Meyer's Parrots
Poicephalus Parrots
The Meyer's Parrot (Poicephalus meyeri) is endemic to central and eastern sub-Saharan Africa. Specifically these parrots can be found in Southern Chad, northeast Cameroon, Central African Republic, as well as the southern Sudan and western Ethiopia.
Their natural habitat consists savannah woodlands, wooded grasslands, and forests alongside watercourses or agricultural land.
They are usually seen in pairs or small flocks; however, occasionally large gatherings are observed in favored feeding areas. Brown Parrot (Central Africa)
Breeding pairs average 3 to 4 eggs in a clutch. The incubation time is really about 26 days.
At this point in time, Meyer's parrots are common in the wild, and they are classified as Low Risk / Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
Description:
This is a small and stocky African parrot, averaging 8 - 9.2 inches (21 - 23 cm) in length. Their wing length is about 5.5 to 6 inches (141 - 149 cm).
They have a dull brown head, back, and tail. Their abdomen is green abdomen and they have a blue / turquiserump and yellow thighs. The upperside of the tail is brown and the underside dark grey.
Their periophthalmic ring is black and the bill is black. The irises are orange-red and their feet dark grey.
Females look like males, and if gender identification is important (for example for breeding birds), DNA / Feather or surgical sexing is recommended.
Young / immature birds are greenish-brown without yellow crown and thighs. The lower breast and abdomen are green, The yellow on bend of wing is less extensive. Their under wing-coverts are brownish-green and interspersed with yellow. The lower back is blue. Young birds have dark brown irises. They attain the adult plumage when they are about 12 months old.
Sub-species:
Six subspecies are recognized and they in home range, in size, and in markings, including extent of yellow markings on the head and wings and intensity of turquoise markings on the abdomen or rump.
Diet:
Their natural diet includes fruits, seeds, nuts, berries, and cultivated crops.
Care and Feeding:
Meyer's Parrots love to climb and play and need to be provided with a cage that allows them to move around freely and toys to entertain themselves with. Please refer to the following websites for information:
- Sources for Purchasing or Adopting your Companion or Aviary Birds
- Breeders
- Are you a breeder and would like to be listed? Please contact webmaster for info.
- Breeders
- Optimal nutrition to keep your bird healthy
- Housing your bird / Fun & Safe Toys
- Caring for your companion bird
Training and Behavioral Guidance:
Pet parrots generally present challenges, such as excessive chewing - especially at certain stages in their life. They do discover their beaks as method of "disciplining us" once they are out of the "baby stage" and they can generally be somewhat naughty, and it really is important to learn to understand them and to guide their behavior before an undesirable behavior has been established. Undisciplined parrots will chew on electric wiring potentially causing house fires. They regard anything in your home as a "toy" that can be explored and chewed on; destroying items that you may hold dear or are simply valuable. Even a young bird that has not been neglected and abused requires proper guidance; this becomes even more challenging when it involves a rescued bird that may require rehabilitation.
- 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:
Taxonomy:
Species: Scientific: Poicephalus meyeri meyeri ... English: Meyer's Parrot ... Dutch: Meyers Papegaai ... German: Goldbugpapagei, Meyers Papagei ... French: Perroquet de Meyer ... CITES II - Endangered Species
Species: Scientific: Poicephalus meyeri reichenowi ... English: Angola Brown Parrot ... Dutch: Angola Meyers Papegaai ... German: Angola- Goldbuchpapagei ... French: Perroquet de Reichenow ... CITES II - Endangered Species
Description: As meyeri, but greyish-brown of head and upper breast much darker and blackish (not dark brown as described by some authors); back and wing-coverts blackish; lower back and rump bright light blue to blue; lower breast and abdomen vary from turquoise to light blue; abdomen plumage very interspersed with black in most birds; yellow to crown absent; larger. ... Length: 24 cm (9.5 ins), wing length 148 - 174 mm (6 - 7 ins)
Distribution: Northern and central Angola as well as adjacent areas of Congo.
Related Websites: Lexicon of Parrots (Please scroll down to no. 5 - click on link to view photo.)
Species: Scientific: Poicephalus meyeri damarensis ... English: Damaraland Brown Parrot ... Dutch: Damaraland Meyers Papegaai ... German: Damaraland-Goldbuchpapagei ... French: Perroquet de Meyer laterre Damara ... CITES II - Endangered Species
Distribution: Southern Angola, northern and central Namibia and northwest Botswana; overlaps with transvaalensis in Okavango Region, Botswana
Description: As meyeri, but greyish-brown of head and upper breast more dark grey; back and wing-coverts lighter blackish; lower back and rump light blue; lower breast and abdomen turquoise; yellow to crown absent; slightly larger. ... Length: 22 cm (8.5 ins), wing length 149 - 160 mm (6 - 6.25 ins)
Related Websites: Lexicon of Parrots (Please scroll down to no. 6 - click on link to view photo.)
Species: Scientific: Poicephalus meyeri matchiei ... English: East African Brown Parrot ... Dutch: Oost-Afrikaanse Meyers Papegaai German: Ostafrikanischer Goldbugpapagei ... CITES II - Endangered Species .
Description: As meyeri, but greyish-brown of head and upper breast slightly darker; back and wing-coverts blackish; lower back and rump bright light blue; lower breast and abdomen vary from turquoise to light blue; yellow feathers present on crown; on average slightly larger. ... Length: 22 cm (8.5 ins), wing length 142 - 160 mm (5.5 - 6 ins)
Distribution: Southeast Kenya, Tanzania, northern Malawi, Zambia and southeast Congo
Related Websites: Lexicon of Parrots (Please scroll down to no. 3 - click on link to view photo.)
Species: Scientific: Poicephalus meyeri transvaalensis ... English: South African Brown Parrot ... Dutch: Zuid-Afrikaanse Meyers Papegaai ... German: Südafrikanischer Goldbugpapagei ... French: Perroquet Transvaal de Meyer ... CITES II - Endangered Species
Description: As meyeri, but greyish-brown of head and upper breast darker and more brownish (not paler brown or lighter as described by some authors); back and wing-coverts blackish; lower back and rump greenish with distinct light blue to bright light blue feathering; lower breast and abdomen greener and uniform turquoise; yellow to crown present in almost all birds; on average slightly larger; this sub-species differs from saturatus only by greenish-light blue rump. ... Length: 22 cm (8.5 ins), wing length 142 - 160 mm (5.5 - 6 ins)
Distribution: Northeast Mozambique, Zimbabwe and eastern Lesotho; isolated population in Cape Province, South Africa probably originated from escaped birds.
Related Websites: Lexicon of Parrots (Please scroll down to no. 4 - click on link to view photo.
Uganda Yellow-shouldered Parrots aka Kenya Meyer, Meyer's Parrots:
Species: Scientific: Poicephalus meyeri saturatus ... English: Uganda Yellow-shouldered Parrot ... Dutch: Oeganda Meyers Papegaai ... German: Uganda Goldbugpapagei ... French: Perroquet Uganda de Meyer ... CITES II - Endangered Species
Description: As meyeri, but greyish-brown of head and upper breast darker and more blackish; back and wing-coverts blackish; lower back and rump light blue (not green washed with pale blue as described by some authors); lower breast and abdomen much greener; varies from turquoise to green; yellow feathers to crown present; on average slightly larger. ... Length: 22 cm (8.5 ins), wing length 144 - 158 mm (5.5 - 6 ins)
Distribution: Central and eastern Africa
Related Websites: Lexicon of Parrots (Please scroll down to no. 2 - click on link to view photo.)
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