page_title: Black-headed parrot
section_title: Aviculture
hierarchical_section_title: Black-headed parrot / Aviculture
caption_attribution_description: English: Black Headed Caique (Pionites melanocephalus) - Adult pet birds in a cage
context_page_description: The black-headed parrot, also known as the black-headed caique, black-capped parrot or pallid parrot, is one of the four species in the genus Pionites of the family Psittacidae; the other species being Pionites leucogaster, Pionites xanthomerius, and Pionites xanthurus.
  It is found in forest and nearby wooded habitats in the Amazon north of the Amazon River and west of the Ucayali River in Brazil, northern Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela. It is generally fairly common and occurs in many protected areas throughout its range.
  It is most often found in pairs or small noisy flocks of up to 10 individuals, but sometimes up to 30. In the wild, they eat mostly flowers, pulp, and seeds and possibly insects.
context_section_description: Black-headed parrots are popular in aviculture.
  The only ways to determine gender of an individual black-headed parrot are surgical sexing and DNA sexing. DNA sexing is safer for the bird than surgical sexing.
  Black-headed parrots are playful and energetic pets.  They need a large cage with lots of toys and perches (they tend to hop more than fly).  Cage minimum should be 24" L X 24" W X 36" H, though the larger the better.  Maximum bar spacing is 1".
  The black-headed parrot can have a tendency to bite, so owners may need to set boundaries early on. However, potential owners should prepare for a bird that uses its beak more often than other parrot species.
  Some Black-headed parrots will poorly mimic human speech. However they more commonly mimic other surrounding sounds, such as alarm clocks, smoke detectors, microwave-oven beeps, laughs, car alarms, and whistles. In addition, caiques will combine sounds they have picked up to make new ones.
caption: Breeders in a cage
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