Long-winged parrots
| Long-winged parrots | ||||||||
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Rueppell 's Parrot ( P. rueppellii ) |
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| Poicephalus | ||||||||
| Swainson , 1834 |
The long-winged parrots ( Poicephalus ) are a genus of birds from the family of real parrots (Psittacidae). Ten species are assigned to the genus, which are predominantly considered to be habitat and food generalists. It acts with them to Altweltpapageien, which together with the lovebirds and in Madagascar endemic occurring Vasa Parrots typical parrot species of tiergeografischen region Afrotropical are. The parrots of this genus, about the size of a starling to dove, are characterized by a medium-length tail plumage, so that the wing tips almost reach the tip of the tail feathers.
Long-winged parrots have been kept as pets for centuries. The best-known representative among them is the black-headed parrot . Black-headed parrots were probably imported to Europe as pets at the beginning of the 19th century. For a long time they had the reputation of being well suited for keeping as pet birds, as they would be particularly tame. Still count Mohrenkopf parrots after Gray Parrot to that established most African Großpapageienart.
Appearance
Long-winged parrots are medium-sized parrots with a stocky build. The smallest species is the golden-winged parrot . Adult golden buffalo parrots have a body length of 22 centimeters and a weight of about 120 grams. The largest species is the Cape Parrot , which grows as large as a Gray Parrot. Cape parrots reach a body length of up to 32 centimeters. Adult males of this species weigh up to 400 grams.
The head of the long-winged parrot looks massive and the beak massive. The color of the beak varies depending on the species. In some species, such as the brown-headed parrot and the Niam-Niam parrot , the upper bill is gray, while the lower bill is white-gray. Other species have a uniformly dark gray beak or a beak that is horn-colored up to the middle and only turns gray towards the tip of the beak.
Compared to the rest of the body, the Cape Parrot has a particularly strong beak, which mainly feeds on the hard-shelled fruits of the Podocarpus trees. As proof of the power of the Cape parrots, the British parrot expert Rosemary Low points out that this species is the only long-winged parrot that is able to crack open a walnut with its beak . Apart from the macaws , very few other parrot species have this ability.
The tail plumage of the long-winged parrot is of medium length and ends in a straight line. The wing tips reach almost to the end of the tail plumage, which gives the optical impression that the wings are particularly long.
The plumage of the individual species is inconsistent. In most species, green dominates as the basic color of the body plumage. The head plumage is often clearly separated from the rest of the body plumage. In the case of the black-headed parrot and the brown-headed parrot, for example, it is blackish to dark brown, while the gray-headed parrot and Cape parrot are gray-brown to silver-gray. In the Congo parrot, the color transition between the head and body plumage is more fluid than in these four species. In this species, only the ear region is slate gray and the forehead and crown are red. Unlike the other species, the males of the Rüppell parrot have brown plumage with a silver-gray coating on the apex and ear covers. Only on the upper side does the plumage show a slight greenish tinge. In female Rüppell parrots, on the other hand, the lower back as well as the rump and the upper tail-coverts are bright blue. The lower abdominal region and the anal region are dull blue in color.
In some species, such as black-headed, brown-headed and golden-winged parrots, the plumage cannot be used to determine the sex. Other species such as the Rüppell parrot and the red-bellied parrot , on the other hand, have a sex-specific coloration. Red-bellied parrots show the most pronounced sexual dimorphism among the long-winged parrots. While the males have a conspicuously red to strong red-orange plumage on the breast, abdomen and under wing-coverts, these are gray-brown in the females.
Distribution area
The natural range of the long-winged parrots in Africa extends from the coastal region of the Red Sea and the Gulf of Eden in the north to the Drakensberg in South Africa and the northern border of the Kalahari and the Namib Desert in south and southwest Africa.
Long-winged parrots can be found in all tropical habitats in Africa with the exception of the Afro-Alpine high mountain regions, as well as in the subtropical flora regions of the Kalahari-Highveld transition area and the Afromontane zone . The Sahel zone and the two deserts, Namib and Kalahari, each represent natural limits of distribution, since they do not offer suitable habitats for long-winged parrots. In south-east Africa, however, the increasing deforestation of forest areas is limiting the possible habitat of long-winged parrots. The Cape Parrot , which is considered to be the most threatened African large parrot species and whose distribution extends farthest south, has only a disjoint distribution in a region that extends from the Eastern Cape Province to KwaZulu-Natal .
Only very few of the islands off the African coast are colonized by long-winged parrots. Brown-headed parrots live on the island of Pemba off the East African coast, and black-headed parrots are also found on the Îles de Los off the coast of Guinea . Long-winged parrots are now extinct on Zanzibar .
