Caique

A Caique is one of two species of small, brightly colored parrot of the genus Pionites.

Caiques originate from the area of the Amazon Rainforest of northern Brazil and southern Venezuela, and the Guiana highlands.

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

Caiques are also occasionally known as the "Seven Color Parrot" because of their many feather colors. (Black, Green, Yellow, Orange, White and Blue feathers have all been observed.)

Species

There are only two species of caique: The white-bellied caique, and the black-headed caique.

The White-Bellied Caique

The White-Bellied Caique, or l. xanthomeria, 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 black-head.

The Black-Headed Caique

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. The black-head tends to flock in groups of about three dozen.

Aviculture

Caiques are growing in popularity in aviculture, the most commonly found variety 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 be careful if you have or plan to have other types of parrots.

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