The black-headed parrot (''Pionites melanocephalus'' ; sometimes incorrectly ''Pionites melanocephala''), also known as the black-headed caique, black-capped parrot or pallid parrot (for ''P. m. pallidus''), is one of the four species in the genus ''
Pionites
Caique ( or ) refers to a group of four species of parrots in the genus ''Pionites'' endemic to the Amazon Basin in South America. Name
The term "caique" is primarily used in aviculture, with ornithologists typically referring to them as the ...
'' of the family
Psittacidae
The family Psittacidae or holotropical parrots is one of three families of true parrots. It comprises the roughly 10 species of subfamily Psittacinae (the Old World or Afrotropical parrots) and 157 of subfamily Arinae (the New World or Neotropic ...
; the other species being ''Pionites leucogaster'' (
green-thighed parrot
The green-thighed parrot (''Pionites leucogaster''), also known as the eastern white-bellied parrot, is a species of parrot in the family Psittacidae. The species was previously known as the white-bellied parrot (or white-bellied caique in avicul ...
), ''Pionites xanthomerius'' (
black-legged parrot
The black-legged parrot (''Pionites xanthomerius''), also known as the western white-bellied parrot, is a parrot species of the genus ''Pionites'' in the family Psittacidae. The species is native to eastern Peru, western Brazil, and northern Bol ...
), and ''Pionites xanthurus'' (
yellow-tailed parrot
The yellow-tailed parrot (''Pionites xanthurus''), also known as the central white-bellied parrot, is one of the four species in the genus ''Pionites'' of the family Psittacidae. ''Pionites leucogaster'' (green-thighed parrot
The green-thighe ...
).
[del Hoyo, J., Collar, N. & Kirwan, G.M. (2014). Black-legged Parrot (Pionites xanthomerius). In: del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., Sargatal, J., Christie, D.A. & de Juana, E. (eds.) (2014). Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. (retrieved from http://www.hbw.com/node/467506 on 3 January 2015)]
It is found in forest (especially, but not exclusively, humid) and nearby wooded habitats in the
Amazon
Amazon most often refers to:
* Amazons, a tribe of female warriors in Greek mythology
* Amazon rainforest, a rainforest covering most of the Amazon basin
* Amazon River, in South America
* Amazon (company), an American multinational technology c ...
north of the
Amazon River
The Amazon River (, ; es, Río Amazonas, pt, Rio Amazonas) in South America is the largest river by discharge volume of water in the world, and the disputed longest river system in the world in comparison to the Nile.
The headwaters of t ...
and west of the
Ucayali River
The Ucayali River ( es, Río Ucayali, ) is the main headstream of the Amazon River. It rises about north of Lake Titicaca, in the Arequipa region of Peru and becomes the Amazon at the confluence of the Marañón close to Nauta city. The city of ...
in
Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
, northern
Bolivia
, image_flag = Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg
, flag_alt = Horizontal tricolor (red, yellow, and green from top to bottom) with the coat of arms of Bolivia in the center
, flag_alt2 = 7 × 7 square p ...
,
Colombia
Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...
,
Ecuador
Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechua: ''Ikwadur Ripuwlika''; Shuar: ''Eku ...
,
French Guiana
French Guiana ( or ; french: link=no, Guyane ; gcr, label=French Guianese Creole, Lagwiyann ) is an overseas departments and regions of France, overseas department/region and single territorial collectivity of France on the northern Atlantic ...
,
Guyana
Guyana ( or ), officially the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, is a country on the northern mainland of South America. Guyana is an indigenous word which means "Land of Many Waters". The capital city is Georgetown. Guyana is bordered by the ...
,
Peru
, image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg
, image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg
, other_symbol = Great Seal of the State
, other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal
, national_motto = "Fi ...
,
Suriname
Suriname (; srn, Sranankondre or ), officially the Republic of Suriname ( nl, Republiek Suriname , srn, Ripolik fu Sranan), is a country on the northeastern Atlantic coast of South America. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north ...
, and
Venezuela
Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...
. It is generally fairly common and occurs in many protected areas throughout its range.
It is most often found in pairs or small noisy flocks of up to ten individuals, but sometimes up to 30. In the wild, they eat mostly flowers, pulp, and seeds and possibly insects.
