Gray-headed parrot
| Gray-headed parrot | ||||||||||
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Pair of gray-headed parrots |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||
| Poicephalus fuscicollis | ||||||||||
| ( Kuhl , 1820) |
The gray-headed parrot ( Poicephalus fuscicollis ) is a species from the genus of the long-winged parrot . Together with the other species of this genus, as well as the gray parrot , the lovebirds , the Rose-ringed Parakeet and Madagascar endemic Vasa Parrots this type is a typical parrot species of Afrotropical . The species was considered a subspecies of the Cape Parrot until the end of the 20th century . Geneticand morphological studies have suggested that the gray-headed parrot is closely related to the Cape parrot, but that it is a separate species. Two subspecies are assigned to the species: Kuhl's gray-headed parrot ( P. f. Fuscicollis ) is the nominate form . The second subspecies is Reichenow's gray-headed parrot ( P. f. Suahelicus ).
distribution
Gray-headed parrots live in the Gambia, northern Ghana and the Ivory Coast as well as in the north of the Republic of South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia, in the southeast of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Burundi and Rwanda to the extreme south of Uganda. They are also found in individual regions of Namibia and eastern Angola as well as in western Mozambique and northern Tanzania.
habitat
The habitats used seem to differ according to the two subspecies described so far. In the Gambia, Kuhl's gray-headed parrots can be found predominantly in dense mangrove forests that stretch along river banks. In Ghana the preferred habitats are forests. Basically, this subspecies can be found near water.
Reichenow's gray-headed parrot, on the other hand, uses a number of different habitats and can be found in forests of different vegetation zones. They occur in the lowlands as well as in the highlands. This subspecies reaches its maximum altitude in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where it can be observed up to an altitude of 4000 m . They also use dry forests. The tree species they prefer is the African baobab tree . In individual study areas, this tree species was used exclusively for the creation of the breeding caves.
Food and subsistence
Like the vast majority of long-winged parrots, the gray-headed parrot is a food generalist that eats seeds, nuts and berries from a large number of different tree and shrub species and also consumes the flower nectar. For food spectrum include immature seeds of Mabolapflaume , the Nyalabaums and Samtmyrrhe and mature seeds of black acacia , the baobab, the Kaffirbaums and fruits of the mangroves and the ironwood tree and the Kapfeige and the donkey fig .
This broad food spectrum also distinguishes the gray-headed parrot from the Cape parrot. Unlike the other species of long-winged parrots, this one is a food specialist and only eats fruit from stone slices and, to a much lesser extent, fruit from an African type of hackberry tree.
Stock situation
There are no reliable inventory figures. Due to decreased visibility and a lack of reports in regions where they used to be frequent, it must be assumed that their population numbers have decreased significantly. The causes of this population decline are probably the same as those that have led to a decline in other long-winged parrots. Habitat destruction has led to both a shortage of possible nesting trees and a reduced food supply. The birds are also caught for export in some countries.
The systematic position within the genus Poicephalus
The following cladogram shows the genus Poicephalus with their respective degrees of relationship. The Niam-Niam parrot ( Poicephalus crassus ), whose species status is controversial, is missing .
| Poicephalus (genus) |
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The following subspecies are described for the gray-headed parrot:
- Poicephalus fuscicollis fuscicollis
- Poicephalus fuscicollis suahelicus
Individual evidence
- ↑ Hoppe and Welcke, pp. 146–148.
- ↑ Hoppe and Welcke, p. 153.
- ↑ Hoppe and Welcke, p. 151; there is a more detailed description of the food plants used.
- ↑ Hoppe and Welcke, p. 149.
- ↑ Hoppe and Welcke, p. 79.
literature
- Dieter Hoppe , Peter Welcke: Long-winged parrots . Ulmer Verlag, Stuttgart 2006, ISBN 3-8001-4786-6 .
- R. Jordan, J. Pattison: African Parrots . Hancock House Publication, Surrey 1999.
