Meyers Parrot
P. meyeri meyeri
Description: Predominantly dark greybrown with the rump and under parts bluish green, all adult Meyers Parrot have yellow on the bend of the wing, thighs and under wing coverts. The tail is brown. The iris is orange-red and the beak is dark grey. Length: 22 cm (9 in). Weight: M 121 g(44 oz); F 112 g(4 oz).
Immature birds have much duller plumage; they lack the yellow markings and are mainly grey with the rump blue-green.
Range/Habitat: The nominate race is found from southern Chad and northeast Cameroon through northern Central African Republic to southern Sudan and western Ethiopia. The species inhabits most types of timbered country, but is seldom found far from water. It is common or locally so. It is said to roost in holes in trees and to nest in holes made by woodpeckers and barbets.
P. m. saturatus
Description: It has the rump washed with light blue.
Range/Habitat: This race inhabits Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, western Tanzania and Kenya.
P. m. matschiei
Description: It has the rump bright blue and the under parts washed with blue.
Range/Habitat: This race is found from south-eastern Kenya to northern Malawi, Zambia and southeastern Congo.
P. m. reichenowi and damarensis
Description: The distinctive feature is that the yellow on the crown is missing.
Range/Habitat: These races are found in Angola, Congo, South West Africa and north-west Lesotho.
P. m. transvaalensis
Description: Paler brown above.
Range/Habitat: Its range includes Mozambique, Zimbabwe and eastern Lesotho and the Transvaal.
The races are described to show that rump colouration or lack of yellow on the forehead, for example, is not a means of sexing these birds. Understandably, aviculturists have been misled when obtaining one bird with a yellow forehead and another without into believing they must constitute a true pair.
Aviculture: Meyer's Parrot was not well-known in aviculture until the late 1960s, since when it has been been fairly regularly available, and has been bred not infrequently. According to Barnicoat (1983), it was bred in South Africa by Jack Rough nearly 50 years previously and was still being bred by that aviculturist, who specialised in members of this genus. In the USA, the first Meyers parrot breeder may have been William Hawkins of California. In 1970, his female produced three infertile eggs. In February of the following year, three more eggs were laid. All hatched, despite a severe earthquake during the incubation period on or about February 21. The youngest was not keeping pace with its siblings and was removed for hand-rearing on May 7. The other two left the nest about three weeks later. Sadly, they were so nervous that within 24 hours both had broken their necks in dashing about in flight. In October, three more fertile eggs were produced. The three chicks were removed for hand-rearing in December due to impending cold weather. This was successfully accomplished. The young birds were very gentle but also nervous. Also in California, Betty Byers hand-reared Meyer's and Senegal Parrots and described them as being very quiet and undemanding as chicks. On hatching, they have creamy white down about 6 mm (4 in) long. Meyer's chicks weigh about 5 g(1/6 oz) and 124 g(4½ oz) on fledging.
When this species was bred in England by Raymond Franklin of Chesham, Bucks, he recorded that two chicks had hatched by June 16 and a third later; they left the nest on August 10, 13 and 15 but returned to the nest log for several days. Meyer's Parrot has also been bred in zoos in East London, South Africa (1969 - two) and, in the USA, in Oklahoma (1972 - four) and Sacramento, California (1973 - one).
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