The distribution areas of the individual species of the long-winged parrot usually do not overlap. In the event of extreme food shortages, as can occur after long periods of drought of several years, long-winged parrots occasionally migrate to other regions that offer more abundant feeding grounds. In these cases it happens that more than one species occurs in a region. Other parrot species that occur long wing parrots in parts of the range are Gray Parrot , Rose-ringed Parakeet and the lovebirds counting orange , green , rose , soot , peach , black and Lovebird and the black-winged lovebird .
habitat
Most species of long-winged parrots are considered adaptable habitat generalists. The exception is the Cape Parrot, which is less flexible in its habitat requirements due to its food specialization and is dependent on stone forests. The habitat of the other long-winged parrots includes lowland rainforests, mangrove areas, wet and dry forests in various vegetation zones, tree savannahs, as well as tree savannahs and grass savannahs.
The species that inhabit a particularly large spectrum of different habitats include the Reichenow's gray-headed parrot and the golden- headed parrot . The habitat of the Reichenow's gray-headed parrot extends from tree-lined lowland savannahs to permanently moist high mountain rainforests at altitudes of up to 4,000 meters. The golden-winged parrot also inhabits wet forests of various vegetation zones, shrub and grass savannahs.
Long-winged parrots can be sporadically observed on agricultural areas during the ripening period of fruit and grain.
Way of life
Although they are not closely related to the South and Central American Amazon parrots, long-winged parrots occupy similar ecological niches as these and display a number of similar behavioral characteristics.
Long-winged parrots live predominantly in small family groups, which consist of the parent birds and the young birds, and occasionally join together with other family groups to form loose associations. In places where there is an abundant supply of food, their swarms can contain more than 100 individuals. They are generally shy birds that occasionally invade ripe millet and maize fields and orchards on the outskirts of villages and towns, but they have a great distance to escape from humans.
Long-winged parrots spend the night in the canopy of trees. These sleeping trees are predominantly regularly used overnight places. At dawn they first clean their plumage and then set off to their feeding grounds. The departure is usually preceded by loud calls. Depending on the food supply, they can travel considerable distances on their flights to feeding grounds. For the gray-headed parrot , foraging flights of up to 80 kilometers are occupied. In sub-populations of the Congo parrot it has been observed that they spend the night at higher altitudes and seek out valleys up to 300 meters in altitude to forage.
After the morning feeding phase, the long-winged parrots look for the crowns of trees not far from their feeding place and stay there until late afternoon. The rest and sleep phases are interrupted by phases in which the birds devote themselves intensively to caring for their plumage. In the late afternoon the birds go to the feeding grounds again and then return to their overnight accommodation.
food
Most of the long-winged parrots are considered food generalists . They eat the seeds , fruits and leaves of a number of different tree and shrub species . Even nectar-rich flowers and false fruits are used as food. Occasionally long-winged parrots also eat insects , but this only represents a small proportion of the total food intake. The moisture content of their food is too low to meet the water needs of the long-winged parrots. They are therefore dependent on their habitat having open water points.
The Cape Parrot is an exception among the long-winged parrots, as it specializes in a few food plants. It mainly eats the seeds of the stone slices ( Podocarpus ) and, to a lesser extent, those of the African hackberry tree . This high dependence on a few food crops is the reason why this species is threatened with extinction.
Some of the long-winged parrot species such as the black-headed parrot and the golden-winged parrot have adapted to a scarce or seasonally fluctuating food supply by nomadizing outside of the breeding season and migrating to other regions after the food supply has run out.
Reproduction
Long-winged parrots do not reproduce until they are three years old at the earliest. Branch and tree trunk hollows of large trees are used as breeding grounds. The African monkey and the carob tree are among the tree species that are particularly popular with long-winged parrots. Cape parrots prefer stone slices and red-bellied parrots also breed in holes in termite burrows .
The clutch usually consists of two to four eggs, which are laid one to four days apart. The eggs are only incubated by the females. The incubation period is about 26 to 28 days. The males provide the females with food during breeding and in the first few days after the hatchlings and generally stay near the breeding cavity. Information on the hatching weights of young birds is only available from offspring in human care. According to this, the young birds weigh about five (golden-winged parrot) to six (brown-headed parrot) grams at this point in time. As soon as the female no longer breeds the young birds , the male also takes part directly in feeding the nestlings.
