Which Parrot species hangs upside down to eat? It is the Red-winged Parrot, a wildly colored, social bird who is often kept in captivity.

Red-winged Parrots in the wild live in groups of about 20, pairing up into mates or family groupings inside the flock. Sometimes, they associate with Pale-headed Rosellas and Mallee Ringneck Parrots and chatter quietly to each other while they feed. The primary diet of Red-winged Parrots is eucalyptus seeds, acacia seeds, and hopbush seeds, which they eat while hanging upside down! They also like mistletoe berries, fruits, flowers and insects. The only time Red-winged Parrots come to the ground is when they are drinking or retrieving fallen seeds. They are artistic flyers and can execute a number of quick aerial tricks! In captivity, Red-winged Parrots need lots of exercise and as big an aviary as you can provide. They will not usually bother birds in extremely large aviaries, but do tend to be cliquish and aggressive toward birds their own size. Red-winged Parrots need a large variety of perches in their aviaries, as they are mostly arboreal.

At maturity, Red-winged Parrots grow to about 27 inches with wing lengths of about eight inches each. Red-winged Parrots have a five to six inch tail, which is green and usually has a yellow or light green tip in males and a pink tip in females. Their plumage is predominantly green and males have very bright green heads and necks. The backs of their heads and necks have a scattering of blue feathers. Females are a bit duller in color. Male Red-winged Parrots have a very deep blue rump, and females have light blue lower backs and rumps. Males have a black mantle, which females lack, with bright red patches over the wings. The undersides of the wings are grayish with white-tipped feathers. The bills of Red-winged Parrots are generally orange with yellow tips and the feet are gray. Males have orange irises while females' irises are dark.

Red-winged Parrots are native to Australia and New Guinea's tropical and temperate forests. They also like farmland, mangrove stands and savannas. Although Red-winged Parrots are protected by law and listed under CITES index II, they are occasionally shot by farmers who believe they destroy fruit crops. They are also known as Crimson-winged Parrots, Blood-winged Parrots, or Red-winged Lories and were first noted by Gmelin in 1788.

The primary diet of Red-winged Parrots is eucalyptus seeds, acacia seeds, and hopbush seeds, which they eat while hanging upside down! They also like mistletoe berries, fruits, flowers and insects. Red-winged Parrots need lots of exercise and as big an aviary as you can provide. Red-winged Parrots do best in aviaries where they are alone in a breeding pair. They will thrive in one and a half-meter by four-meter aviaries, which are as tall as possible. Red-winged Parrots may be kept with other large parrots as long as the aviary is extremely big. A Yellow or Cinnamon color mutation is available.

Red-winged females reach sexual maturity at about a year of age, and males at three years. In the wild, Red-winged Parrots breed in the warmest months of the year. They build nests in eucalyptus trees about 35 feet off the ground and line them with wood shavings. The nests are about three feet deep! To court a female, the male chatters softly to her while circling her in flight. On the ground, he flashes his blue rump at her as he approaches. The clutch consists of about six eggs and the female incubates them. The male Red-winged Parrot does assist her in raising and feeding the young and the mother. At about five weeks, the young leave the nest but remain with their parents in a family group. In captivity, give your Red-winged Parrots a log or deep nesting box with a ladder inside. The internal diameter should be about 25 centimeters. The pair will lay three to five eggs and incubate them for about 20 days. Red-winged Parrots fledge at about 37 days and immature birds have the same coloring as females. Red-winged Parrots have been crossed with King Parrots, Princess Parrots, Superb Parrots, Regent Parrots and Sula Island King Parrots. The average lifespan of the Red Winged Parrot ranges between 30 to 50 years in captivity.