Cape Parrot Comments
By Craig Harris
While researching Cape Parrots I often come across great comments and tidbits of information which I would like to share. I have created this page as a repository of quotes about Cape Parrots. Some of the quotes are from my email correspondence while others have been gleaned from Internet mailing lists, forums and articles. Currently the topics are unsorted but I will attempt some organization in the future as categories develop. This is an ongoing article so please check back as I will continue to add to it.
Scott Lewis – Cape Breeder U.S.
If someone held a gun to my head and forced me to identify my favorite babies of all the birds we breed, I would have to say Capes.
Jean Pattison – Cape Breeder U.S.
Awhile back, I had a few females outside that haven’t been played with for
a few years. They are going to be breeders. I was doing some cage moving
and transferring birds around. I grabbed up the first hen, and she
immediately started feeding me, so I took her in the house “just to see”
what she would be like. She was like the day I put her outside. Her
temperament never changed. One would have thought, I had always had her in
the house.
Nanny Roo says of all the birds she has, and has fed, her Cape is by far
her favorite. Nanny originally named him Zaire, and one day while telling
him…..”Zaire is pretty”, he responded with “Albert is pretty”. He could
have only heard that on the TV, since we have all tried to think of an
Albert, that we know. For days afterwards, anytime she referred to him as
Zaire in talking with him, he would repeat the sentence and substitute
Albert. He definitely wanted his name changed. So he is now known as
Albert……..LOL
He is also a P.r.s. and weighs just at 400 grams.
Looking at them in a flight, one would think he is about the size of an
average grey, but holding them and playing, you soon realize they are more
Timneh sized. One hen Cape I have is right at 200 grams (P.r.f.), and one
male (P.r.s.) I know his weight to be about 408.
There is no way to compare them to a grey. They are nothing like a grey, or
any other bird, for that matter.
William Horsfield – Cape Breeder S.A.
This beautiful little parrot is going to become extinct unless action and by that I mean drastic action is not taken immediately. We need more people like you to create public awareness internationally because so little is known about the serious plight of South Africa’s only endemic parrot in S.A. never mind abroad.
We need to educate the people that catch them and sell them for a few rands. We need to expose and prosecute the bastards that are encouraging this trapping by the local people.We need to totally discourage the hybridization of Capes with Grey Headed, which is being knowingly and deliberately done in S.A.. We need to initiate and fund research into PBFDV which could well be their most serious threat towards extinction. We need to save their Yellowwood forests and preserve safe areas for them to live. We need to mobilize all owners to cooperate with captive breeding and join the National Studbook. We need to create public awareness and pride in the bird much as has been done by Paul Butler and RARE with the Caribbean amazons. We need to get corporate sponsorship and financial backing from every possible and conceivable source.
William Horsfield – Cape Breeder S.A.
Yes, I was the breeder in S.A. that lost a whole lot of Capes to PBFDV. In fact just typing this upsets me because it was to horrible. I lost a few of my 1997-1998 chicks without any conclusive reason other than severe anaemia. Birds were in perfect feather and death was fairly acute with mild symptoms of listlessness and depression for a few days and then sudden death. I spent many thousands of rands during this time on vet and pathologist fees and still no luck. No malaria, polyoma, other parasites, chlamydia , bacterial ( other than mild to non pathogenic is some ) fungal etc etc. Then ran the new PBFDV DNA assay which was new in S.A. and all positive!! Most my adult breeding birds were positive and all the chicks I had bred except two were positive. I euthanased 28 of my 38 Capes!
I tested and tested and tested my entire collection of 100 pairs of parrots. These included Macaws incl Hyacinth, Cockatoos incl 7 pairs of Palms, Queens, Hawkheads, most Poicephalus, amazons, caiques, eclectus, rare pionus, Great-bills etc. NOT A SINGLE POSITIVE IN THE BREEDING BIRDS BESIDES THE CAPES! This was even more dumbfounding because I worried that perhaps the Capes has a similar DNA profile to that of the PBFDV assay. The Lab assured me this was not the case and we were left at that. One African Grey and One Grey Headed that were being reared with the Capes were also POS as well as two Greater Jardine’s that were parent raised next to an aviary of Capes where the hen and her 5 fully fledged chicks ( but not the cock ) were positive.