Very little is known about the length of time the young birds remain in the nest in long-winged parrots living in the wild. More detailed observations are available for the Cape Parrot and the Gray-headed Parrot. In the Cape Parrot, the young birds stay in the nest for up to 79 days. In the gray-headed parrot, the young birds left the nest cavity on the 69th day of life. For the black-headed parrots and the brown-headed parrots, reliable information is available on the nestling time from offspring in human care. The nestling time of the black-headed parrot varies between nine and eleven weeks. In the brown-headed parrot, juveniles left the breeding cave when they were twelve weeks old. The young birds were fed by the male until they were fifteen weeks old.
Predators, parasites and typical diseases
Brooding females and nestlings are exposed to considerable pressure from predators . Among the nest robbers who prey on mainly eggs and young birds, including the African egg-eaters , the African tree snakes , monitor lizards like the steppe and the Nile monitor , baboons and civets as the Red Mongoose . Snake caterpillars rob the nest holes by clinging to the edge of the nest hole with one foot and grabbing the young birds in the nest hole with the other foot.
Long-winged parrots also belong to the prey spectrum of eagles , hawks , sparrows and falcons and are caught by them in flight.
Mites and feather lice are ectoparasites that colonize the feathers and skin of long-winged parrots. The endoparasites that attack long-winged parrots include coccidia , roundworms , hairworms and tapeworms . Little is known about typical diseases of wild long-winged parrots. In investigations on Cape parrots and Rüppell's parrots, however, it has been found that some of the parrots carry the Psittacine Beak and Feather Disease (PBFD) virus . This disease is incurable and often fatal. In some of the birds that are infected with the virus, the disease does not break out. However, they are disease carriers.
Stock situation
Stock figures
The population of long-winged parrots is very uneven and ranges from not endangered to severely threatened. More detailed field studies on long-winged parrots have so far only been carried out in the Republic of South Africa and Namibia . Accordingly, the most reliable population figures are available for the species or subspecies occurring in this area. For the other species, the population information is often outdated, contradicting or not available at all.
Red-bellied and black-headed parrots are considered species that are still common. In other species, the species as such is not threatened, but the status of subspecies is critical. This applies, for example, to the Congo parrot , whose subspecies Poicephalus gulielmi fantiensis , which occurs in West Africa , is classified as threatened after extensive deforestation and capture for export.
However, stock figures reliably determined missing for the territory of Chad and the Central African Republic occurring Niam-Niam Parrot and in the central highlands of Ethiopia living yellow-fronted parrot . However, the status of the yellow-headed parrot is probably critical, as extensive deforestation has occurred in its habitat. The information on the brown-headed parrot and Rüppels parrot are contradictory. Individual studies indicate that at least in large parts of their range, these two species have become very rare. Other studies come to the conclusion that the populations have declined but have not yet reached critical levels.
One of the long-winged parrot species for which reliable figures are available is the Cape Parrot, which mainly lives on the seeds of the stone slices and is considered the most threatened species of this genus. After the areas covered with stone slices have decreased significantly as a result of deforestation, this species is threatened with extinction. In 2004 only 1024 individuals of this species were counted.
Causes of the decline in stocks
The reason for the decline in the populations of long-winged parrots is, on the one hand, increasing habitat destruction and the, in some cases, still legal catch of these parrots for export.
The decline in suitable habitats for long-winged parrots is mainly due to the ongoing deforestation in Africa. The rain, wet and dry forests of Africa are used intensively for logging, similar to the primeval forests of Asia and South America. In addition, the increase in population in many African countries is causing forests to be converted into agricultural land. The degree of deforestation varies from country to country; the decline in forest areas is estimated at 20% to 80% over the past 50 years. Where there is reforestation, mainly monocultures are created. Remaining forest stocks are regularly so small that animal populations become isolated, which makes the long-term survival of a species in this region unlikely.
The Cape Parrot is a characteristic example of such a development. Extensive deforestation of the stone beech forests and their reforestation with non-African eucalyptus and conifer species have brought this species to the brink of extinction. Today it only occurs in those forest areas that did not fall victim to deforestation because of their inaccessibility.
The inadequate and in some cases outdated knowledge of the actual population numbers of the individual long-winged parrot species mean that some species of long-winged parrot still fall under Appendix C of the CITES agreements, which allows states to issue export licenses for certain species. Trading permits are also issued for long-winged parrots that do not occur in the exporting countries or have meanwhile become extinct there. This applies, for example, to Guinea , which in 2004 was allowed to export 700 specimens of a subspecies of the Congo parrot that did not occur there. Cameroon , Liberia , Togo , Senegal and Mali exported the western gray-headed parrot ( Poicephalus fuscicollis fuscicollis ), although this subspecies was long extinct there. Even for non-threatened species, the current CITES regulations do not represent the intended protection: For example, 250,000 black-headed parrots were exported from Senegal between 1997 and 2004. At the same time, extensive deforestation led to a major change in the habitat for this parrot species. The ornithologists Dieter Hoppe and Peter Welcke therefore doubt that the population of the black-headed parrot there is still unchanged and stable, in spite of Senegalese statements to the contrary.
