THE WORLD BIRDS - An Online Bird Book
PARROTS and Allies
African Parrots and Parakeets
Order Psittaciformes Family Psittacidae
PARROTS and Allies
The order Psittaciformes is comprised of the parrots and their allies. They are found in most warm and tropical regions. The greatest diversity of parrots is found in South America and Australasia. Characteristic features of parrots include a strong curved bill, an upright stance, and strong legs. Like woodpeckers, they have 2 toes pointing forward (digits 2, 3) and 2 toes pointing backward (digits 1, 4). Most parrots are predominantly green, with other bright colors. They generally exhibit little or no sexual dimorphism. The most important components of most parrots' diets are seeds, nuts, fruit, buds and other plant material. Almost all parrots nest in tree holes. Parrots are some of the most intelligent birds, and the ability of some parrot species to imitate human voices enhances their popularity as pets.
These links lead to Psittaciformes web pages.
These links lead to Psittaciformes web pages.
African (Psittacidae)
Asian (Psittaculidae)
Australasian(Cacatuoidea): Cockatoo
Australasian (Psittaculidae): Lorikeet, Parrots-and-Parakeet
South American (Psittacidae): Amazon, Macaw, Parrots-and-Parakeet
Asian (Psittaculidae)
Australasian(Cacatuoidea): Cockatoo
Australasian (Psittaculidae): Lorikeet, Parrots-and-Parakeet
South American (Psittacidae): Amazon, Macaw, Parrots-and-Parakeet
African Parrots and Parakeets
Order Psittaciformes Family Psittacidae
Genus Agapornis
Lovebirds are social and affectionate small parrots native to Africa. Their name stems from the parrots' strong, monogamous pair bonding and the long periods in which paired birds will spend sitting together. Lovebirds eat fruit, vegetables, grasses and seed. Some species are kept as pets, and several color mutations were selectively bred in aviculture. Their average lifespan is 10 to 15 years.
Lovebird,_Black-cheeked Agapornis nigrigenis Found: Zambia
The Black-cheeked Lovebird has mainly green plumage; reddish-brown fore-crown; brownish-black cheeks, throat; white eye-rings; gray feet.
Image by: 1) Dick Daniels - San Diego Zoo 2) Ornitologia_Lodato 3, 4) Nik_Borrow
Lovebird,_Black-collared Agapornis swindernianus Found: Africa
The Black-collared Lovebird has mainly green plumage; narrow black neck collar; green tail with black terminal band; gray bill.
Image by: 1) Stavenn 2) P_Khoo
Lovebird,_Black-winged Agapornis taranta Found: Africa
The Black-winged Lovebird has mainly green plumage; black flight feathers; yellowish-green tail with black bear tip; red bill. Male has red forehead.
Image by: 1( Alastair Rae 2) Veli Pohjonen - Ethiopia
1) Female 2) Male
Lovebird,_Fischer's Agapornis fischeri Found: Africa
The Fischer's Lovebird has green back, breast, wings; orange head; yellow lower neck, upper-breast; white eye-ring; red bill.
Similar to: Lilian's Lovebird. Fischer's Lovebird has yellower underparts than does Lilian's Lovebird.
Image by: 1) Yolanda 2) Takashi Hososhima 3) BekiPe 4) Tarique_Sani 5) Nik_Borrow - TanzaniaSimilar to: Lilian's Lovebird. Fischer's Lovebird has yellower underparts than does Lilian's Lovebird.
Lovebird,_Grey-headed Agapornis cana Found: Madagascar
The male Grey-headed Lovebird has gray head, neck breast; dark olive upperparts; lighter olive belly. Female has green head, neck, breast.
Image by: 1) Frank Vassen - Madagascar 2) Nassos T 3) David Cook - Madagascar
1) Female 2, 3) Male
Lovebird,_Lilian's also Nyasa Lovebird Agapornis lilianae Found: Africa
The Lilian's Lovebird has mainly green plumage; orange on head, neck, upper breast; white eye-rings.
