| The Three P's: Avicultures Well Kept Secrets Parrotlet - Poicephalus - Pionus |
| The Poicephalus: The Poicephalus is one of Africa�s least known treasures of the parrot world. When you say �African parrot� most everyone thinks of the astonishing African grey, and while the Poicephalus do not speak with the clarity or staggering vocabulary of the grey, they make up for this lack in other wonderful ways. As with all parrots, talking depends more on the inclination of the individual bird, rather than being a guarantee for an entire species. Of the nine species of Poicephalus, only six are fairly common in aviculture. They are the Jardines, Senegal, Meyers, Red Belly, Brown Head and the giant Cape. The Ruppell�s, Yellow-Faced and Niam-Niam are rare. Poicephalus range in size from about 8 inches to 12 inches. They are short, cobby, heavy-bodied birds. Most are mainly green or grey with some other colors. It is generally agreed that the Meyers and the Ruppell�s are the most startling looking, but all are beautiful and interesting in their own way. Poicephalus parrots are not sexually dimorphic and must be surgically or DNA sexed if you wish to know if yours is a male or a female. As you read what different experts say about the different species, you begin to see a pattern in all Poicephalus. They are intelligent, sweet, quiet, comical and acrobatic parrots who love their owners, but are also able to entertain themselves. Poicephalus are not loud and don�t usually scream (unless they learn it from one of your other birds), but they do make a variety of sounds consisting of whistles, growls, quiet squawks, clicks and trills. Besides the wonderful �quiet factor�, Poicephalus also seem to be a lot less nippy than South American parrots. Gladys Prouty, a breeder of Poicephalus, states that this is because African parrots do not discipline their young with biting, and biting does not have a role in their courtship as it does in the South American birds. Biting is only used for aggression, and as such, can be avoided by owners through proper handling techniques. However, every baby parrot goes through a biting stage, and their owners have gotten through this stage with lots of patience and gritted teeth. Other than their baby �biting phase�, the Poicephalus is not a nippy breed. (Of course all parrot owners know that if you are completely opposed to ever being bitten, don�t get a parrot!) The down side to this breed is that some of the species tend to be a bit spooky and need to be thoroughly socialized, but with sensitivity due to their shyer personalities. My experience with my brown head, Ariel, is that I don�t consider her spooky, but just very cautious about new people, places and experiences. I don�t try to push her, but let her take things at her own speed. THE PIONUS: Lastly, but not least is the Pionus. I think these South American parrots are simply gorgeous. Of course we all like different-looking birds (thank goodness), but the subtle beauty of Pionus� sweet, dark-eyed face and Rembrandt-like coloring is something to behold. They range in size from about 9.5 inches to around 12 inches. They are, like the Poicephalus, a wide-bodied bird. The coloring of the eight species (Blue-headed, Red-billed, Maxmillian�s, Plum-crowned, White-headed, White-capped, Bronze-winged, and Dusky) range from mostly green to such a combination of colors in one bird that they even vary from bird to bird of the same species. The one thing all Pionus have in common is the bright red underneath their tails. Pionus are not sexually dimorphic and require surgical or DNA sexing. Like the Poicephalus, Pionus are calm, sweet and sensitive and need attention, patient nurturing guidance, and behavioral guidelines. They are not bold and clownish like the rowdy Amazon, and if you want an extroverted bird, they may not be for you. They tend to be quiet and cautious with strangers, but are not defensive. They love attention and love to be with you but are perfectly able to entertain themselves with toys while you are at work. In general, like the Poicephalus and Parrotlet, while they love their human and love attention, they won�t pine away when left at home while you work, but they do need some one-on-one time when you get home. While not known for their talking ability, they sometimes do talk. As with all parrots, talking depends more on the individual bird rather than the species. A plus to Pionus is that they don�t have very strong beaks as far as biting goes, and cannot do the damage that even a smaller Conure can inflict. A peculiarity about them is their response to stress. The most severe response is one shared by other parrots - thrashing, such as when something scary enters the room or you accidentally bump their cage while they are asleep. Another response is complete stillness. The third and most unique is that Pionus wheeze when stressed and sound like they are having an asthma attack. They will continue this until the scary person or thing has backed off. All three genera, Forpus (Parrotlet), Poicephalus and Pionus, make wonderful pets. Like all animals of any kind they have their pluses and minuses, but I think their pluses far outweigh the minuses. They are quiet, but can still talk, they are loving without being overly needy or neurotic, and they come in an amazing and beautiful variety of sizes and colors, one of which will surely fit your taste. These qualities make any one of the �Three P�s� an outstanding choice for your new companion whether you are an expert or novice parrot keeper. |