Brown-necked Parrot

Overview

The brown-necked parrot (Poicephalus fuscicollis), also known as the uncape parrot, is the largest member of its genus and is endemic to Africa. It comprises two subspecies: the savanna-dwelling brown-necked parrot and the grey-headed parrot.

Identification

• Large body with a relatively large head and bill, and a stocky build.
• Light grey head with yellow-green upperparts and greenish underparts.
• The nominate subspecies exhibits a bluer sheen to its plumage than the suahelicus subspecies.

Habitat

The species is distributed across two distinct regions in Africa: the nominate subspecies ranges from Gambia and southern Senegal to Ghana and Togo, while the suahelicus subspecies occupies southern Africa from southern Congo and Tanzania to northern Namibia and northern South Africa.

Did you know?

Ancestors of the brown-necked and Cape parrots diverged between 2.13 and 2.67 million years ago during the late Pliocene to early Pleistocene epoch, a period characterised by climate changes that caused grassland and forest to expand and contract, leading to speciation.