BLACK-HEADED PARROT

The 'Black-headed Parrot' ('''Pionites melanocephalus'''), 'Black-headed Caique', 'Black-capped Parrot' or 'Pallid Parrot' is one of the two species of parrot in the genus Caique (''Pionites''), of the Psittacidae family, the other species being the White-bellied Parrot.
It is found in Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical swamps. It has a black crown, yellow to orange head, white to yellowish belly, yellow feathers on legs and underside of tail, green back and wings, bluish primaries, greyish bill, and black feet.
It is most often found in pairs or small flocks of 10 or so, sometimes up to 30. They live in both forest and savannah, and are partial to forest edges. In the wild, they eat mostly flowers, pulp, and seeds and possibly insects.
Male and female birds look identical.

Contents

Subspecies

Aviculture

Source

Subspecies

There are two subspecies of the Black-headed Parrot, with birds between them intermediate in color:

★ ''P. m. melanocephala'': East and South of range. Orange legs and undertail, nape deep orange, belly white.

★ ''P. m. pallidus'': West and north of range. Yellow legs and undertail, nape paler, belly yellowish.

Aviculture

Black-headed Parrots are popular in aviculture.
The only ways to determine gender of an individual Caique are surgical sexing and DNA sexing. DNA sexing is safer for the bird than surgical sexing.

Source

★ BirdLife International 2004. Pionites melanocephalus. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Downloaded on 24 July 2007.