often retreats to the upper canopy of trees if disturbed, which has made study of its breeding and social behaviour difficult. Hence many aspects of these are poorly known. The red-capped parrot is thought to be monogamous, pairs forming long-term bonds generally from around 20 months of age. Younger females have been recorded pairing with older males at 8 or 9 months old, but do not appear able to breed at this age. The male initiates courtship by following the female and making a contact call, as well as performing a courtship display. This involves it raising its crown feathers, ruffling its crown and rump feathers, lowering its wings to display its rump, and raising and flaring its tail feathers. The female often stoops low and gives out a food-begging call. These displays begin before a nest site is chosen and continue through the breeding season until around two weeks after the young have fledged.
Distribution Area
The red-capped parrot occurs in the Southwest Australia ecoregion in dense to open forest and woodland, and heathland in coastal regions. The distribution range is south from Moore River to the coast to Esperance. Records of the species extend inland from the southern coast, as far as Gingin and Mooliabeenee. Within its range, it is sedentary in areas of higher rainfall, and locally nomadic in dryer areas. The red-capped parrot mostly occurs within 100 km (60 mi) of the coastline, becoming sparser further inland. The usual habitat is eucalypt forest or woodlands, but its distribution is mostly associated with marri (Corymbia calophylla). This tree species provides a constant food source and has increased in range and population since the settlement of Europeans. The parrot can be found in vegetation dominated by other tree species such as jarrah (Eucalyptus marginata), tuart (E. gomphocephala), wandoo (E. wandoo), yate (E. cornuta), and peppermint (Agonis flexuosa). A seed-eating bird, it is encountered in farmland, orchards, and suburban landscapes in Perth. It also occurs around remnant stands of marri conserved as shade trees on farmland in the western Wheatbelt and Swan Coastal Plain. It can be adversely impacted by land clearing and removal of trees. The red-capped parrot uses large trees to roost in at night and retire to during the middle of the day. It generally avoids blue gum (Eucalyptus globulus) and pine plantations. The parrot is frequently observed at lake reserves in suburban areas on the Swan Coastal Plain, within sight of waders (Charadriiformes) occurring at freshwater to brackish wetlands. It is common at the Forrestdale and Thomsons Lakes Ramsar Site, Bibra Lake, and the Benger Swamp wetland, a region rich in avian species. It is also found at the Dryandra Woodland, another species-rich reserve with the stands of jarrah and marri over sheoak (Allocasuarina huegeliana) and dryandra (Banksia ser. Dryandra) that are known to be favoured. Red-cap parrot is commonly sighted at Two Peoples Bay Nature Reserve and along roadsides around the Stirling Range and Porongorups.
Species Status
Due to damage to orchard crops, these birds have been classified and shot as pests, although 1985 fieldwork in orchards around Balingup showed that the damage they inflicted was insignificant. Local government acts in the agricultural districts of Collie and West Arthur proclaimed them vermin in 1943. Despite this, its population is growing, possibly due to existing areas being degraded to a more favourable habitat. On account of this and its large range, it is considered to be a least-concern species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), though it has declined in the shires north of Perth as marri forests have vanished with urban development. Like most species of parrots, the red-capped parrot is protected by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) with its placement on the Appendix II list of vulnerable species, which makes the import, export, and trade of listed wild-caught animals illegal.
Photo By Splurben , used under CC-BY-SA-2.5 /Cropped and compressed from original
Scientific Classification
Phylum
Chordates Class
Birds Order
Parrots Family
Parrots Genus
Red-capped Parrot Species
Red-capped Parrot