Black-headed Parrot

Pionites melanocephalus

The Black-headed Parrot (Pionites melanocephalus) measures of 21 to 23 cm.. height.

Unmistakable by crown black, chest and belly white, the latter with yellow sides (very visible on the fly). Breast bright yellow, nape orange acanelada, back and rump green. Tip pens of wings They are blue and dark go the closer they get to the body.

Legs and bill dark gray.

The youth They have bluish green spots on the nape, with chest and belly yellowish.

There is no sexual dimorphism in this species. The identification of genus must be performed by DNA testing or a surgical probe.

• Sound of the Black-headed Parrot.

• Pionites melanocephalus melanocephalus

  (Linnaeus,1758) – The subspecies nominal.




• Pionites melanocephalus pallidus

  (Berlepsch, 1890) – It has bright yellow in the throat, the thighs and tail.

It inhabits humid jungles, semi-wet, swampy, gallery woods, stubble and crop to the 1000 m. Walks in small flocks between 3 to 10 individuals, feed in the canopy, very rare in stratum low forest.

Its laying is of 2 to 4 eggs and the breeding season It is from December to February in French Guiana, april in Venezuela, April to May Colombia, October to November Suriname.

Feeds of seeds several species of plants cellulose, plants, flowers and leaves. There is also evidence of some insects in your diet.

She can be seen in the wild along the Amazonia, from the North of the Amazon River, bordering south to northeastern Peru, also in the Guyanas.

• Pionites melanocephalus melanocephalus

  (Linnaeus,1758) – The subspecies nominal.




• Pionites melanocephalus pallidus

  (Berlepsch, 1890) – South of Colombia to the East of Ecuador and northeast of Peru.

State of conservation ⓘ
Minor Concern ⓘ (UICN)ⓘ

Although not in danger of extinction Its population has declined significantly. The illegal marketing is the main theory against its appearance and adaptation in an environment foreign to its natural environment. Poaching of pigeons and felling of trees are common in the south of the country.

Popular poultry farming. They adapt easily to the bird or Aviary cages. You need a degree quite high commitment and attention by the owner. The like to interact with other birds and people. The love to play with toys and can be quite noisy. An interesting feature of the Black-headed Parrot It is their habit of rolling on his back and play with toys help of their paws.
He manages to replace their jungle habitats in parks or green areas of large cities.
Its price is quite high compared to other species due to its striking plumage and friendliness..

– Black headed Parrot, Black-crowned Parrot, Black-headed Caique, Black-headed Parrot(English)
– Cotorra pechiblanca, Loro cacique o Loro mocho (Colombia)
– Perico calzoncito (Venezuela)
– Loro coroninegro (Ecuador)
– Chirricles cabeza negra (Peru)
– Grünzügelpapagei, Grünzügel-Papagei (Germany)
– Lorito Chirlecrés, Lorito Chirlicrés, Lorito Gordo de Cabeza Negra (Spain)
– Caïque à tête noire, Caïque maïpouri (France)
– cabeça-preta, maipuré, marianinha-da-cabeça-preta, Marianinha-de-cabeça-preta (Brazil)

• Order: Psittaciformes
• Family: Psittacidae
• Genus: Pionites
• Scientific name: Pionites melanocephalus
• Citation: (Linnaeus, 1758)
• Protonimo: Psittacus melanocephalus

Black-headed Parrot (Pionites melanocephalus)

Sources:

• Avibase
• Parrots of the World – Forshaw Joseph M
• Parrots A Guide to the Parrots of the World – Tony Juniper & Mike Parr
• Parrots, Parrots and macaws Neotropical
• Baywood

• caiqueparrots

• Photos: Natural history of parrots /.A Paris :chez Levrault … ;an IX (1801)-an XIII (1805).. biodiversitylibrary.org/page/40064546

• Sounds: controles-canto.org – Patrick INGREMEAU