page_title: Red-capped parrot
section_title: Description
hierarchical_section_title: Red-capped parrot / Description
caption_attribution_description: Red-capped Parrot Purpureicephalus spurius, perched high in the Eucalyptus trees. Blackadder Wetland, Swan River, Woodbridge, Western Australia. Most likely a female due to the green spotting of the red rear underparts.
context_page_description: The red-capped parrot is a species of broad-tailed parrot native to southwest Western Australia. It was described by Heinrich Kuhl in 1820, with no subspecies recognised. It has long been classified in its own genus owing to its distinctive elongated beak, though genetic analysis shows that it lies within the lineage of the Psephotellus parrots and that its closest relative is the mulga parrot. Not easily confused with other parrot species, it has a bright crimson crown, green-yellow cheeks, and a distinctive long bill. The wings, back, and long tail are dark green, and the underparts are purple-blue. The adult female is very similar though sometimes slightly duller than the male; her key distinguishing feature is a white stripe on the wing under-surface. Juveniles are predominantly green.
  Found in woodland and open savanna country, the red-capped parrot is predominantly herbivorous, consuming seeds, particularly of eucalypts, as well as flowers and berries, but insects are occasionally eaten. Nesting takes place in tree hollows, generally of older large trees.
context_section_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.
caption: Adult female, showing green spotting of red flanks
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