Brown headed Parrot

P. cryptoxanthus

Description: This is the least interesting of the genus in colouration. It can briefly be described as resembling a Senegal and differing in having the under parts entirely green, also the rump. The head and neck are dusky brown and the ear coverts are silvery grey. Most of the wing feathers are dark green with lighter edges or with the inner webs brown. Under wing coverts are yellow, also the iris. The upper mandible is grey, the lower man­dible white. Length is 22 cm (9 in). Weight: 123-156g (4½ - 5½ oz).

Immature birds are said to be duller with the crown and neck suffused with yellowish olive.

Captive-bred young were described as having the head darker than in adults, the beak and cere pinker and the iris dark brown.

Range/Habitat: This species is found in south-eastern Africa, including eastern Transvaal, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Tanzania and Kenya. It is locally common and favours acacia scrub and woodland.

Aviculture: It has always been rare and little known in aviculture, presumably because of its drab colours. First ex­hibited at London Zoo in 1870, since then few have reached Britain. In 1968, a small consignment arrived and the birds were offered cheaply.

The first breeding was reported by Mr and Mrs M. Collett of Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire. While in Swaziland in 1976, Mr Collett ob­tained a pair. He described the male as being slightly larger than the female, with noticeably larger head and a few yellow feathers on the crown.

In 1977, they were placed in an out­door aviary with an angle-iron frame and many twigs and branches. In June, they were provided with a nest-box of chipboard which measured 25 cm (10 in) square and 45 cm (18 in) deep; an inverted turf and some peat were placed in the base. They showed im­mediate interest and, within a few days, mating occurred. During copu­lation, the positions were sometimes reversed, so that it was doubted that they were a true pair. It was not until October 18, when the female had spent longer than usual inside the nest-box, that examination revealed a single egg. The male fed the female inside the nest and called loudly and appeared agi­tated whenever she left the box.

After 26 days, the male spent most of the time in the nest and it was as­sumed that the egg had hatched. A few days later, using a torch, the box was examined and an almost naked pink chick with a sparse covering of white down was seen. Three days later, the amount of down on the chick had increased. The nest-box was kept immaculately clean and the female was seen to remove droppings and other debris.

By the time the chick was nearly a month old, the white down had been replaced by the second down, grey in colour, and judging by the amount of food taken by the male, he was doing most of the feeding. A favourite food was an insectile mixture provided for the Pekin Robins which shared the aviary. Parrot mixture, foreign finch mixture, fruit and carrot were also consumed.

The young bird was in the nest dur­ing the prolonged bitterly cold weather of January 1979; however, the female rarely emerged from the nest and the male, too, spent much time inside. At ten weeks old the chick was fully feath­ered, but for some down which re­mained on the rump and the shorter tail. It started to look out of the nest entrance when 11 weeks old and finally emerged from the nest at 12 weeks. Because of the cold and snow, it was returned to the nest for several days, where it was always joined by its pa­rents. After it left the nest, it was fed only by the male and, when it was aged nearly 16 weeks, it started to feed itself.

In the USA, the Brown headed Parrot was bred by Mr and Mrs F. Harris in 1983, in a cage measuring 91 x 47 cm (36 x 18 in) x 47 cm (18 in) high. Two eggs were laid and removed to an incubator because the female was not incubating conscientiously. The first egg hatched 24 hours after being placed in the incubator. The second egg hatched on the following day. The chicks had light grey down and were quite fluffy; toenails were grey; upper mandible dark grey; lower mandible pink. The chicks weighed 5.9 and 5.4 g (about ¼ oz) on hatching. At one month, weighing 35 g(1¼ oz), they had second down of two shades - medium and dark grey. At two months, they weighed 85 g (3 oz) each. They were hand-fed on the food described for conures. At 13 weeks, they were eating sunflower and safflower seed, Budgie mixture and fruit and vegetables. In 1984, this species was bred in England by G. A. Smith. Two newly hatched chicks weighed 6 g(¼ oz) each; at weaning, they weighed 124 g and 188 g (about 4½, oz).