All I can conclude is that the strain of PBFDV that affects the Capes is equally dangerous to all the African Parrots but not so to the S-American or Australian species.Many of these were in close contact with the Capes and not a single positive.
So I was left with no single pair negative and only 10 odd birds. I paired these up again in early 1999 and put their boxes in only after a 3-4 test in June. One pair bred twice giving a total of 6 chicks. All neg.
This year the same pair gave 4 chicks but lost one and I am hand raising the 3.A second pair went down and is raising 4 3 week old chicks beautifully. The other birds are all old enough to breed and could still do so. So if all goes well I should have at least 23 by the end of this year. Still a long was to go!
Jean Pattison – Cape Breeder U.S.
Cape parrots are very gentle, affectionate birds. Some liken it to a cockatoo, without the demands of the cockatoo. They are fairly quiet and unobtrusive when kept as a pet; breeders on the other hand can be very vocal and almost obnoxious. They are capable of entertaining themselves with the simplest of things, much the same as a Meyer’s, and also swing and play like the Senegals. I have found their talking ability to be limited to a few words and phrases. Perhaps because of their bigger size they seem to be very deliberate and purposeful in their movements and mannerisms.
William Horsfield – Cape Breeder S.A.
As for … P.f.f. and P.f.s I am not that sure as to their separateness. I keep and breed the suahelicus and know them VERY well and cannot tell the difference between them and the fuscicollis. I have birds that come from Zimbabwe that have the brick colour ( supposedly of suahelicus ) on their throats and have seen those that come from West Africa that look more silver than my suahelicus. The DNA work is also inconclusive at this stage I believe on them.
If they are different it is going to be very difficult to keep the species pure because of the extreme difficulty in separating them visually. I saw the supposed Fuscicollis at Loro Parque and they look like many of the suahelicus in S.A..
Carol Palmore – Cape Companion U.S.
Tori is a gentle, goofy, playful, friendly bird. Since he was over a
year old when he met me, it took him several months to completely trust
me, but at this point I can’t imagine that he could possibly be any more
trusting or bonded to me if he had arrived as a newly weaned baby.
Kathleen M. DuBois – Cape Companion U.S.
I have a male Cape, Shahmari, who was two on April 1, 2000. I purchased
him from a friend at 5 months of age. He was bred by “Troy” in Georgia.
When young, Shahmari went to anyone. Now, however, he wants only me. He
is deeply affectionate with me & gives lots of kisses, but lunges & bites at
others. He whistles and talks some. He does a perfect imitation of the
phone, and my Grey, Noel, answers with “Hello,” “Alright,” “Bye, Bye.”
Shahmari is a very picky eater. I have him on Harrison’s, with veggies,
fruit, pasta, nuts, brown rice, & beans. He does not seem to eat much, but
weighs in at 385 grams.
I am very much in love with this guy. He has brought me much joy.
Kenneth Tse – Cape Companion U.S.
No kidding, I have not told Craig yet but his Cape site got me the interest
and several Emails back and forth and behold, I am with Drew 
. Watch out!
Jean Pattison – Cape Breeder U.S.
Capes, when first brought into my nursery were much like Jardine’s in
their feeding behavior. They would be very enthusiastic feeders and beg
when hungry. This is unlike most other Poicephalus, and Greys, for that matter.
I have always figured in nature there would not be a hunger noise coming
from a nest cavity. Predators would surely take notice. The food the
parents would feed would satisfy them. There would be not “frantic” begging
noises.
Theory is, high protein will make chicks frantic/restless, what ever one
may want to call it. I learned this with the Jardine’s since I have been
raising them for many years.
The first thing I did with them is raise the fat level to satisfy the
hunger cries (which BTW are not really bad). In the Capes, restlessness
seemed more obvious, so I lowered the protein a bit. Wallah! The babies
were satisfied and quiet.
(as a side note….this is opposite for Brown heads (Poicephalus
cryptoxanthus) that have fatty liver problems. The fat and protein both
need to be lowered.)
Jean Pattison – Cape Breeder U.S.
