The black-
headed caique is a kind of parrot. It is 23cm long and is a
colorful bird. It has a black head, green body and white chest,
while its chin and cheeks are yellow. The legs are bluish grey.
The Caique species are extremely popular due to their beautiful
coloration and their lively inquisitive personalities. Native
to Bolivia and Brazil, this quite beautiful specie is also often
called the White-Bellied Caique. As all Caique species have
white bellies, Yellow-Thighed is a bit more accurate common
name.
The black-headed
caique (the most common of the species) may be found in Guianas,
Brazil, Columbia, Ecuador, and some of Peru. It lives in the
forest and Savannah countries of the tropical zone. The black-headed
caique stays up in the trees most of the day. Caiques love playing
with twigs in the forest.
Diet
The black-headed
caique's diet is made up of fruit, berries (green or purple-
it doesn't matter) and seeds(any kind will do, mostly from trees).
They often fight over the seeds that they find on the ground.
Caiques also enjoy chewing fresh green branches and leaves.
They like to take a lot of baths. Some caiques will even bathe
in wet green leafy branches. Caiques should be fed a diet that
contains lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, sprouted seeds
and grains.
Temperment
and Personality
Black headed
caiques are noisy parrots. They love to play and are natural
clowns! They make penetrating shrill calls, especially in the
early morning and the evening. Caiques are very playful and
enjoy spending lots of time either playing with their toys or
playing with another caique.
Cages
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. A tree
perch for a pet caique with lots of toys is recommended. Caiques
should be given plenty of exercise time, and need large cages
with lots of room to play and exercise. Caiques enjoy bathing
and enjoy to do so in wet green leafy branches.
