White-crowned Pionuses aka White-capped Parrots
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The White-crowned Parrot or Plum-crowned Pionus, (Pionus senilis), is a a resident species 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 3-6 white eggs are laid in an unlined nest, usually a natural cavity in a tree or a hollow palm stub.
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.
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
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.
(Source: Wikipedia.org)
Description:
The White-crowned Pionus is a medium parrot averaging 9 to 10 inches (24 cm) in length and 230 - 260 g in weight.
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. Young birds have little blue on the head and neck or red on the undertail, and the crown feathers are green edged with white.
Juveniles white-crowns 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.
Personality:
White-crowned Pionus are popular in the pet trade as they generally make great pets. Young birds tend to be docile and are easily tamed and they don't mind being handled provided they are properly socialized. They are not known for their talking abilities; although they are intelligent and rather inquisitive. They tend to be on the shy side. These naturally active birds may become overweight if not sufficient opportunities for exercise are provided.
Mature white-crowns, particular males, may bond to only one person and are known to aggressively protect that person from others, including other family members.
Diet
Pionus parrots should be fed a formulated pelleted or extruded base diet to ensure good nutrition, such as Pretty Bird High Protein or Daily Select. Breeders have found that they waste less food if fed small-sized pellets such as Pretty Bird Daily Select Small. As is the case with most parrot species, their diet should be supplemented with the same volume of fresh fruits and vegetables daily to add variety and psychological enrichment. Their food intake should be monitored as overfeeding can lead to selective feeding and wasteful throwing of food. Pionus parrots should be fed little to no sunflower or safflower seeds. Vitamin supplements are not needed for birds that are eating a formulated diet. However, if the base diet is seed-based, a good avian supplement should be given to prevent deficiency diseases. Such supplements should be added to soft food items rather than adding them to the water, as this dilutes the vitamins and water-soluble vitamins break down rapidly. Also, water containing sweetened vitamins is a good growth medium for bacteria. On the other hand, supplements sprinkled over seeds are usually lost when the bird shells the seeds.
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.
Both male and female White-crowned Pionus parrots look alike, although males tend to be larger and more colorful than females. Surgical sexing or DNA sexing is recommended to identify the correct gender.
Breeding:
When white-crowns are in breeding condition their eye-rings and feet become bright orange. They are moderately noisy when in breeding season. When breeding Pionus parrots, noise and proximity to neighbors must be considered.
In the wild, hens usually lay 3-6 white eggs in unlined nests - usually a natural cavity in a tree or a hollow palm stub. The incubation period approximates 24-26 days. Chicks will usually fledge when they are about 8 to 10 weeks old.
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. In captivity, the White-crowned Pionus parrots are difficult to breed; and it is hard to handrear chicks from hatching. Chicks will do much better if allowed to be parent-fed for 1-2 weeks. The rearing diet should be rich in protein and fat, such as Pretty Bird 19/15 or 19/12.
Housing:
A suggested size is 4 feet wide by 4 feet tall by 6 to 8 feet long, for sanitation, suspended cages - 4 feet above the ground or floor - work great. It is recommended to use one inch by one inch by 14 gauge welded wire, or 1" X ½ " welded wire for cage construction.
A Grandfather style wooden box of the following dimensions: 10" x 10" x 18-24" is preferred.
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
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