A Caique is one of two species of small, brightly colored parrot of the genus Pionites. Genera A parrot is a bird belonging to the family Psittacidae. ...

Caiques originate from the area of the Amazon Rainforest of northern Brazil and southern Venezuela, and the Guiana highlands. A river in the Amazon rainforest The Amazon Rainforest is a term widely used to describe the moist broadleaf forests of the Amazon Basin. ...

In the wild, caiques generally prefer forested areas and subsist on fruit and seeds.

Caiques are also occasionally known as the "Seven-Color Parrot" because black, green, yellow, orange, white and blue feathers have all been observed.

Species

There are only two species of caique: the White-bellied Parrot or White-bellied Caique and the Black-headed Parrot or Black-headed Caique.

White-Bellied Caique

Image File history File links Download high resolution version (480x601, 49 KB)A White Bellied Caique. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (480x601, 49 KB)A White Bellied Caique. ...

The White-Bellied Caique

The White-Bellied Caique, Pionites leucogaster, has an orange-yellow head, a white belly, green wings and back, bluish primary feathers, a horn-colored beak, and pink feet. The white-belly tends to flock in pairs, or small family groups. The White-Bellied Caique also has a common subspecies, the "Yellow-thighed Caique" or P. l. xanthomeria, with yellow instead of green leg feathers and black feet. The yellow-thigh is sometimes thought to be a hybrid between the white-belly and the black-head. In biology, hybrid has three meanings. ...

The Black-Headed Caique

A mature female Black-headed Caique in captivity. Photo: Amy Shears, 27 July 2005. Public Domain.

The Black-Headed Caique, Pionites melanocephala, has a black crown, yellow to orange head, white belly, yellow leg feathers and underside of tail, green back and wings, bluish primaries, greyish bill, and black feet. Minor variations in this coloration exist. The black-head tends to flock in groups of about three dozen. Image File history File linksMetadata Blackheadedcaique. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Blackheadedcaique. ...

Aviculture

Caiques are growing in popularity in aviculture, the more commonly found species being the black-head. Caiques bond well with humans and have a reputation as playful birds, often having a tendency to end up on their backs. Caiques are fairly quiet (compared with other parrots) if trained properly, active, and prolific chewers. They can be distrustful of other species of parrot, so prospective buyers be careful if they have or plan to have other types of parrots. Aviculture is the practice of keeping and often breeding pet birds, generally companion parrots, and the culture that forms around it. ...

Caiques are poor imitators of human speech, and their appeal as a pet lies in their playfulness, not their speaking ability.

Caiques have a musky smell. Prospective buyers should interact with a bird before buying it (as all pet buyers should) to see whether they find the smell unpleasant.

Sexing

Males and females of either species looks exactly the same in coloration. Females may be slighty larger but weight alone cannot be a determinating factor in sexing. Only way to determine sex is by surgical sexing or DNA sexing.