Protective measures
For some species of long-winged parrots, the African national parks and protected areas offer retreats that can ensure the continued existence of the species. Even though these national parks were established mainly to protect the more popular large game of Africa, they also protect the habitats of some of the species of long-winged parrot. National parks where long-winged parrots can be observed include the two Tsavo National Parks , the Maasai Mara , Serengeti and Etosha National Parks, as well as the Waterberg Reserve and Kruger National Park . In the Republic of South Africa , efforts are also being made to conserve the remaining stone beef forests and to ensure the continued existence of the Cape parrots.
Systematics
Long-winged parrots are divided into two subgenera. The subgenus Eupsittacus includes Cape parrot, gray-headed parrot, Congo parrot, and yellow-headed parrot. The subgenus Poicephalus includes the black-headed parrot, the red-bellied parrot, the golden-winged parrot, the brown-headed parrot, the Rüppell parrot and currently the Niam-Niam parrot. According to current DNA studies, the ancestors of the Poicephalus species split off from those of the African gray parrot and the lovebirds very early on . The split into the two sub-genres occurred in the same time window.
The following cladogram shows the genus Poicephalus with their respective degrees of relationship based on the current state of knowledge. The Niam-Niam parrot ( Poicephalus crassus ) is not listed in the cladogram because its species status is controversial. It is possible, however, that one of the subspecies of the gray-headed parrot will be granted species status in the future.
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Long-winged parrots in human care
Like all parrots, long-winged parrots are demanding pets. As social animals that learn a large part of their behavior from their conspecifics, they should never be kept alone. Your attitude must take into account that in the wild, these species are fast, agile fliers who travel long distances in search of food. Parrots also often react with respiratory problems when they are kept in living spaces. The legal regulations of the individual countries still allow cages to be kept in cages, but only outdoor aviaries with an adjoining and heatable shelter offer optimal keeping conditions.
swell
Individual evidence
- ↑ Lantermann, 1999, p. 84
- ↑ Lantermann, 1999, p. 455
- ^ Low, p. 183
- ↑ Hoppe and Welcke, p. 86
- ↑ Low, p. 185
- ^ Low, p. 189
- ↑ Lantermann, 1999, p. 68
- ^ Low, p. 178
- ↑ Hoppe and Welcke, p. 9 to p. 11
- ↑ Hoppe and Welcke, p. 138
- ↑ Hoppe and Welcke, p. 11
- ↑ Hoppe and Welcke, pp. 13-15
- ↑ Hoppe and Welcke, p. 13
- ↑ Hoppe and Welcke, pp. 18 and 19
- ↑ Wirminghaus et al. Pp. 20-25
- ↑ Low, pp. 188 to 189, the information is based on offspring in human care (red-bellied parrot and Congo parrot).
- ^ Low, pp. 186 and 187
- ↑ Hoppe and Welcke, p. 23
- ^ Low, p. 187
- ↑ Detailed information on the stock situation of the long-winged parrots can be found in Hoppe and Welcke, pp. 15–17 (overview) and in more detail for the respective species, pp. 80–167. All figures quoted here are from this source.
- ↑ Hoppe and Welcke, p. 15
- ↑ Hoppe and Welcke, page 24f
- ↑ Hoppe and Welcke, p. 24
- ↑ Hoppe and Welcke, pp. 30–35
- ↑ Hoppe, Welcke, p. 16f
- ↑ Hoppe and Welcke, p. 79
literature
- Dieter Hoppe , Peter Welcke: Long-winged parrots , Ulmer Verlag, Stuttgart 2006, ISBN 3-8001-4786-6
- Werner Lantermann: Parrot Studies , Parey Buchverlag, Berlin 1999, ISBN 3-8263-3174-5
- Rosemary Low: Das Parrotienbuch , Ulmer Verlag, Stuttgart 1989, ISBN 3-8001-7191-0
- JO Wirminghaus, CT Down, MR Perrin, CT Symes: Diet of the Cape Parrot, Poicephalus robustus, in Afromontane forests in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa , Ostrich, 73 (1/2), pp. 20-25
