Description

Black Headed Caiques For Sale

The Black Headed Caique belongs to a species of parrots famous for their lovely colors and fun and quirky behavior. Known as very intelligent and inquisitive, these little birds are a handful of fun, so if you’re looking for a companion pet that will be sure to make you laugh and make your day fun – a caique parrot might be the right choice. Since Black Headed Caiques are loved as pet birds worldwide, acquiring one shouldn’t be too hard.

Black Headed Caiques are medium-sized parrots but smaller than most birds in this family. Adults can grow up to 10 inches (25 centimeters) in length, with a stubby, robust look due to their short tail feathers. Males are identical to females, which is why positive identification can be a difficult task.

The ruffled, puffy-looking, white chest and belly feathers are a unique trait of these caiques, giving them a good dose of fluffiness and a slightly comical appearance.

Black-headed Caiques are extremely friendly even though their talking ability is quite limited.

Their exceptional playfulness begs for a partner, and two females can do quite well together for those not interested in inbreeding. A particularly amusing behavior is their habit of hopping rather rapidly across almost any surface, which gives them the look of a wind-up toy. So be sure your bird has many toys and perches in its cage to keep it amused.

Caiques are not known for their talking skills, but for the strong bonds that they can form with humans who show them adequate love and attention. They are playful, comical birds who enjoy activities and the opportunity to explore. Some Caiques may learn to speak a few words, but most prefer to stick to “bird speak”. In general, a Caique would be a good choice for a “one bird owner” or an owner that wanted to keep just a pair.
Caiques must be given plenty of playtimes, and must certainly be showered with plenty of positive interaction, but are usually able to entertain themselves for short periods of time.

COMMON NAMES: Black-headed caique, white-bellied caique, seven-color parrot, dancing parrot, yellow-thighed caique

ADULT SIZE: 9 and 10 inches

LIFE EXPECTANCY:  Caiques have a long lifespan and, with proper care, can live on average for about 30 years in captivity.

Personality & Behavior

Fun is the best adjective to describe caiques. Their questioning, exploring minds will lead them to every nook and corner if they’re allowed to roam freely. They’ll enjoy playing, socializing, and petting and scratches – but overstep your boundaries, and you’ll earn yourself a nibble or two! If denied toys, food, or places they want to explore, they’ll get grumpy and make a scene to point out their dissatisfaction firmly.

Care and Feeding

Their fairly simple diet in the wild is easy to achieve in captivity. Most commercial, store-bought seed mixes will cover all the bases for your Black Headed Caique. With added green vegetables and selected fruits like apples and oranges, they will get all the essential nutrients and vitamins that ensure your bird stays healthy.

Diet

In addition to the usual seed and/or pellets, Caiques eat a lot of fruit. They enjoy apples (including the pips, which are not harmful), sweet oranges, sweet grapes (preferably black), pears, and, in season, cherries and pomegranates. Tropical fruits such as guavas, mangos, and passion fruits add variety. They love seasonal soft fruits such as raspberries, redcurrants, blackberries, and cranberries. Note the hazards involved in feeding elderberries and blackberries unless you want your walls dyed black! Hawthorn berries are relished.

Additional information