Let’s look at another little Alien…
The Senegal Parrot is found across a wide range of West Africa and makes migrations within West Africa according to the availability of the fruit, seeds and blossoms which make up its diet. It is considered a farm pest in Africa, often feeding on maize or millet but is popular in aviculture.
There are three subspecies. They do not differ in behaviour, but only in the colour of the “vest”. In the pet trade, the “Poicephalus senegalus senegalus” subspecies is the most common though all three are raised and sold as pets.
Poicephalus senegalus senegalus: Has a yellow vest; its native range includes southern Mauritania, southern Mali to Guinea and Lobos Island.
Poicephalus senegalus mesotypus: Has an orange vest; its range is from eastern and north-eastern Nigeria and Cameroon into south-west Chad.
Poicephalus senegalus versteri: Has a deep-orange/red vest; its range is from the Ivory Coast and Ghana east to western Nigeria.
Senegal Parrots are birds of open woodland and savanna. It is a sociable species, continuously chattering with a range of whistling and squawking calls. Live an average of 25-30 years in the wild, and have been known to live for 50 years in captivity. They are about 23 cm long, weigh 125 to 170 gm, have a relatively large head and beak for their size, and have a short broad tail. Adults have a charcoal grey head, grey beak, bright yellow irises, green back and throat, and yellow under parts and rump. The yellow and green areas on a Senegal Parrot’s front form a V-shape resembling a yellow vest worn over green. Juveniles have dark grey, almost black, irises.
They are not sexually dimorphic, but there are some hypotheses which sometimes might help to determine the gender of adult birds. In females the green V-shape of the vest usually extends down over the chest to between the legs, whereas in males the tip of the green area ends midway down the chest. The female’s beak and head are mostly slightly smaller and narrower than the male’s. The short feathers under the base of the tail are generally yellow in the male and green in the female. Males are mostly larger and heavier than female birds.
A pair will feed each other to bond. (Pet Senegal parrots also like to feed from their keeper’s mouth). They nest in holes in trees, often oil palms, usually laying three to four white eggs. The eggs are incubated by the female, starting after the second egg has been laid, for about 27 to 28 days. Newly hatched chicks have a sparse white down and they do not open their eyes until about two to three weeks from hatching. They are dependent on the female for food and warmth who remains in the nest until about four weeks from hatching when the chicks have enough feathers for heat insulation. During this time the male brings food for the female and chicks, and guards the nest site. From about two to four weeks from hatching the female also begins to collect food for the chicks. The chicks leave the nest at about 9 weeks and they become independent from their parents at about 12 weeks from hatching.
Because of its vast range in Africa, the wild Senegal Parrot population is difficult to estimate. Nevertheless, in 1981 concerns about extensive trapping of wild parrots for the pet trade lead to it being listed in The Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), along with all parrot species. This has made the trade, import and export of all wild caught parrots illegal. Wild caught Senegal Parrots do not usually become tame and do not make good pets.
Hand reared Senegal Parrots are one of the most popular parrots to be kept as pets, and the most popular Poicephalus parrot. Their calls are generally high pitched whistles and squawks, but they are not as noisy as many other parrot species. They are relatively easy to breed in captivity and there is a small industry in breeding and hand rearing them and other parrots for the pet trade. In aviculture they can start to breed at the age of 3 to 4 years, but some do not breed until age 6 or 7 years.
Those households they invaded (like ours) surely enjoy their presence…
Cheers
