Three king parrots born and raised at Alexandra Park Zoo have made the move to their new home at Australia Zoo.
The juvenile parrots are the young of a breeding pair housed at Alexandra Park Zoo and will now continue their roles as ambassadors for the species at the Steve Irwin establishment on the Sunshine Coast.
Alexandra Park Zoo group supervisor Kate Beskeen said in zookeeping, animal welfare was addressed through the “five domain model” which included health and behaviour.
“By allowing the breeding pair at Alexandra Park Zoo to nest and raise their young, we are providing a welfare state that sees the animals complete all stages of life,” she said.
“This closely replicates how they would behave in the wild and in doing so, promotes more natural behaviours.”
Kate said now that the three juveniles were old enough to be weaned from their parents, the opportunity arose to transfer them to Australia Zoo for the purpose of conservation and education.
“This type of partnership occurs between all zoos, it is through such transfers that animals can be placed to best manage captive species,” she said.
“Zoos have captive breeding programs which encourages a network of information sharing and movement of individuals or groups of animals to maintain the highest possible genetic diversity within zoos.
“This information sharing improves knowledge of species within the captive community, aids research efforts and often links with both ex and in situ conservation efforts.”
About the Australian king parrot
King parrots are usually found in rainforests and eucalypt forests along the east coast and ranges of Australia and feature striking red and green feathers.
The males are the only Australian parrots with a completely red head while their female counterpart have a completely green head and breast area.
The king parrot forages in trees for seeds and fruit and will lay their eggs in hollow tree trunks near the ground.
Kate said the opportunity to learn about the species will be available to more people thanks to the partnership between Australia Zoo and Alexandra Park Zoo.
“Having this species represented at Australia Zoo increases the number of people that can learn about the king parrot and its natural environment,” she said.
“You can still find the Australian king parrot at Alexandra Park Zoo, just ask a keeper about them next time you visit.”
