White-crowned Pionuses aka White-capped Parrots
Information on the Pionus, Pet Qualities & Care ... Photo Gallery ... Common Diseases and Disorders
The White-crowned Pionus, pionus senelis, is a small parrot that is relatively common in captivity - although captive-bred birds are not frequently available.
Its natural range extends from eastern Mexico to western Panama. It is found in lowlands and foothills locally up to 1600 m altitude in forest canopy and edges, and adjacent semi-open woodland and second growth.
The White-crowned Parrot feeds in social flocks of 30-50 birds, which may wander outside the breeding range once nesting has finished. It feeds on taking various seeds, nuts and fruits, and can be pest in crops of corn or sorghum, and commercial fruit plantations. It can be unobtrusive when feeding since it is slow-moving, usually silent, and keeps in the canopy. However, at rest it often perches conspicuously at the top of an unopened palm frond. Its flight call is a screeched kreeah (Source: Wikipedia.org)
Description:
The White-crowned Pionus is a medium, stocky bright green parrot with a white crown. This pionus has a speckled brown patch on the dorsal wing coverts and blue lacing on the neck. The under tail coverts are bright red as is the case in all Pionus. Primary and secondary flight and tail feathers are green edged in blue. Underside of flight feathers is aqua colored. The beak is horn colored and they have fleshy eye rings.
The White-crowned Parrot is 24 cm (9 to 10 inches) long and weighs 230 - 260 g.
Males are generally larger and have deeper and more extensive blue than females and have larger heads and beaks. The adult male has a white forehead and crown, the feature which, likened to an old man's white hair, gave rise to the specific name senilis. The throat is white, and the rest of the head, neck and breast are dull dark blue. The belly is light green, and the upperparts are dark green, with a yellow-olive shoulder patch. In flight, the blue underwings and red vent are conspicuous features.
The female White-crowned Parrot is similar to the male, but the blue plumage fades into scaling on the lower breast and the shoulder patch is duller.
Juveniles have little to no blue on the neck or red on the undertail and have a smaller white patch on the crown. Their crown feathers are green edged with white. The eyes or both juveniles and adults are dark brown.
In the wild, White-crowned Pionus can probably live up to 35-45 years or more. Little is known about their life span in captivity. Breeding age is approximately 3-5 years.
Distribution & Habitat:
They are native to the Caribbean slope of Central America from Mexico to Panama and are primarily foundy in lowland tropical forests as well as oak and pine forests ranging up to 6000 feet elevation. Generally gregarious when not breeding and often found in large gatherings especially when roosting.
They nest in tree cavities. They feed primarily in the forest canopy and eat various tree seeds, new leaves, palm fruits, berries, pods, fruits, acorns and buds. Occasionally cause crop destruction, especially corn and sorghum.
Personality:
White-crowned Pionus are popular and make excellent pets. Young birds are docile and tend to remain very tame and handelable if given a lot of attention. They are not known for their talking abilities. They are intelligent, inquisitive birds, but can be shy.
Mature birds, especially males, may become bonded to one person and aggressively protect that person from other people including other family members.
They are active by nature and may become overweight if closely confined.
Dietary Needs
Pionus parrots should be fed a formulated (pelleted or extruded diet) as a basis for good nutrition. Pretty Bird High Protein or Daily select is an excellent staple diet for Pionus parrots. They should be fed approximately 2 heaping tablespoons to ¼ cup of pellets. They will tend to waste less food if fed small sized pellets such as Pretty Bird Daily select small. The diet should be supplemented with the same volume of fresh fruits and vegetables daily to add variety and psychological enrichment. Monitor food intake. Overfeeding leads to pickiness, selective feeding and wasteful throwing of food. Pionus parrots should be fed little to no sunflower or safflower seeds or seeds should only be given as treats. Vitamin supplements are not needed for birds that are eating a formulated diet.
Birds, which are fed only seeds, will need vitamin and mineral supplementation to prevent deficiency diseases. Preferably vitamins should be added to soft food rather than putting in the water as this dilutes the vitamins, water soluble vitamins break down rapidly and water with sweetened and vitamins is a good growth medium for bacteria. Vitamin added to the outside of seeds is usually lost when the bird shells the seeds.
