Brown-Necked Parrot (Uncape) Resource

There's a huge lack of resources on Brown-Necked Parrots, also known colloquially as Cape Parrots or Uncapes, despite their species difference. I put together a resource of everything I could find for others like me!

Brown-Necked Parrot

(Poicephalus fuscicollis) My female Brown-Neck Rhu eating an almond.

"The genus name, Poicephalus, means ‘different head’. All the species in this genus have heads that are a different colour to the rest of their bodies." - South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI)

Common Names:

  • Brown-Necked Poicephalus
  • Brown-Necked Poi
  • "Cape Parrot"
  • Uncape Parrot

Genus: Poicephalus
Species: fuscicollis
Length: 12-14 inches
Weight: 250-400g
Endemic to: Africa; West Africa from Gambia and southern Senegal to northern Ghana and Togo.
Subspecies: P.f. fuscicollis and P.f. suahelicus
Conservation status: Least concern

The Brown-necked Parrot was known for many years as the Cape Parrot before being reclassified into two distinct species and two subspecies. This reclassification helped the Cape parrot attain endangered status, thus protecting the species.

Many aviculturists still call their companion birds Cape parrots despite this scientific distinction and DNA evidence. Although they are similar in appearance, the range, diet, and behavior of the Cape parrot (P. robustus), Brown-necked parrot (P.f. fuscicollis), and the Grey-headed parrot (P.f. suahelicus) can differ widely. This distinction is essential to the conservation of the true Cape parrot, creating a distinct species that can receive concentrated conservation support in its native home of South Africa. There are only about 400 true Capes in the wild.

The native habitat of wild Brown-necked parrots is primarily woodland, although they have a large range in western Africa, nomadically wandering between mangrove forests, woodland savanna, and riverside forests.1

These birds can be great mimickers and are fairly quiet in general, but their flock calls are a piercing, raucous noise described as a zzk-eek! Their call can reach painful decibels, but for the most part they are quieter and less frequent in vocalization in comparison to other parrots.

Brown-necked parrots tend to be avid chewers of wood and can be very destructive with their beaks, leading to recommendations in captive birds for larger bird toys and stainless steel cages. They are generally known to be less reactive birds and be very independent in their behavior.

Appearance

"The head, throat and neck are silver-grey, the forehead dark red [in females]. The plumage of the body and wings is dark green, with the thighs and outer edges of the wings orange-red. The tail and flight feathers are black. The bill is large." - Parrots of Africa, Madagascar and the Mascarene Islands, 2012

Diet

Like all parrots, the diet of the Brown-necked Parrot should be varied. A high-quality pelleted diet is ideal to ensure your companion bird gets the correct amount of vitamins and nutrition, and daily fresh foods are incredibly important to a bird's health and enrichment. Sources indicate wild Brown-necks seem to be more frugivorous than their Cape counterparts and they prefer a variety of nuts and cooked beans.2

Fresh food should include leafy dark greens, deep orange vegetables (carrots, yams, sweet potatoes, winter squash), whole grains, legumes, and sprouts-- more on parrot nutrition is on Phoenix Landing's nutrition page.

Thanks for visiting! This is truly a work of passion and I hope this information will be helpful to someone out there.

1 World Parrot Trust
2 Parrots in Aviculture (1992)

Would you like to submit firsthand experience or information? Email me at mcl3379@yahoo.com or fill out this form and I will add it to this resource.

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