When dealing with quarantine stations and recent imports, I learned what
“fly” weight meant. Any one feeling the breast bone of a recently caught
wild bird would surely think the bird was in poor health, and possibly
dying. I have been long concerned about the “over weight” babies being
produced in captivity.
Correct weaning weights (feel) of birds was well known 15 years ago when importers and breeders were working together. Now we have hobby breeders working with behaviorists who do not have the resources we once had. The “knowledge” from the old timers is being lost. Are we re-inventing the wheel?
- Craig Harris – Cape Companion U.S.:Capes have an athletic build and they are also fussy eaters who tend to have “binge then fast” eating habits. Because of their build it is hard to tell if Capes are losing weight.
I have had a very hard time trying to reassure a lot of my clients that
this is normal for a Cape. They do wean thinner than some other species do,
but I am also familiar with how a bird feels that has been wild caught and
flying every day.
When I bought Isabel Taylor’s collection of Capes, she had taken one
domestic male and moved him out the night before. This was his home and he
was in the same room, just in a different cage. She weighed him, the next
day before we left, we weighed all the Capes. This particular male had lost
20 grams. So a dramatic weight loss is not unusual for a healthy bird. I
have seen this happen many times as well as had Isabel, so we were not worried.
Craig Symes – Cape Researcher S.A.
Juveniles and adults make a characteristic growling sound if threatened in
their nest cavity, yet there appear to be few natural enemies while the
chicks are still in the cavity. The cavity is usually quite deep and
inaccessible from the ground in an upright forest canopy or canopy
emergent tree.
This form of vocalisation made by any bird species in the nest would
nonetheless serve as an effective defensive mechanism for a cavity
nesting species. A mammal like growling sound emanating from a dark
cavity would surely raise suspicions to the actual occupant of the hole to
any intruder/predator.
Karen J Wingrove – Cape Enthusiast U.S.
In speaking to Eb (Cravens) about Capes, he mentioned in passing that Capes have very prominent keel bones. This little girl bird had been allowed to fly for 5 weeks, and she was well-muscled and beautiful. But her keel bone was prominent. It is a singular feature of the bird and not indicative of a “thin” bird.
Les Abnett – Cape Companion U.K.
Cheeky (is) different to the Cape from South Africa, which is highly endangered. He comes from a bit further north. I got him from a family in Zimbabwe, where he was wild caught. Cheeky was extremely wild when I got him in 1973. He hated woman, especially if they wore red or black and would take your arm off if you went near him. He has mellowed with age and even tolerated our son at 8 years old making friends with him. He bites if you don’t listen to his warning that he is not in the mood to be handled, but otherwise is happy with all but my elder son in the family. He will still go for my son, even after all these years. With strangers, he is choosy. He was happy with Craig and Dana, and several others who came near him but others he warned off.
He is a fussy eater and loves almonds, pecans and other similar nuts, peanuts, sunflowers, etc. He hates safflowers and ignores them. His daily diet includes all fruits when in season. He prefers apple cores with the pips rather than the fruit itself. He enjoys peach, apricot and other stones, which he cracks and removes the inside. We don’t give him too many of these for obvious reasons. He also love cherries, although his most favourite is pomegranate. If he doesn’t get any, he chucks everything else on the floor of his cage in objection, so even when the price is over the top, we still buy them for him.
Jack Mathews – Cape Companion U.S.
I picked up Dudley at Laguardia yesterday afternoon. It was an hour’s ride home from there and he never made a peep. But he’s been chirping and clucking ever since we let him out of the carrier.
Like Thor, he wouldn’t leave us last night. He had to taste every square inch of our exposed flesh, which gave us some nervous moments, then settled down on my shoulder and rested his beak against my cheek for the rest of the evening.
What a great bird! He’s eating everything, and destroying the inadequate toys we bought for him. He doesn’t like his cage much, either, and whines about it (I assume that little insistent chirp he makes when alone is a whine) every time we put back into his cage. We have a portable playpen which he likes much more. He hasn’t adapted to the idea that he can’t fly anymore, and keeps trying to make it from the playpen to one of us. He’s got about a three-foot flight range.
