273 : Brown Parrot

Brown Parrot - Poicephalus meyeri

I am very pleased to post the inaugural Parrot in what should be a large collection over time. A Brown Parrot or Meyer's Parrot was the only Parrot by name we were seeing at Ruaha national park - we were inundated with lovebirds that proved very hard to photograph due to their tendency to stay in the sun - even crossing to the wrong side of the vehicle when disturbed. I think there has to be a "flight behaviour" of heading for the sun. Presumably you are less obvious to a pursuing predator. A bit like the "hun in the sun".

Parrots - These were quite skittish as well. This is the best I could manage in a week. Brown doesn't do them justice as a description - the males had a bright golden head band, and both sexes flashes of golden yellow on the shoulders. The underparts are a very jolly tropical green like a lime opal fruit (or starburst as they have now been disappointingly renamed). Not so big - more Parakete sized I guess but with the short tail of the smaller Parrots.  I was wondering what was the difference between a Parrot and a Parakeet and then again Maccaws, Lorikeets and Lovebirds - not a lot it seems but size. They are all part of one giant family the Psittacidae. 330 strong and together with cockatoos (you can see the resemblance) they form the 361 species strong order of Psittaciformes.

So now we know what we are dealing with here - more different Parrots and their multi-coloured cousins (if they can stay out of a cage) than the total number of species on the Daily Bird to date. It should be a colourful journey this one and it starts with the humble Brown. These fruit and seed eaters are sociable, noisy and at times bedazzling. When you see a group of parrots it will be made up of mated pairs - often mated for life. 89 species are under threat of one sort or another - well three major threats really. They are considered agricultural pests and just exterminated in many parts of the world, secondly the logging industry is having a heavy impact on the larger species that depend on mature trees with holes for nesting and finally of course they are a much prized cage bird.

I will save the stories of parrots I have met over the years for another posting - hysterical though. I did hear a story of a parrot being used as a witness in a drug cartel case - no word of a lie - the parrot was able to give evidence of who the frequent visitors were to the house. Thats bonkers. Its really hard to think of them as wild birds as we are so used to the parrot on the shoulder, the parrot at the aged aunts.

It being a safari posting I will leave you a beautiful portrait of a female impala from the same game drive. Tomorrow I will post up another member of the parrot family and also some impala fighting for the lovely lass below.

I am pleased with these - a bit easier than Parrots which are understandably skittish. Impala are programmed to take notice when you stop though - always just on edge of bolting at a twig snap.

Brown parrot, Poicephalus Meyeri

Ruaha National Park, Tanzania

July 2013