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THE PARROT SPECIES FIELD GUIDE · Psittaculidae

Moluccan King Parrot

Alisterus amboinensis

Meet the moluccan king parrot: its taxonomic place, natural range and conservation record.

Moluccan King Parrot — Alisterus amboinensis
Moluccan King Parrot
SPECIES NOTES

A closer look.

Scientific names follow AviList v2025b. Read the taxonomy and source notes for changes in classification.

About this species

The Moluccan king parrot (Alisterus amboinensis) is a parrot endemic to Peleng Island, Maluku, and West Papua in Indonesia. It is sometimes referred to as the Ambon king parrot or Amboina king parrot, but this is potentially misleading, as it is found on numerous other islands than Ambon. The male and female are similar in appearance, with a predominantly red head and underparts, green wings (blue in one subspecies), and blue back and tail. Six subspecies are recognised, but only a few of these are regular in aviculture. In the wild, it inhabits rainforests and feeds on fruits, berries, seeds and buds.

Conservation record

AviList v2025b records this species as least concern. Assessments and taxonomy can change; follow the source checklist for updates.

Sources & image credit

Names, family, range and conservation record: AviList Core Team (2026), AviList v2025b, CC BY 4.0. Species summary: Wikipedia contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0. Length, weight and longevity when listed: World Parrot Trust species account.

Image: Alisterus_amboinensis_-Brevard_Zoo-8b.jpg : Scott Hamlin derivative work: Snowmanradio ( talk ). Original file and full credit · CC BY-SA 2.0. Display size and encoding adjusted.