I tried to turn him over his back, but he didn’t like that and let me know about it. Maybe when he’s had a day or two to get used to us.
They’re unique-looking birds, aren’t they? Their heads are so large in relation to their bodies. From behind, when he turns his head, he has the profile almost of a bald eagle. That beak is a little daunting at first; my son, who’s slightly autistic, is still too wary to hold him. But it will all work out in time.
Jack Mathews – Cape Companion U.S.
Dudley and Thor are definitely different birds. Dudley has his cuddly moods, but mostly, he just wants to play all day. He goes through toys like other babies his age go through diapers.
We went through a little spell where he was so bonded to me, he wouldn’t go to anyone else, and got very nippy with my wife and kids. We followed some advice in a bird magazine and he’s now pretty equal opportunity friendly, with my wife and I, at least.
I give him regular showers, by holding him under the torrent from outside the shower. I’m not ready to take him in with me. If he fell, I’m afraid of what he might grab with that beak. Anyway, he seems to like getting drenched. I bought one of those feather tethers, and he told me where I could stick it. I couldn’t get it near him.
Dudley is starting to make some new noises which sound like mumbling, so I’m hoping those are words he’s trying to get out. I didn’t really get him for that reason, but after reading that other lady on your registry, claiming that her Cape is a better talker than her grey, I’ve raised my expectations.
All in all, I’m thrilled with this guy. A friend of mine bought a baby grey at the exact same time as I got Dudley and he’s going through far more difficulties.
Stewart Metz – Cape Companion U.S.
Thanks for your website. I hear the phrase ‘Cape Parrot’ and it never fails to bring a smile! They MUST be conserved. They’re like emeralds with wings.
Scott Lewis – Cape Breeder U.S.
I have never had a Cape bite hard enough to bring blood, and I have raised
a few babies. Their beaks are very strong — we have to band with stainless
steel because they crush or cut standard aluminum bands. But, they are
gentle birds.
Karen J Wingrove – Cape Enthusiast U.S.
I’ll second the statement about Capes being gentle birds….at least the two I know are. Toby and Tulip seek skritches from everybody and are wonderful birds.
Scott Lewis – Cape Breeder U.S.
I think that as a general rule, male psittacines usually run a little
larger than females, greys, galahs, Jardines, whatever. But, it overlaps,
and it’s the kind of thing that you would need a scale to see in many
cases. For example, we expect our P.r. suahelicus Cape males to be heavier
than the females. But, we expect the difference to typically be in the
order of 50 grams give or take on average. It’s not the kind of size
difference that jumps out at you if you are simply looking at a pair. And,
a small male might actually weigh less than a big hen.
Scott Lewis – Cape Breeder U.S.
…note that neither Gretl nor Thor (age 7 months) have any orange on their shoulders. They should molt in some with time, although it is typically not as pronounced as with P.r. fuscicollis. Finally, they don’t appear to have their orange anklets yet or at most just inklings. It can take several years for Capes to show full, mature coloration. In addition, the amount of orange can vary significantly with individual birds, although mature P.r. fuscicollis normally have more than P.r. suahelicus.
Scott Lewis – Cape Breeder U.S.
I have never seen a Cape display serious aggression with intent to injure.
However, obviously that doesn’t mean that it can’t happen. But, the battles
I have seen (between birds) have been bluff.
Marty (Rooster) – Cape Hand Feeder U.S.
We have a Cape as a pet and it is best described as awsome. The talking ability is probably not as great as the Grey we also have but it is still good. Probably I say that as he is harder to understand and I am a bit hard of hearing. Nanny doesn’t have any problem understanding him at all, but then again there are times I have trouble understanding Nanny. LOL The only special need I have found from these birds is they love attention but can get along very well if you have to miss a time. They are probably the most well adjusted birds I have ever seen. Nothing seems to phase them and they take changes and new people in stride, as long as someone gives them a head scritch now and then.
Carol Palmore – Cape Companion U.S.
