White-bellied Parrot

The White-bellied Parrot, in aviculture often referred to as the White-bellied Caique, is one of the two species in the genus Pionites of the Psittacidae family; the other species being the allopatric Black-headed Parrot. Both species are popular as pets.

It is found in humid forest and nearby wooded habitats in the Amazon south of the Amazon River in Bolivia, Brazil, and Peru. It is generally fairly common throughout its range and is easily seen in a wide range of protected areas, such as the Manú National Park and Tambopata-Candamo in Peru, Cristalino State Park (near Alta Floresta), Xingu National Park and Amazônia National Park in Brazil, and Madidi National Park in Bolivia.

Description

The White-bellied Parrot has an orange-yellow head and vent, a white belly, green wings and back, bluish primary feathers, a pinkish-horn beak, and pinkish legs and feet. Juveniles have brownish or black feathers on the head and nape, yellow feathers on the white belly, and greyish legs. Generally, the off-colored feathers will be lost and replaced by orange or white feathers respectively as the bird matures. Young birds also have dark brown irises, which will change to a rust or orange with age.

Subspecies

• Green-thighed Parrot/Caique (Pionites leucogaster leucogaster). Found in the eastern part of its range. It has green thighs and upper tail.
• Yellow-thighed Parrot/Caique (P. l. xanthomerius). Found in western part of its range. It has yellow thighs and green upper tail.
• Yellow-tailed Parrot/Caique (P. l. xanthurus). Found in the central part of its range. It has yellow thighs and upper tail.

The Yellow-thighed is the subspecies most commonly kept as a pet in the United States. The Green-thighed is somewhat rare in captivity, and Yellow-tailed is very rare in captivity.