Blue-headed Pionus
Information on the Pionus, Pet Qualities & Care ... Photo Gallery ... Common Diseases and Disorders
The Blue-headed Parrot also known as the Blue-head Amazon, Pionus menstruus, is endemic to tropical Central and South America, from Costa Rica and Trinidad south to Bolivia and Brazil. Its habitat includes forests and semi-open country, including cultivated areas. At dawn or at dusk, large numbers of them are seen roosting communally in palm and other trees. During breeding season, the Blue-headed Parrot hen lays three to four white eggs in a tree cavity.
Longevity: "You & Your Pet Bird" by David Alderton states that Pionus live an average of 25 years. Pionus can live to be over 40 and often they live only 3 or 10 years due to accidents and poor nutrition.
Description:
The Blue-headed Parrot is a medium-large parrot, averaging 11 inches (28 cm) in length and weighing around 245 g. It is mainly green with a blue head, neck and upper breast, red undertail, and some yellow on the wing coverts. Sexes are alike, but immatures have less blue on the head. Generally green; head and upper breast deep blue, red base to feathers of neck, which show through partially; black patch to ear-coverts; under tail-coverts red; bill blackish, reddish on sides; skin to periophthalmic ring grey; iris dark brown; feet grey. Immatures with reddish frontal band, head greenish-blue.
Personality:
Blue-headed Pionus Parrots are increasingly popular as pets. They are affectionate birds that can be noisy with light, high-pitched squeaking calls. However, compared to other parrot species (conures or amazons), they are relatively quiet. They are appreciated for their sweet and fun disposition, easy-going personality and intelligence. They are less apt to bite than other parrots species. These qualities make this parrot a good choice for first-time parrot owners and a wonderful family pet. It is also an excellent choice for apartment dwellers, due to their calm personality and easy maintenance. Owners describe them as inquisitive and sociable parrots that are easily tamed. To top it all of, they are said to be best talkers in the Pionus family. Pionus Parrots are devoted to their owners and thrive on attention - however, some of them, particularly males, may bond with one person and aggressively protect that person from perceived dangers, including other family members. They are active by nature and may become overweight if closely confined.
Caring for Your Pionus:
The Pionus is a very active parrot and needs the largest space that your home can accommodate -- ideally, this parrot should be able to fly from perch to perch, especially so if the pionus is kept in the cage most of the day. This being said, however roomy the cage, every bird should be allowed to be out of the cage for a minimum of three hours each day. Many birds can spend a good deal of their time on a play pen or parrot perch. As they are not strong chewers, durable cage construction is not as critical as it would be for the largest species of parrots. They are technically inclined and learn to open locks pretty quickly and locks or escape-proof latches may be recommended.
When setting up your pionus, please visit this website: How to Keep Your Pet Parrot Happy and Healthy for ideas and recommendations.
Training and Behavioral Guidance:
Once they have learned a behavior such as stepping up they are very obedient and will remain steady in their training.
- Web Resources: I put together web resources for you to help you understand your pet bird and properly direct him. Please visit this website for valuable tips on parrot behavior and training.
- If you are, as I am, a visual learner and prefer step-by-step instructions to train your pet, I recommend:
- the Parrot Training Course to teach your parrot to:
- Stop Biting
- Perform Tricks &
- Tame ANY SIZE bird you could possibly own
- and/or try the "Teach Your Parrot to Talk" Training Course.
- the Parrot Training Course to teach your parrot to:
Diet:
The Pionus parrot should be provided a high-quality seed mix, a variety of fresh vegetables and fruits, such as berries and apples. Some breeders suggest Pretty Bird High Protein or Daily Select as staple diets for Pionus parrots; they will tend to waste less food if fed small-sized pellets such as Pretty Bird Daily Select Small. I personally prefer unprocessed food as I am concerned about chemicals / additives and also because synthetic supplements usually added to formulated diets are never as good as the nutrients found in natural food. Some supplementation may still be necessary if a variety of nutrient-rich food is not accepted by a bird or not provided by the keeper. One of the most nutrient-dense food items that you can feed your birds and are usually eagerly accepted by birds (even picky ones!) are sprouted seeds.