Well, honestly, no one knows much about what companion Cape parrots are
like because there are so few out there, and even those that are out
there are likely to be very young, since the few Capes that are hatched
domestically used to almost always go to breeding situations. This is
one aspect of having a Cape for a companion to consider: you will be
one of the pioneers with companion Capes. There are so few Capes in the
US, that very little is known on what a good diet for a Cape is, what
medical conditions Capes might be subject to, what behavioral challenges
one is apt to have to work with in Capes, how a Cape’s behavior changes
(or doesn’t change) as it becomes sexually mature, etc. etc. etc. This
is somewhat true for Jardine’s as well, since Js aren’t a particularly
common species in the US but it is even more true for Capes.
Jean Pattison – Cape Breeder U.S.
We are not SURE of anything except the nominate robustus, robustus is a
yellowish headed bird, that has been DNA verified (this has not officially
been approved yet) to be different from the other two, and they do not
cross in the wild. P.r.s. has a bit of an overlap, but according to DNA
they are not the same bird as P.r.r.
P.r.f. and P.r.s, have ranges totally separate so they do not cross in the
wild.
At this point in time we may only have P.r.s. here in the states and we are
working with the same bird, but variations from opposite ends of the
habitat. Logically this could produce enough variation to make us THINK we
have two different subspecies.
A few of us have done a lot of research into the subspecies differences to
allow us think we have the two different ones over here. This is the best
we can do. I have personally tracked every rumor of us having P.r.r here
and upon seeing them, found them to be inaccurately classed.
I have had three different people from S. Africa go thru my flock of capes
and *TRY* to sort them out. Most all of mine are wild caught birds from
Africa, so we know they are pure. Not person could be 100% sure. One was a
noted aviculturist, another an aviculturist. and the other was Mike Perrin
head of conservation and research at the University of Natal in S. Africa.
The African Parrot Society brought him here a few years ago to speak at the
AFA convention. His lecture was on Cape parrots as well as some of the more
rare Poicephalus.
After he had gone through my flock, he said to me….”I thought I had them
all figured out, until I saw yours”. He stated he had never seen so many
capes in one place at one time. That is part of the problem. You cannot
“see” the differences from one place to the other well enough to say what
the differences are. Weights, measurements, bone structure is the only way
(except for DNA, maybe) to know, and that has to be compared with the same
stats from birds of known origin.
So, we pair like with like as best we can. Can’t ask for any more than
that. If I have a small P.r.s. male, he very well could be paired with a
large P.r.f. hen. Nothing I, or any one else can do. We try.
At this point in time all the cape parrots are the species robustus, the
subspecies is what makes the difference. So if someone says they have
Poicephalus robustus, what they are saying is they have cape parrots,
period. When the little r, s, or f is added, then we are talking the
subspecies.
Scott Lewis – Cape Breeder U.S.
From day one, the shape of the beak makes the baby look like it is always
smiling. And as the baby develops, you realize that the smile is genuine.
Craig Symes – Cape Researcher S.A.
The taxonomic revision of the Cape Parrot Poicephalus robustus
The taxonomic status of the Cape Parrot Poicephalus robustus Gmelin
1788, has recently been researched and revised (Wirminghaus & Perrin
1994; Clancey 1997; Symes, Wirminghaus, Downs, Perrin 1998; Wirminghaus,
Downs, Symes & Perrin In prep.). Significant morphometric, plumage
colour, habitat requirements and range separations support the validity
of two separate species. Three subspecies have previously been
recognized: i) Poicephalus robustus robustus Gmelin, 1788, type locality
- specimen lost, possibly Eastern Cape (Clancey 1965); ii)Poicephalus
robustus suahelicus Reichenow, 1898, type locality: Msua, near Bagamoyo,
eastern Tanzania, East Africa (Chapin 1939; Clancey 1965); iii)
Poicephalus robustus fuscicollis Kuhl, 1820, Type locality: uncertain,
probably Gambia (Chapin 1939). Clancey (19970 first proposed the
recognition of two separate species P.robustus and P.fuscicollis
(P.f.fuscicollis and P.f.suahelicus) and this has been supported
(Wirminghaus & Perrin 1994; Symes et al. 1998; Wirminghaus et al. In
prep).
