Cape Parrot (Poicephalus robustus) [XC280599]
by Lynette Rudman from Creighton area, Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa (call)
Cape Parrot (Poicephalus robustus) [XC62261]
by Lynette Rudman from Magoebaskloof, South Africa (call)
Subspecies
Poicephalus robustus (Sibley and Monroe 1990, 1993) was split into Cape Parrot (Poicephalus robustus) and Poicephalus fuscicollis by Perrin (2005) and Wirminghaus et al. (2002), in the latest of a series of attempts to justify species status for Poicephalus robustus robustus, but nothing in this recent review supplies new or at least clear evidence either of the parapatry of the forms robustus and suahelicus or of their use of different habitat (the suite of habitats used by suahelicus is inadequately covered). Therefore this split is not accepted until better evidence is provided.
Forms a parapatric species pair with Red-fronted Parrot (Poicephalus gulielmi). Subspecies suahelicus sometimes considered a separate species, incorporating fuscicollis, but voices claimed to be identical and morphological differences rather slight. Nevertheless, notable differences in habitat preference suggest that treatment as separate species may be justified, although birds of western Africa may show more similarities to nominate robustus than to suahelicus. Within subspecies fuscicollis, populations of lower R Congo and Cabinda are closest to suahelicus.
The following 3 subspecies are recognised:
fuscicollis (Gmelin, 1788) - Patchily from Gambia to east-central Nigeria, lower R Congo and Cabinda (northern Angola).
suahelicus Reichenow, 1898 - Eastern and central-southern Angola through Rwanda (one record in Uganda) to central Tanzania (Ngurus), and south to extreme northern Botswana and extreme north-eastern South Africa.
BirdLife International Species Factsheet