Bird Guide

Cape Parrot vs Red-fan Parrot

Cape Parrot (Poicephalus robustus)

Cape Parrot

Poicephalus robustus

Large343 gForest

The Cape parrot is a short-tailed moderately large bird with a very large beak used to crack all sorts of hard nuts and fruit kernels, especially those of African yellowwood trees (Podocarpus spp.). This contrasts with the closely related savanna species (Poicephalus fuscicollis) which feeds on a wide variety of tropical woodland trees such as marula, Commiphora spp. and Terminalia spp. These species are sexually dimorphic, with females typically sporting an orange frontal patch on the forehead.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Dave Brown · CC0
Red-fan Parrot (Deroptyus accipitrinus)

Red-fan Parrot

Deroptyus accipitrinus

Medium246 gForest

The red-fan parrot possesses elongated neck feathers that can be raised to form an elaborate fan, which greatly increases the bird's apparent size, and is possibly used when threatened. It generally lives in undisturbed forest, feeding in the canopy on fruits. It has a dark brown face with white streaks, bare black patch round its brown eye, green wings, flanks and tail and red and blue barred breast.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Bobby · CC BY 2.0

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Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Cape Parrot and Red-fan Parrot.