The Cape Parrot P.robustus is confined to the austral range of
the taxon in naturally fragmented Mistbelt Mixed Podocarpus forests of
south-eastern South Africa (Maclean 1993; Forshaw 1989; Clancey 1997;
Wirminghaus 1997). This is a forest-specific species, dependant on
predominantly the Outeniqua yellowwood Podocarpus falcatus as a source
of food and as nest sites (Wirminghaus 1997; Wirminghaus et al. In
prep.). Historically this species had a wider distribution and habitat
destruction, capture for the avicultural bird trade, shooting of birds
as pests and possibly disease has reduced the population to fewer than
an estimated 1 000 birds (Boshoff 1980; Downs & Symes 1998). The present
distribution ranges from Alice in the Eastern Cape Province, through the
forests of the former Transkei, to the Karkloof of KwaZulu-Natal
Province. Historically specimens were collected outside the present
range near Zuurbron in the southern Mpumalanga Province in 1905 (BMNH),
Newcastle in KwaZulu-Natal Province in 1890 (BMNH) and Haenertsberg
(near Pietersberg) in the southern Northern Province (TM). A relict
population is found 400 km to the north in the escarpment forests of the
Northern Province (Kemp 1974; Wirminghaus 1997).
Two sub-species of the Greyheaded (or Brown-necked) Parrot are
found. Poicephalus fuscicollis suahelicus, is found from the Northern
Province of South Africa just south of the Limpopo River, north through
Zimbabwe, western Mozambique, the Caprivi of Namibia, eastern Angola,
Zambia, to northern Tanzania, Burundi, Rwanda and southern Zaire (Fry,
Keith & Urban 1988; Forshaw 1989; Symes et al. 1998; Parker 1999;
Wirminghaus et al. In prep). In East Africa it is an uncommon resident
of woodlands being patchily distributed in Tanzania (Britton 1980;
Forshaw 1989), and in the highlands of eastern Zaire it occurs in
montane forest to 3750 m.a.s.l. (Chapin 1939; Lippens 1976Britton 1980;
Forshaw 1989). In Zambia, where it is widely distributed (48% of atlas
squares) (Aspinwall pers.comm.), yet nowhere common (Leonard pers.comm;
Snow et al. 1978). In Malawi and Zambia it is generally uncommon in
woodlands to about 2000 m.a.s.l. where woodland tree species provide
seeds for food and hole cavities for nesting (Fry et al. 1988). Zambia
is reported as one of its strongholds and seasonal movements are
recorded (Aspinwall pers.comm.; Leonard pers.comm.). These birds are
noted as being more nomadic than other Poicephalus species (Forshaw
1989). In Zimbabwe it is widespread, yet uncommon, in woodlands along
major river courses and scarce above 1000 m.a.s.l. (Smithers, Irwin &
Paterson 1957; Irwin 1981).
P.f.fuscicollis is confined to drier parts of west Africa, from
Senegal to northern Nigeria, but rare and local in the east of its range
(Bannerman 1953, Elgood 1982; Forshaw 1989). It is a seasonal visitor to
the northern regions of Ghana (Moyer pers.comm.), and the Plateau
Province of Cote d*Ivoire in April and May (Bannerman 1953), where it
is uncommon. In the mangroves of the Gambia it is more common (Bannerman
1953).
The division of these separate species has been proposed in
recent literature and the two species are easily separated on a visual
basis (Forshaw 1989; Maclean 1993; Clancey 1997; Wirminghaus 1997; Symes
et al. 1998). Duetting vocalizations are also possibly species specific
(pers.obs.). Preliminary DNA analyses support these findings (Bloomer
pers.comm.).
Dr. Colleen T. Downs – Cape Researcher S.A.
For your interest the Cape Parrot papers that are being published are:
- Wirminghaus, J.O., Downs, C.T., Symes, C.T. & Perrin, M.R. 1999. Conservation of the Cape Parrot in southern Africa. South African Journal of Wildlife Research 29:118- 29.
- Wirminghaus, J.O., Downs, C.T., Symes, C.T., Perrin, M.R. & Dempster, E.R. 2000. Vocalisations, and some behaviours of the Cape Parrot Poicephalus robustus. Durban Museum Novitates 25: 12-17.