As is the case with most parrot species, their diet should include a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables daily to add nutrition and psychological enrichment. Their food intake should be monitored as overfeeding can lead to selective feeding and wasteful throwing of food. Pionus parrots should be fed little to no sunflower or safflower seeds. Vitamin supplements are not needed for birds that are eating a formulated diet. However, if the base diet is seed-based, a good avian supplement should be given to prevent deficiency diseases. Such supplements should be added to soft food items rather than adding them to the water, as this dilutes the vitamins and water-soluble vitamins break down rapidly. Also, water containing sweetened vitamins is a good growth medium for bacteria. On the other hand, supplements sprinkled over seeds are usually lost when the bird shells the seeds.
- Click here for more information on bird nutrition
Breeding:
The Pionus is moderately difficult to breed in captivity and, during the breeding season, they can get noisy. If you have near-by neighbors who are sensitive to noise this should be a consideration when deciding to breed this species. They are breeding age when they are about 3 to 5 years old. In North America, the breeding season stretches from February or March to June or July.
One problem that breeders face is that the male pionus in breeding condition can get aggressive towards their mates. One option to protect the female is to clip the male's wings prior to the breeding season to give the female an advantage when trying to escape the aggressive male.
For cage construction, breeders suggested the following dimensions: 4 feet wide by 4 feet tall by 6 to 8 feet long. Suspended cages facilitate sanitation as droppings and discarded food fall through the wire cage floor. Grandfather-style nest boxes work best. A size that works well is 10" wide x 10" deep x 18-24" high. Place the nest box high up in a dark, secluded area of the aviary.
The hen typically lays 3 to 5 eggs, which she incubates for 24 to 26 days. The chicks usually fledge when they are 8 to 12 weeks old. Pionus chicks are challenging to handraise and it is best to allow the parents to take care of the chicks for at least the first week. Various green foods and mealworms are appreciated by the parents for feeding the chicks. Corn cob is a favorite weaning food.
If you decide to pull the chicks at this time, Exact or Pretty Bird Handfeeding formulas are suitable for handfeeding the young.
Taxonomy:
Species: Scientific: Pionus menstruus menstruus ... English: Blue-headed Parrot ... Dutch: Zwartoorpapegaai, Zwartkoppapegaai, Blauwkoppapegaai ... German: Schwartzohrpapagei ... French: Perroquet à tête bleu
CITES II - Endangered Species
Distribution: Colombia, eastern Ecuador, eastern Peru, northern Brazil, northern Bolivia, central Brazil, Trinidad
Paler Blue Headed Parrot / Pionus:
Description: Looks like the nominate species described and featured above, but this sub-species has a much duller blue to its head; and the red to throat is more marked. The green is generally darker. It averages 10.5 inches (27 cm) in length.
Distribution: Southern Costa Rica, Panama, western Colombia, western Ecuador
Species: Scientific: Pionus menstruus rubrigularis ... English: Paler Blue-headed Parrot ... Dutch: Bleke Zwartoorpapegaai ... German: Blasser Schwarzohrpapagei ... French: Perroquet à tête bleu Cabansis
Related Web Resources: Lexicon of Parrots (Please scroll down to no. 2 - click on link to view photo)
Reichenow's Blue-Headed Parrot:
Description: Looks like the nominate species described and featured above, but generally has a deeper blue coloration. All green feathers are marked with blue, so this sub-species looks like a blue version of the nominate species. Its bill is horn-colored without a reddish tinge. It averages 10 inches (26 cm) in length.
Distribution: Coastral north-eastern Brazil
Species: Scientific: Pionus menstruus reichenowi ... English: Reichenow's Blue-headed Parrot ... Dutch: Reichenows Zwartoorpapegaai ... German: Reichenows Schwarzohrpapagei ... French: Perroquet à tête bleu Espirito Santo
Related Web Resources: Lexicon of Parrots (Please scroll down to no. 3 - click on link to view photo.)
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