CreatureData

Red-capped parrot

Purpureicephalus spurius (Kuhl, 1820)

LCLeast Concernparrots

The red-capped parrot (Purpureicephalus spurius) is a species in the family Psittaculidae, order Psittaciformes. Recorded adults weigh 113.2 g to 117.3 g and live up to 15.3 years. Source checklists list it for 1 country: Australia. Its IUCN Red List status is Least Concern.

Red-capped parrot (Purpureicephalus spurius)
Photo: Splurben (Bradford G. Jones) · CC BY-SA 2.5 · Wikimedia Commons

Quick facts about the red-capped parrot

Weight
113.2 g – 117.3 gsrc for Weight
Length
Not recorded
Lifespan
15.3 yearssrc for Lifespan
Diet
Omnivoresrc for Diet
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
forestsrc for Habitat
Egg incubation
20 dayssrc for Egg incubation
Young per litter or clutch
5.15 – 5.3src for Young per litter or clutch
Age at maturity
11.9 months – 2 yearssrc for Age at maturity
Lifestyle
Perchingsrc for Lifestyle
Migration
Sedentarysrc for Migration
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
Countries on record
1 countrysrc for Countries on record

Where does the red-capped parrot live?

Countries where Catalogue of Life checklists list the species. Many checklists carry no country data, so the list is often incomplete. It is not a range map.

The red-capped parrot is listed for 1 country.

Australia
  • Listed
  • Not listed
small islands are not drawn at this scale

The same countries as a list

  1. Australia

Listed by: ITIS (scope: global), through the Catalogue of Life.

What is the red-capped parrot?

Quoted from WikipediaCC BY-SA 4.0

The red-capped parrot (Purpureicephalus spurius) is a species of broad-tailed parrot native to southwestern 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 (Psephotellus varius). 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 savannah 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. Although the red-capped parrot has been shot as a pest and has been affected by land clearing, the population is growing and the species is considered of least-concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). It has a reputation of being anxious and difficult to breed in captivity.

From the Wikipedia article “Red-capped parrot” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Red-capped_parrot&oldid=1380254144), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.

Is the red-capped parrot endangered?

The red-capped parrot is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.

  1. LCLeast Concern
  2. NTNear Threatened
  3. VUVulnerable
  4. ENEndangered
  5. CRCritically Endangered
  6. EWExtinct in the Wild
  7. EXExtinct

Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species.

How is the red-capped parrot classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classAves
  4. orderPsittaciformes
  5. familyPsittaculidae
  6. genusPurpureicephalus
  7. SpeciesPurpureicephalus spurius (Kuhl, 1820)

Synonyms Platycercus pileatus, Psittacus spurius

Other names and names in other languages (33)
  • ببغاء أحمر الرأسArabic
  • cotorra de casquet vermellCatalan
  • rosela červenočapkováCzech
  • papoušek červenotemennýCzech
  • parot corun cochWelsh
  • Rødisset ParakitDanish
  • RotkappensittichGerman
  • KappensittichGerman
  • purpurĉapa papagoEsperanto
  • Perico capeloSpanish
  • marripapagoiEstonian
  • sateenkaarikaijaFinnish
  • Perruche à tête pourpreFrench
  • Platycerque à tête pourpreFrench
  • crvenokapa papigaCroatian
  • vörössapkás papagájHungarian
  • Pappagallo capirossoItalian
  • ユーカリインコJapanese
  • raudonkepurė papūgaLithuanian
  • RoodkapparkietDutch
  • marriparakittNorwegian
  • pąsogłówkaPolish
  • periquito-cabeça-púrpuraPortuguese
  • periquito-de-barrete-vermelhoPortuguese
  • Красношапочный попугайRussian
  • červenohlávok pestrýSlovak
  • Crvenokapi papagajSerbian
  • purpurbröstad parakitSwedish
  • Çok Renkli PapağanTurkish
  • папуга червоноголовийUkrainian
  • папужець червоноголовийUkrainian
  • 紅帽鸚鵡Chinese
  • 红顶鹦鹉Chinese

Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistWikidataIUCN Red List

Relatives of the red-capped parrot

Other species in the same family Psittaculidae.

LC, Least Concern
Budgerigar (Melopsittacus undulatus)

Budgerigar

Melopsittacus undulatus

Psittaculidae

CompareRed-capped parrot vs BudgerigarRed-capped parrot vs Rose-ringed parakeetRed-capped parrot vs Rosy-faced lovebirdRed-capped parrot vs Alexandrine parakeet

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

How big is the red-capped parrot?

An adult red-capped parrot weighs 113.2 g – 117.3 g, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

Where does the red-capped parrot live?

Catalogue of Life checklists list the red-capped parrot for 1 country: Australia. Checklist coverage is uneven, so the true range may be wider.

Is the red-capped parrot endangered?

The red-capped parrot is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, meaning it is not currently at risk of extinction.

How long does the red-capped parrot live?

The red-capped parrot has a recorded lifespan of 15.3 years.

What kind of animal is the red-capped parrot?

The red-capped parrot (Purpureicephalus spurius) belongs to the family Psittaculidae in the order Psittaciformes.

Sources and how to cite this page

Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.

Embed a card for this animal on your own site

Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.

Preview the card

APA

CreatureData. (2026). Red-capped parrot (Purpureicephalus spurius). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/red-capped-parrot

MLA

“Red-capped parrot (Purpureicephalus spurius).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/red-capped-parrot.

BibTeX
@misc{red_capped_parrot_2026,
  title = {Red-capped parrot (Purpureicephalus spurius)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/red-capped-parrot},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}