Pionus in general and White-crowns in particular are very difficult to handrear from the egg. They will do much better if allowed to be parent-fed for 1-2 weeks. They seen to require relatively high protein and fat in the diet. Pretty Bird 19/15 or 19/12 are suitable hand-rearing diets.
Identification:
All companion and breeding birds should be individually identified to assist in recovery if lost and assist in maintenance of medical and genealogical records. Many breeders apply closed legs bands when chicks are young. While they present a slight risk of entrapment closed bands are preferable to no identification, especially for breeding birds. Microchips, which can be implanted into the muscle or under the skin, are a reliable means of identification but require electronic readers to verify identification. Tattoos may be used but often fade or become illegible with time. Footprints may have some application in identification.
Sexing:
White-crowned Pionus are monomorphic (sexes are not visually distinct). Surgical sexing or DNA sexing must be used to confirm sex of breeders. Males tend to be larger and more colorful than females.
Breeding:
White-crowned Pionus are very difficult to breed in captivity. In the wild, they usually lay 3-6 white eggs in an unlined nest, usually a natural cavity in a tree or a hollow palm stub. In North America White-crowned Pionus breed predominantly in the spring and have a limited breeding season typically from February or March to June or July. Clutch size is typically 3 to 6 eggs. One inch by one inch by 14 gauge welded wire, or 1" x ½ " welded wire is a good choice for cage construction. A suggested size is 4 feet wide by 4 feet tall by 6 to 8 feet long suspended 4 feet above the ground or floor. When they are in breeding condition the eye-rings and feet become bright orange.
Nest Box: Grandfather style wooden boxes can be used. The size should be approximately 10" x 10" x 18-24".
Incubation period: approximately 24-26 days. Chicks will usually fledge at approximately 8 to 10 weeks of age. White-crowned Pionus are difficult to hand-rear from the egg. For best results they should be initially fed by the parents of fed very often in the first week. Pretty Bird 19/12 or 19/15 hand rearing formula is a good choice.
White-crowns are moderately noisy when in breeding season. When breeding Pionus parrots, noise and proximity to neighbors must be considered.
Aggression:
Male White-crowns can be aggressive toward their mates, as can sexually mature parrots to their owners. This is natural behavior but needs some training and understanding by the owner to prevent it from turning into permanent aggressive behavior.
Clipping the wings of the male prior to the breeding season may be necessary in aggressive individuals to allow the female to escape in case the male becomes aggressive. Males in breeding condition can be very aggressive to keepers.
Conservation Status
White-crowned Pionus are listed on Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). Wild populations are generally large and locally common but are vulnerable to habitat destruction and have declined in some areas due to capture for export and use for pets locally in other areas. In the past very large numbers were traded and used locally for pets. White-crowned Pionus were imported in large numbers into the United States but are not commonly bred.
Species: Scientific: Pionus senilis aka Pionus seneloides... English: White-capped Parrot, White-crowned Parrot ... Dutch: Witkoppapegaai ... German: Weißkopfpapagei ... French: Perroquet à tête blanche
Description: Generally green; lores, forehead, forecrown and patch on chin white; remaining head feathers green edged with blue; ear-coverts dark blue; breast olive-brown, feathers edged with lilac-blue, becoming green on abdomen; under tail-coverts red with green edging; lesser and median wing-coverts gold-brown with green base; primary-coverts and primaries violet-blue; under wing-coverts greenish-blue; tail green with blue tips, outer feathers blue with red base; bill horn-colored: skin to periophthalmic ring whitish-pink; iris brown; feet grey flesh-colored. Immatures with green head; forehead white; chin, breast and abdomen green; under tail-coverts lighter; iris dark. 
Length: 24 cm (9.5 ins)
CITES II - Endangered Species Distribution: From west Panama north to south-east Mexico in San Luis Potosi and southern Tamaulipas, mainly along Pacific slopes
Related Web Resources: Lexicon of Parrots ... White-Crowned Pionus ... Exotic Tropicals ... Aves International
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