DESCRIPTION: The Red Head Moluccan king parrot is a 35 to 40-cm length-only king parrot without a pale blaze across the wing and a slender long tail. Generally, sexes are alike with a redhead and chest, along outer wings are little light green.
The juveniles differ; dark brown irises greenish mantle, side tail feathers tipped with soft red, high-pitched kree, screeching chack-chack. The breeding seasons start in Feb and March and the incubation time is 20 days. Its population is decreasing due to parrot trading but remains stable in the few Islands. Normally birds reach maturity in one year.
Moluccan king parrot “Alisterus amboinensis” endemic to Peleng Island, Sula, and Moluccan Islands to western Papuan Islands, Indonesia, and western New Guinea; up to 1600 to 2000 meters, but more commonly below 1,100 meters. This is also known as Amboina king parrot, Island King Parrot, Ambon king parrot, Red Parakeet, Salawati King Parrot. But this is impending misleading, as it is found on many other islands than Ambon.
SUBSPECIES = There are four well-marked and two slightly differentiated subspecies.
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A. a. amboinensis head and underparts red; mantle to upper tail-coverts deep blue; wings green; tail blue-black, outer feathers edged pink; upper mandible orange, lower black. The juvenile is a green mantle and brownish bill. Range South Moluccas, except Buru.
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A. a. sulaensis green across the upper mantle; but no pink color in the tail. Its Range is in Sula Islands.
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A. a. versicolor like sulaensis, but mantle uniformly blue. Its Range is on Peleng Island.
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A. a. buruensis mantle is mostly green; the bill is black in both sexes. Range Buru, South Moluccas.
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A. a. hypophonius wings blue; no pink in the tail. Range Halmahera, North Moluccas.
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A. a. dorsalis like amboinensis, but with no pink color in the tail. Its Range is the western Papuan Islands and northwestern New Guinea.
SIMILAR SPECIES = The Tanygnathus parrots are not red in plumage, but have a different call. However, Lorius lories are a bit smaller with a short, squarish tail; and different calls.
LOCALITIES = The Halmahera, Manusela National Park, Seram, South Moluccas, and Kali Batu Putih, North Moluccas, Indonesia.
FEED = The wild Moluccan king parrot inhabits the rainforests and relies on different fruits, i.e., berries, seeds, and buds.
