Congo parrot
| Congo parrot | ||||||||||
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Jardines Congo Parrot, one of the subspecies of the Congo Parrot |
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||
| Poicephalus gulielmi | ||||||||||
| ( Jardine , 1849) |
The Congo parrot ( Poicephalus gulielmi ), also Green Congo parrot , Rotstirnpapagei , Jardines Congo parrot or Gulielmis Rotstirnpapagei called, is a species in the genus of poicephalus . 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 .
Distribution area and habitat
Its distribution area is central Africa. It occurs there from Cameroon and the Central African Republic to northern Angola, Kenya and northern Tanzania . Congo parrots are found differently in their large area of distribution. Congo parrots are rarer in the west of their range than in the central and eastern parts of their range. Their preferred habitat are primary forests, which they colonize at different heights. They occur up to altitudes of 3500 meters and populate or populated the mountain slopes of Kilimanjaro , Mount Elgon and Mount Kenya ; but they can also be found in the tropical lowland rainforests in Ghana , Liberia and the Ivory Coast .
Appearance
Congo parrots, together with the Cape parrot and the gray-headed parrot, are among the large species within the genus of the long-winged parrots.
Congo parrots have black feathers on the upper side of the body with a broad, strong dark green feather border. The head feathers are black with green edges. The apex and the bow of the wing as well as the legs are orange. On the underside of the body, the Congo parrot has lush green feathers with a blackish feather center. The flight feathers and the tail are black. The lower bill is completely black. The upper beak, on the other hand, is horn-colored up to the middle of the beak and only dark gray at the tip of its beak. The iris is reddish brown. The eyes are surrounded by a striking white skin ring.
Congo parrots and human
After the black-headed parrots , which also belong to the long-winged parrots, Congo parrots are among the most frequently exported species of long-winged parrots. On Mount Kilimanjaro, fishing campaigns meant that the species there is likely to be extinct. The first captive offspring arrived in 1978. Not all captive birds become very tame. Like all other parrot species, Congo parrots should only be kept in aviaries and only in pairs.
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 . The Cape parrot is related in particular to the Congo parrot and the yellow-headed parrot . These three species are very similar in size, plumage, and behavior.
| Poicephalus (genus) |
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The following subspecies are described for the Congo parrot:
- Poicephalus gulielmi gulielmi
- Poicephalus gulielmi massaicus
- Poicephalus gulielmi fantiensis
- Poicephalus gulielmi permistus
swell
Individual evidence
- ↑ Hoppe and Welcke, pp. 160f
- ^ Low, p. 189.
- ↑ Hoppe, Welcke, p. 161.
- ↑ Hoppe, Welcke, p. 160.
- ^ Low, p. 189.
- ↑ Hoppe, Welcke, p. 79.
literature
- Dieter Hoppe , Peter Welcke: Long-winged parrots. Ulmer Verlag, Stuttgart 2006, ISBN 3-8001-4786-6 .
- Rosemary Low: The Parrot Book. Ulmer Verlag, Stuttgart 1989, ISBN 3-8001-7191-0 .
Web link
- Poicephalus gulielmi inthe IUCN 2013 Red List of Threatened Species . Listed by: BirdLife International, 2012. Retrieved December 26, 2013.