CaiquesSize: 9-10” in length. Medium size parrot with short tail.
Life Span: 27-40 years in captivity as long as they are provided with proper care and diet. Origin: Brazil. The Black Headed Caiques are from the Amazon, North of the Amazon River. The White Belly Caiques are from South of the Amazon River. Understanding Caiques The black-headed and the white-bellied caique have a similar appearance, with a few obvious distinctions. The black-headed caique has, obviously, a black head and black beak, while the white-bellied has a white belly (so does the black-headed, incidentally), horn-colored beak, and a bright orange and yellow head. The black-headed caiques are often slightly smaller thand the white-bellied. The caique is a stocky bird and surprisingly heavy for its size. Caiques seem to be the kings of intriguing, quirky behavior. They love to hop, roll around and hang upside down from anything they can climb. Another interesting behavior caiques have been observed doing has been given the name “surfing” by the parrot community. When a Caique surfs he dives the back of his head onto a surface and then slides along his back. Caiques will often do this on towels, on hands and on people’s heads. They are not considered a “one person” parrot, which makes them a good family bird. Caiques are not sexually dimorphic so they only way to determine sex is through DNA testing. |
Personality and Behavior
Well known as the clown of companion birds, caiques are loved by many for their outgoing nature and ability to make people laugh with their playful antics. Aside from the Caique’s striking appearance, its personality is the primary reason for its rise in popularity. Caique owners rave about this plucky, active, little comedian. They can be stubborn and beaky, and very willful. But they are so cute, it’s difficult to fault them. Keep a very watchful eye on your caique if you have other birds in the house, they are known for bird-on-bird aggression, and care should be taken that the caique does not injure another pet bird. Caiques can’t compete in a noise contest with a cockatoo, but they are not quiet, by any means. Their noise level is moderate, and will only bother your more “sensitive” neighbors. They are not known for their talking ability, but can learn to whistle and make many “robot” sounds very well. A talented caique will talk, but its mimicking does not rival that of the better talking species. Care and Feeding Though the caique is a medium-sized bird, it needs a large environment. This energetic bird will suffer greatly from being confined to a small cage. Provide your caique with the largest housing you have room for and can afford. Make sure that the bar-spacing is appropriate for a bird of its size and that there’s a grating on the bottom of the cage. This playful bird will discover the weaknesses in its cage in no time, so be sure that the cage is of quality construction. As with most parrots, caiques thrive on a pellet base diet that is supplemented with fresh fruit and vegetables. For the least amount of waste, choose the smallest pellet your bird will accept. Many parrots and especially caiques tend to like to “dip” their food or soak it in their water in order to soften it for eating. Caiques also love to bathe in their water dish so it’s important to keep their water dishes fresh and clean to avoid bacteria build up. This should be done daily. |