Green-bridled parrot
Green-bridled parrot | ||||||||||||
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Green- bridled parrot ( Pionites melanocephalus ) |
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Systematics | ||||||||||||
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Scientific name | ||||||||||||
Pionites melanocephalus | ||||||||||||
( Linnaeus , 1758) |
The black-headed parrot ( Pionites melanocephalus ) is a parrots art from the genus of caique . Its home is in South America north of the Amazon .
Appearance
The plumage is green and yellow-orange, the belly is white and the head is black. The nape of the neck is yellow-brown and the top is green. The areas are sharply demarcated from one another and the coloring of both sexes is the same. It grows to 24 cm long and weighs 130–170 g. The young animals are similar to the adults, but have yellowish belly feathers.
They can live up to 40 years.
distribution and habitat
It inhabits the northern South America from Venezuela , Guyana to east colombia and eastern Peru . Here the species inhabits tropical habitats such as forests and savannahs, preferably at the edge of the forest up to a height of 1100 m in Venezuela. In Colombia it has so far only been detected at an altitude of 500 m. The treetops are inhabited by tall trees. In the headwaters of the Rio Negro , the distribution areas of both subspecies overlap in a larger area, mixed forms occur.
Lifestyle and diet
In their native habitat, they are relatively aggressive in the breeding business, very territorial and rarely get along with other species. However, they are quite shy and burst out loudly when they are disturbed. Outside of the breeding season they live in small groups of up to 30 animals in tall trees, where they also look for food and breed. Their diet consists mainly of fruits, berries and seeds.
Reproduction
All that is known about their breeding behavior in the wild is that they create their nests in the tops of tall trees, mostly in tree hollows, which are then padded. Usually 2–4 eggs are laid here, which are then incubated for around 25 days. In French Guiana, the breeding season begins in December and lasts until February, in Venezuela it lasts until April, in Colombia from April to May and in Suriname from October to November.
attitude
Green-bridled parrots are arguably the most playful and liveliest parrots. Hand-rearing in particular require regular attention from the owner. If they do not receive this, they can sometimes make themselves noticeable through clear calls. Their volume is higher than that of budgies but lower than that of larger parrot species such as macaws. They are swarm animals and should be kept by at least two people. In general, it is not advisable to keep them together with other species such as parakeets or parrots, but in individual cases they have reported peaceful coexistence. In contrast to other parrot species, they are not prone to obesity when kept in cages. However, a large cage 2 m long, 1 m wide and approx. 2 m high is also required for these, as well as extra free flight every day. Green-rein parrots always sleep in caves or nesting boxes - not just during the breeding season.
subspecies
- Berlepsch's green-bridled parrot , ( Pionites melanocephalus pallidus ) (Berlepsch, 1889) inhabits southern Colombia and the east and west of the Andes, southern and eastern Ecuador and northeastern Peru. The neck, cheeks, sides, and thighs are yellow, and the chest and belly are white to orange. The neck and coat are paler.
Sources and References
literature
- Curt af Enehjelm: Parrots - Kosmos-Vivarium , Kosmos Stuttgart, 1979, pp. 51–52, ISBN 3-440-04764-4
- Rosemary Low: Weissbauchparrots , Biedenbands, 2005, ISBN 3-9806114-7-7
Web links
- World Parrot Trust , accessed February 13, 2010
- Parrot of the month May 2001: The green-rein parrot , accessed on February 13, 2010
- Videos, photos and sound recordings of Pionites melanocephala in the Internet Bird Collection , accessed on February 13, 2010 (English)
- Pionites melanocephalus inthe IUCN 2013 Red List of Endangered Species . Listed by: BirdLife International, 2012. Retrieved September 7, 2013.