Similar to: Fischer's Lovebird. Fischer's Lovebird has yellower underparts than does Lilian's Lovebird.
Image by: 1) Hans Hillewaert - Zambai 2) Lip Kee - Malawi 3, 4) Nik_Borrow - MalawiSimilar to: Fischer's Lovebird. Fischer's Lovebird has yellower underparts than does Lilian's Lovebird.
Lovebird,_Red-headed also Red-faced Lovebird Agapornis pullarius Found: Africa
The male Red-headed Lovebird red fore-crown, forehead, face; green back, wings, breast, belly; red bill. The female has orange face.
Image by: 1) Ross Tsai - Ghana 2) Jo Jan 3) Oleg Chernyshov
Lovebird,_Rosy-faced in aviculure Peach-faced Lovebird Agapornis roseicollis Found: North America (escapees), Africa
Wild birds are mostly green, blue rump, pink face and throat. Escapees from capitivity are frequent in many part of the world. Feral population exists in Pheonix.
Image by: 1) Alastair Rae 2) Jerry Oldenettel - Namibia 3) Dick Daniels - Jungle
Island of Miami 4) Dick - Jungle
Island of Miami
4) Blue morph
Lovebird,_Yellow-collared also Masked Lovebird Agapornis personatus Found: Africa
The Yellow-collared Lovebird has green back, wings; dark brown crown, face; yellow wide collar, breast; orange throat; white eye-rings; red bill.
Image by: 1) John Kessy 2) Nita JY 3) Nik_Borrow - Tanzania
Genus Coracopsis
Parrot, Greater Vasa- Coracopsis vasa Found: Madagascar
The Greater Vasa-Parrot has gray-black plumage; whitish eye-ring. Female sheds head feathers when breeding to reveal orange skin. Male is one of the few bird species to have a phallus.
Similar to: Lesser Vasa-Parrot. Greater Vasa-Parrot has whitish eye-ring; Lesser Vasa-Parrot has gray eye-ring. Greater Vasa-Parrot is larger.
Image by: 1)
Dick Daniels - World of Birds, South Africa 2) AEM - Madagascar 3) Dunnock D 4) Jerry_OldenettelSimilar to: Lesser Vasa-Parrot. Greater Vasa-Parrot has whitish eye-ring; Lesser Vasa-Parrot has gray eye-ring. Greater Vasa-Parrot is larger.
Parrot,_Lesser_Vasa- also Black Parrot Coracopsis nigra also Mascarinus niger Found: Madagascar
The Lesser Vasa-Parrot has gray-black plumage; gray eye-ring. Female sheds head feathers when breeding to reveal orange skin. Male is one of the few bird species to have a phallus.
Similar to: Greater Vasa-Parrot. Greater Vasa-Parrot has whitish eye-ring; Lesser Vasa-Parrot has gray eye-ring.
Image by: 1) Werner Witte - Madagascar 2) Dick Daniels - Antananarivo Zoo, Madagascarr 3, 4) Jerry_OldenettelSimilar to: Greater Vasa-Parrot. Greater Vasa-Parrot has whitish eye-ring; Lesser Vasa-Parrot has gray eye-ring.
Genus Poicephalus
The genus Poicephalus is native to Africa. The birds are stocky with short broad tails and relatively large heads and beaks for their size. They feed primarily on seeds, fruits, nuts, and leafy matter.
Parrot,_Brown-headed Poicephalus cryptoxanthus Found: Africa
The Brown-headed Parrot has green upperparts; gray-brown head; bright green underparts; upper mandible darker than lower mandible; yellow under-wing.
Image by: 1, 2) Arno Meintjes 3) Danforth1 4) Bernard_Dupont.
Parrot,_Cape Poicephalus robustus also Brown-necked Parrot also Gray-headed Parrot Found: South Africa
The Cape Parrot has a brown or gray or olive head and neck; green upperparts; bluish tinged green underparts; ivory colored bill. Female has orangish fore-crown.