Description
The black-headed parrot is a medium-small, short-tailed parrot with a black crown, yellow to orange head, whitish belly, yellow thighs and crissum (the area around the
cloaca
In animal anatomy, a cloaca ( ), plural cloacae ( or ), is the posterior orifice that serves as the only opening for the digestive, reproductive, and urinary tracts (if present) of many vertebrate animals. All amphibians, reptiles and birds, a ...
), green back, wings and upper tail, blue primaries (blackish from below), and greyish-black bill and feet. The white breast feathers of wild caiques are often stained a chestnut brown (or 'isobel') colour. This may be
tannin
Tannins (or tannoids) are a class of astringent, polyphenolic biomolecules that bind to and precipitate proteins and various other organic compounds including amino acids and alkaloids.
The term ''tannin'' (from Anglo-Norman ''tanner'', ...
staining, as result of their particular affinity for bathing by rubbing their bodies against wet leaves and other plant matter.
Male and female birds have identical plumage.
Subspecies
There are two
subspecies
In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all species ...
of the black-headed parrot. They
hybridize
Hybridization (or hybridisation) may refer to:
*Hybridization (biology), the process of combining different varieties of organisms to create a hybrid
*Orbital hybridization, in chemistry, the mixing of atomic orbitals into new hybrid orbitals
*Nu ...
freely and individuals showing some level of intermediacy in color are common:
* ''P. m. melanocephalus'': Eastern part of its range. Orange thighs and crissum, nape deep orange, and belly white.
* ''P. m. pallidus'': Western part of its range. Yellow thighs and crissum, nape relatively pale, and belly tinged yellowish (often barely visible; belly normally appears "dirty white" in the wild).
Juveniles of both subspecies are strongly tinged yellow below.
Aviculture
![Black-headed Caique adult pets in cage](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e0/Black-headed_Caique_adult_pets_in_cage.JPG)
Black-headed parrots are popular in
aviculture
Aviculture is the practice of keeping and breeding birds, especially of wild birds in captivity.
Types
There are various reasons that people get involved in aviculture. Some people breed birds to preserve a species. Some people breed parrots a ...
.
The only ways to determine gender of an individual black-headed parrot are surgical sexing and
DNA sexing. DNA sexing is safer for the bird than surgical sexing.
Black-headed parrots are playful and energetic pets. They need a large cage with many toys and perches (they tend to hop more than fly). Cage minimum should be 24" L X 24" W X 36" H, though the larger the better. Maximum bar spacing is 1".
The black-headed parrot can have a tendency to bite, so owners may need to set boundaries early on. However, potential owners should prepare for a bird that uses its beak more often than other parrot species.
Some Black-headed parrots will poorly mimic human speech. However, they more commonly mimic other surrounding sounds, such as alarm clocks, smoke detectors, microwave-oven beeps, laughs, car alarms, and whistles. In addition, caiques will combine sounds they have picked up to make new ones.
References
* Collar, N. (1997). ''Pionites melanocephala'' (Black-capped Parrot). pp. 457 in: del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., & Sargatal, J. eds (1997). ''Handbook of the Birds of the World.'' Vol. 4. Sangrouse to Cuckoos. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona.
* Parr, M., & Juniper, T. (1998). ''A Guide to the Parrots of the World''. Pica Press, East Sussex.
* Restall, R., Rodner, C., & Lentino, M. (2006). ''Birds of Northern South America''. Vol. 1 & 2. Helm, London. (vol. 1); (vol. 2)
* Ridgely, R., & Greenfield, P. (2001). ''The Birds of Ecuador - Field Guide''. Cornell University Press.
* Schulenberg, T., Stotz, D. Lane, D., O'Neill, J, & Parker, T. (2007). ''Birds of Peru''. Helm, London.
* Sigrist, T. (2006). ''Aves do Brasil - Uma Visão Artistica''.
External links
World Parrot TrustParrot Encyclopedia - Species Profile
{{Taxonbar, from=Q922245
Pionites
Parrots of South America
Birds of Peru
Birds of Ecuador
Birds of Colombia
Birds of Venezuela
Birds of the Guianas
Birds of Brazil
Birds of Bolivia
Birds described in 1758
Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus
Taxonomy articles created by Polbot