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White-crowned parrots (also known as white-capped parrots in aviculture) are the smallest parrots of the Pionus genus. First recorded by Spix in 1824, Pionus senilis can be found in an area starting in northern Panama and extending north almost into the United States. There have been reports of breeding pairs as far north as Linares, Mexico. They are commonly seen in large flocks in the air over many Costa Rican cities and some researchers consider their breeding epicenter to be in Costa Rica.
If there is any Pionus species that exhibits species-specific behavior, it’s the White-crowned parrot. Both in the wild and in captivity, these parrots tend to be less tolerant of other parrots; we’ve noticed that White-crowned parrots are frequently the instigators in the little skirmishes that sometimes take place in our breeding aviary. Whether this pugnaciousness is due to their smaller size is not clear, but most pet owners that I kmow almost always describe these parrots as feisty, cocky parrots.
There’s a fairly wide range of coloration in these parrots. While the overall color is green, some have blue extending from the throat down the front of the parrot. Back and wings can range from green to a bronzish color reminiscent of Bronze-winged parrots. However, the most outstanding feature is the diamond shaped crown of white feathers.
All writers size these parrots at 23–24 centimeters
with weights ranging from 200–230 grams.
Some captive parrots show normal weight as low as 180 grams. They are generally found at altitudes up to 2,500 meters in tropical and sub-tropical forests.
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