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Niam-niam Parrot

 (Poicephalus crassus)
 
Click photo to visit gallery

Wild Niam-niam Parrot
© Callan Cohen, Claire Spottiswoode and Julian Francis [CC BY-SA 4.0] via Wikimedia Commons

Did You Know?

In the wild a good way to identify Poicephalus species is to observe its flight - the wingbeats meet underneath the body, unlike other parrots.

Academic Research

Related publications: Poicephalus crassus

Species Profile

Genus: Poicephalus | Species: crassus

Size:

25cm (9.75 in)

Weight:

Subspecies including nominate:

one

Colour Adult:

Both adults brown head and neck tinged with olive/yellow; olive/brown throat and breast; silver/grey ear coverts; green underwing coverts; olive/brown tail tipped with dull green. Grey/brown upper mandible tipped with black, yellow lower. Cere and eye ring bare and dark brown/grey. Eye yellow.

Colour Juvenile:

Grey/brown crown and nape strongly marked with olive/yellow; yellow edging on inner secondary feathers. Yellow upper mandible tipped with dark grey, yellow lower.

Call:

Calls made in flight or when perched are very sharp, which can be heard at some distance. Becomes more high-pitched with alarm.

More Information:

Avibase
Article: First photographs of Niam-niam Parrot, not seen for almost 40 years

Content Sources:

CITES
BirdLife International
Cornell of Lab of Ornithology/Birds of the World
Parrots: A Guide to Parrots of the World, Juniper and Parr, 1998
Parrots of the World, Forshaw, 2006. 2010 edition
Parrots in Aviculture, Low, 1992.
Lexicon of Parrots, Thomas Arndt.

Click photo to visit gallery

Wild Niam-niam Parrot
© Callan Cohen, Claire Spottiswoode and Julian Francis [CC BY-SA 4.0] via Wikimedia Commons

Did You Know?

In the wild a good way to identify Poicephalus species is to observe its flight - the wingbeats meet underneath the body, unlike other parrots.

Academic Research

Related publications: Poicephalus crassus

Species Care

Captive Status:

Rare

Longevity:

Not recorded.

Housing:

Flight 2 x 1 x 2m (6.5 x 3.3 x 6.5 ft); minimum temperature during acclimatisation 20C (68 F), afterward not less than 10C (50 F).

Diet:

Seed mix such as: safflower, paddy rice, wheat, oats, canary, buckwheat, Pinus seed, millet; millet spray, dry or sprouted; limited sprouted sunflower seed; fruits such as: apple, pear, orange, banana, cactus fruits, pomegranate, papaya; vegetables such as: carrot, celery, green beans and peas in the pod; berries such as: rosehips, rowanberries or elderberries; green leaves such as: Swiss chard, lettuce, kale, sowthistle, dandelion, chickweed; complete pellet.

Enrichment:

Are vigorous chewers so provide plenty of bird-safe, unsprayed woods such as: pine, fir, elder, willow or saskatoon bush. Also provide wooden block and vegetable tanned leather toys and heat sterilized pine cones.

Nest Box Size:

Not recorded.

Clutch Size:

Not recorded.

Incubation Time:

Not recorded.

Fledging Age:

Not recorded.

Hatch Weight:

Not recorded.

Peak Weight:

Not recorded.

Weaning Weight:

Not recorded.

Click photo to visit gallery

Wild Niam-niam Parrot
© Callan Cohen, Claire Spottiswoode and Julian Francis [CC BY-SA 4.0] via Wikimedia Commons

Did You Know?

In the wild a good way to identify Poicephalus species is to observe its flight - the wingbeats meet underneath the body, unlike other parrots.

Academic Research

Related publications: Poicephalus crassus

Species Wild Status

World Population:

Unknown, stable.

IUCN Red List Status:

Least Concern

CITES Listing:

Appendix II

Threat Summary:

Not globally threatened. Largely unknown African parrot; needs more study to confirm abundance. Occurs uncommonly in Manovo-Gounda-St Floris National Park, Central African Republic. Is rare in Sudan.

Range:

WC Africa from S Chad and possibly E Cameroon, east to N Democratic Republic of Congo and SW Sudan.

Habitat:

Found up to 1000m (3280 ft) in wooded savanna country, forest savanna mosaic, moist savannas and Syzygium-Adina riparian woodland in savanna.

Wild Diet:

Probably includes a variety of seeds; also millet and grain.

Ecology and Behaviour:

Resident with local movements to and from feeding areas. Seen in pairs or small groups. Wary and difficult to approach.

Clutch and Egg Size:

Not recorded.

Breeding Season:

Possibly August-September.

Click photo to visit gallery

Wild Niam-niam Parrot
© Callan Cohen, Claire Spottiswoode and Julian Francis [CC BY-SA 4.0] via Wikimedia Commons

Did You Know?

In the wild a good way to identify Poicephalus species is to observe its flight - the wingbeats meet underneath the body, unlike other parrots.

Academic Research

Related publications: Poicephalus crassus

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