Black-Headed Caique (Pionites melanocephala)

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(prices and availability)

approx. size: 9 inches/ 23 cm	native to: northern South America	available season: summer
min. cage size: 24' x 24" x 24"	talking ability: limited	price: $900.00

This delightful species is quite playful! Caiques love to play and be mischievous. Some people call them the natural clowns of the parrots! Be sure you can handle the high energy of one of these fellows if considering one as a pet. They are precocious and very sociable and love to roll and tumble with nearly any object that becomes an instant toy!

Native to several countries in northern South America, the Black-Headed Caique is well-established in U.S. aviculture and is popular both for pets and in aviaries. Caiques are not known for high talking/mimicry ability but I have known several that could mimic a good wolf whistle!

Caiques enjoy chewing fresh green branches and leaves. They enjoy frequent bathing and caiques love to bathe in wet green leafy branches.

These baby Caiques are between three and four weeks of age.

At six and a half weeks of age, this chick is nearly feathered.

Black-Headed and Yellow-Thighed Caiques at left and above.

Caiques should be fed a diet that contains lots of fresh fruits and vegetables. The natural carotenes and other phytonutrients in fresh vegetables and fruits will help to keep your caique healthy and its colors vibrant! We also recommend sprouted seeds and grains in a caiques's diet.
Click here for diet recommendations.

A cage that is suitable for small bird species such as cockatiels is adequate for a caique. Please allow the bird a lot of time out of its cage as caiques are very inquisitive and playful. We recommend a playpen or tree perch for a pet caique with lots of toys.

Book recommendations on birds from Amazon.com

Species Profiles

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All photographs are by Gail J. Worth and are copyrighted.
They may not be reproduced by any method without written permission.