Subspecies Brown-necked Parrot (P. r. fuscicolli) and Gray-headed Parrot (P. r. suahelicus) are sometimes considered species.
Image by: 1) Bob_Corrigan Alan Manson - South Africa 2) Alice T 3) Paul Barnard - South Africa
1) Juvenile
Parrot, Meyer's Poicephalus meyeri Found: Africa
The Meyer's Parrot has gray-brown upperparts, head; bright yellow shoulders; sometimes yellow on top of head; blue-green underparts; gray bill.
Similar to: Ruppell's Parrot. Female Ruppell's Parrot has blue lower-belly; Meyer's has gray-brown underparts.. Yellow on shoulder of Ruppell's Parrot goes further back than yellow on Meyer's
Image by: 1) Papooga 2) Dick Daniels - Tanzania 3) Sandy Cole - Birds of Eden, South Africa
4) Charlie Westerinen - Namibia 5) Oce EEco - Zimbabwe 6) Geek2NurseSimilar to: Ruppell's Parrot. Female Ruppell's Parrot has blue lower-belly; Meyer's has gray-brown underparts.. Yellow on shoulder of Ruppell's Parrot goes further back than yellow on Meyer's
Parrot,_Nian-Niam Poicephalus crassus Found: central Africa
The Nian=Niam parront has mainly green plumage; brown head; red eye.
Image by: 1) .taenos.com 2) Pinned
Parrot,_Red-bellied Poicephalus rufiventris Found: west-central Africa
The Red-bellied Parrot has gray-brown upperparts, head, upper-breast; blackish bill. Male has orange lower-breast, belly; female has green lower-breast, belly.
Image by: 1) D_Coetzee 2) Geek2Nurse 3, 4) Bram Cynet 1) Female 2) Juvenile male 3, 4) Male
Parrot, Red-fronted also Jardine's Parrot Poicephalus gulielmi Found: Africa
The Red-fronted Parrot has orange-red crown and flanks (amount of red-orange is subspecies dependent; green head; green upperparts with black scalloping; whitish eye-ring.
Image by: 1,
2) Dick Daniels -
Birds of Eden 3) Graham - Birds of Eden 4) Juan Caparros
Parrot,_Ruppell's Poicephalus rueppellii Found: Africa
The Ruppell's Parrot has mainly gray / brown plumage; yellow shoulder; gray bill. Female and juvenile have blue lower-belly, rump.
Similar to: Meyer.'s Parrot. Female Ruppell's Parrot has blue lower-belly; Meyer's has gray-brown underparts.. Yellow on shoulder of Ruppell's Parrot goes further back than yellow on Meyer's.
Image by: 1) Ron Knight - Namibia 2) Pinned 3) Jerry Oldenettel - NamibiaSimilar to: Meyer.'s Parrot. Female Ruppell's Parrot has blue lower-belly; Meyer's has gray-brown underparts.. Yellow on shoulder of Ruppell's Parrot goes further back than yellow on Meyer's.
Parrot, Senegal Poicephalus senegalus Found: Africa
The Senegal Parrot has green upperparts. throat; gray head, bill; yellow underparts
Image by: 1) Sandy Cole - Birds of Eden, South Africa 2) Dick Daniels - Birds of Eden 3) Juan Emilio - Canary Islands 4) Jan Svetlik
Parrot,_Yellow-fronted also Yellow-faced Parrot Poicephalus flavifrons Found: Ethiopia
The Yellow-fronted Parrot has dark green upperpart; lighter green underparts; yellow face, crown; olive-brown tail; dark upper mandible; light lower mandible.
Image by: 1) Alastair Rae 2) Ingeborg van Leeuwen 3) Peter_Wilton
1) Adult at top, juvenile below
Genus Psittacus - 1 species
Parrot, African Grey Psittacus erithacus Found: Africa
The African Grey Parrot has mainly gray plumage; whtie facial skin; red under-tail; black bill
Image by: 1, 2, 3) Dick Daniels - Sylvan Heights 4) Sandy Cole - National Aviary 
