Habitat
Semi-arid and subhumid bush, thornveld, open wooded savanna and woodland, including areas with large baobabs or figs, riparian forest, coconut and cashew-nut plantations, smallholdings and mangroves. From sea-level - 1,200 m.
Kenya (B), Malawi (B), Mozambique (B), South Africa (B), Swaziland (B), Tanzania [United Republic of] (B), Zimbabwe.
Population
Estimated population is unknown (2010).
Status LC
Habitat loss and fragmentation, illegal capture for the bird trade, are the main threats.
For more information see BirdLife International Species Factsheet.
Food
Seeds, nuts, fruits and berries, particularly figs Ficus and Pseudocadia zambesica, pods of Acacia and Albizia gummifera, nectar and green shoots of trees, millet and maize.
Brown-headed Parrot (Poicephalus cryptoxanthus) [XC634023]
by from Pemba North, Ngezi Forest edge, Tanzania (call)
Brown-headed Parrot (Poicephalus cryptoxanthus) [XC280595]
by Frank Lambert from Punda Maria area, Kruger National Park, Limpopo, South Africa (call)
Subspecies
Forms superspecies with Meyer's Parrot (Poicephalus meyeri), Ruppell's Parrot (Poicephalus rueppellii) and Niam-niam Parrot (Poicephalus crassus), and possibly others. Believed to hybridize with Meyer's Parrot (Poicephalus meyeri) in south-eastern Zimbabwe, although this is perhaps not as extensive as once thought: birds with yellow shoulders may be aberrant birds of present species. In past considered conspecific with Niam-niam Parrot (Poicephalus crassus).
Proposed subspecies zanzibaricus, of Zanzibar and Pemba, indistinct from tanganyikae, which itself is sometimes regarded as invalid.
The following 2 subspecies are recognised:
tanganyikae Bowen, 1930 - South-eastern Kenya, Zanzibar and Pemba to southern Malawi and Mozambique north of R Save.
cryptoxanthus (Peters, 1854) - South-eastern Zimbabwe and Mozambique south of R Save to north-eastern South Africa.
BirdLife International Species Factsheet