- Wirminghaus, J.O., Downs, C.T., Symes, C.T. & Perrin, M.R. 2000. Abundance of the Cape Parrot in South Africa. South African Journal of Wildlife Research 30: 43-52.
- Wirminghaus, J.O., Downs, C.T., Symes, C.T. & Perrin, M.R. 2000. Fruiting in Two Afromontane Forests in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa: the Habitat Type of the Endangered Cape Parrot Poicephalus robustus S. A. J. Bot. In press.
- Wirminghaus, J.O., Downs, C.T., Symes, C.T. & Perrin, M.R. Feeding ecology and feeding behaviour of the Cape Parrot Poicephalus robustus. Ostrich in press.
- Wirminghaus, the late J.O., Downs, C.T., Symes, C.T. & Perrin, M.R. Breeding biology of the Cape Parrot Poicephalus robustus. Ostrich In press.
- Wirminghaus, J.O., Downs, C.T.Perrin, M.R.& Symes, C.T.
2000.Taxonomic relationships of the subspecies of the Cape Parrot Poicephalus robustus (Gmelin). Journal of Natural History in press. - Wirminghaus, J.O., Downs, C.T., Symes, C.T. & Perrin, M.R. Abundance and activity patterns of the Cape Parrot (Poicephalus robustus) in two afromontane forests in South Africa. African Zoology provisionally accepted after revision.
Scott Lewis – Cape Breeder U.S.
I think it is all going to be confusing down the line as far as aviculture
is concerned. But, that is nothing new for Capes. A few years ago, all
Capes in the U.S. were P.r. suahelicus regardless of whether they actually
were P.r. fuscicollis.
Cape Parrots are still relatively unknown, and now their names are going to
change. So, I don’t think there is a solution that is not going to cause
some confusion. The solution I plan to use is the best one I can come up
with to introduce the new names and still have people that visit our site
realize that we breed what they have assumed were Cape Parrots. In a few
years, if new books and magazine articles consistently refer to them as
brown-necked and grey-headed parrots, I may drop the “Cape” part of the
names, but that isn’t going to happen in the near future.
And, please note, that even though I pointed out in a previous email that
“official” common names do not exist, accepted common names do. For
example, the common names given in “Parrots of the World” and “The Lexicon
of Parrots” are accepted common names. So, I will use those names that will
probably become accepted as a function of publication, which are
brown-necked parrot and grey-headed parrot. I’m adding the “Cape” for
continuity. If a bunch of people on this list got together, formed a club,
and decided that they were going to call their pet Prs Capes silver-headed
parrots, I would not consider using that common name because it is unlikely
to appear in the literature and become an accepted alternative to
grey-headed parrot.
Malcolm Gemmell – Bird Watcher S.A.
Last week’s Cape Parrot Workshop at Univ.of Natal, highlighted, it’s critical status-i.e.-396 at the 2000 National Wild Count. It distresses me to report 40 of them feeding in Prunus africana in our local squatter camp.(Sat.9/12/00)Hopefully these trees will run out of fruit very soon,and the birds will go back to where they belong;to the Podocarpus of our local forests,where they are much safer.However if you don’t mind viewing this beautiful creature amongst rubbish pits,wash lines,people everywhere,and to loud music,do not delay.
Esther of Esther’s Feathers – Pet Store Owner
I actually have my “dream bird”. He is a a wonderful 4 yr old Cape that a
lady had to part with. She got my name from my vet because he knew that I
was interested in breeding Capes. When I went to get him, she warned me that
he was alittle nippy, but because I wanted him for breeding, that shouldn’t
matter.
Well, I brought him home and he ahs been the love of my life! He has never
bittten me and it has now been a year. Yes, I would still like to breed
Capes, but i am not sure I would be willing to give up this wonderful friend.
I know that some day I will find him alittle mate and let him have a family,
then I can love on his babies too. But he is certainly my “dream bird”
Karen J Wingrove – Cape Companion U.S.
I love all of the little rascals, but you’re right – there’s something magical about that little Cape.
Esther of Esther’s Feathers – Pet Store Owner
Capes are such great friends-I could never part with mine-he is my best bud!
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