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Cape Parrots Trivia Quiz

These medium-sized parrots have lovely personalities and are very playful. They are rare in the U.S., maybe about 400 in captivity and 500 in the wild. I happen to be a lucky owner of one; how much do YOU know about these lovely, endangered birds?

A multiple-choice quiz by jadranska. Estimated time: 6 mins.

Author
jadranska

Time
6 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
89,429

Updated
Oct 09 23

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Difficult

Avg Score
5 / 10

Plays
639

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. What genus does the cape parrot belong in? Hint

Brotogeris

Poicephalus

Amazona

Psittacus

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Question 2 of 10

2. Which sex at maturity usually has a lovely coral-colored patch on the head?

Answer: (Male or Female?)

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Question 3 of 10

3. Which color will a cape parrot NOT have on its head? Hint

Yellow

Blue

Orange

Grey

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Question 4 of 10

4. Cape parrots have undergone a taxonomic reclassification. Which cape is the only TRUE cape now? Fusicollis, Suahelicus, or Robustus?

Answer: (Fusicollis, Suahelicus, or Robustus?)

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Question 5 of 10

5. Like most parrots, the cape can live several decades in captivity.

True

False

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Question 6 of 10

6. Which of these is a particular threat to the cape parrots of South Africa? Hint

Influenza

Schistosomiasis

Coryza

Psittacine Beak and Feather Disease

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Question 7 of 10

7. Which feature of the cape parrot's face is most unusual? Hint

The eyes

The beak

The nose

The crest

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Question 8 of 10

8. What color are the cape parrot's eyes?

Answer: (1 word)

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Question 9 of 10

9. Which of these birds can a cape parrot hybridize with? Hint

Jardine's

African grey

Red-Lored Amazon

Nanday Conure

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Question 10 of 10

10. Is the cape parrot born altricial (dependent) or precocial (independent)?

Answer: (Altricial or Precocial?)

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. What genus does the cape parrot belong in?

Answer: Poicephalus

Poicephalus means varied-colored head, something that fits these birds very well. Even though it is green, the Cape does not belong with the Amazons (amazona); Brotogeris is the canary-winged, tovi and grey-cheeked parakeet genus, and Psittacus is the African Grey.

2. Which sex at maturity usually has a lovely coral-colored patch on the head?

Answer: Female

Females of the species are usually prettier than males, an exception to the avian rule. Unlike the South American parrots who are not sexually dimorphic, Capes usually are, with females generally having more color on the face. The patch in males is either absent, or tiny and disappears with maturity.

This is NOT a way to tell between male and female, they are not ALWAYS dimorphic. I've never seen an adult female without one, but I have seen immature males with a very large coral crown area, or an adolescent female without a patch.

This comes back at maturity.

3. Which color will a cape parrot NOT have on its head?

Answer: Blue

I've seen capes with all these colors except blue. I don't believe that these birds can produce blue pigments.

4. Cape parrots have undergone a taxonomic reclassification. Which cape is the only TRUE cape now? Fusicollis, Suahelicus, or Robustus?

Answer: Robustus

There supposedly aren't any Robustus capes (Poicephalus robustus robustus) in the U.S. I have a Suahelicus (Poicephalus fusicollis suahelicus, formerly Poicephalus robustus suahelicus). The most commonly kept subspecies is the Fusicollis (P. fusicollis fusicollis, formerly P. r. fusicollis), but Suahelicus capes occasionally turn up. Of course, it's rare that you'd even find a cape! There are only about 500 in captivity and 350 in the wild. :(

5. Like most parrots, the cape can live several decades in captivity.

Answer: True

With proper care, birds of the Cape's size often live into their 60s and beyond, often outliving their owners!

6. Which of these is a particular threat to the cape parrots of South Africa?

Answer: Psittacine Beak and Feather Disease

Usually abbreviated to PBFD, this disease kills the feathers and lengthens the beak, killing the bird. Coryza is just a fancy name for the common cold.

7. Which feature of the cape parrot's face is most unusual?

Answer: The beak

Capes have no crest. The beak is huge for the face's size and usually appears to be smiling. It also has a thicker bill compared to other species of similar size. When people see my cape, the first thing they say is usually, "That's a huge beak!"

8. What color are the cape parrot's eyes?

Answer: Grey

Unlike people, bird species usually have only one eye color. The pupils are almost always black, however.

9. Which of these birds can a cape parrot hybridize with?

Answer: Jardine's

The result is VERY pretty, although the hybridization is discouraged.

10. Is the cape parrot born altricial (dependent) or precocial (independent)?

Answer: Altricial

Some altricial birds are eagles and crows, while some precocials are turkeys and ducks. Altricials usually take longer to mature and are generally more intelligent than precocials. (Reptiles are precocial, and birds supposedly evolved from them, therefore the altricials are better evolved and smarter.)

Source: Author jadranska

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor crisw before going online.
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