breed Library > Parrot > Meyers Parrot

Description

The Meyer's Parrot (Poicephalus meyeri) is a small (about 21 cm), stocky African parrot. Meyer's parrots display a dull brown head, back, and tail, green abdomen, blue rump, and yellow thighs. Forshaw (1989) recognizes six subspecies of P. meyeri, which vary in home range, in size, and in markings, including extent of yellow markings on the head and wings and intensity of turquoise markings on the abdomen or rump.

Meyer's parrots are native to central and eastern sub-Saharan Africa. They have adapted to many woodland habitats, including savannah woodlands, wooded grasslands, and forests bordering watercourses or agricultural land. Though they normally travel in pairs or small flocks, wild Meyer's parrots may gather in larger numbers when food is plentiful. Their wild diet includes fruits, seeds, nuts, berries, and cultivated crops.

Unlike many species of birds, Meyer's parrots are common in the wild. The IUCN Red List classifies the Meyer's parrot as Low Risk/Least Concern. The large population, limited pressure from trade and hunting, and 6,000,000 km^2 home range of the species make these birds unlikely to face extinction in the near future. Meyer's parrots are listed on Appendix II of the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna.

The name commemorates the German ornithologist Bernhard Meyer.