From about two to four weeks after hatching the female also begins to collect food for the chicks. During this time the male brings food for the female and chicks, and guards the nest site. They are dependent on the female for food and warmth who remains in the nest most of the time until about four weeks after hatching when the chicks have enough feathers for heat insulation. Newly hatched chicks have a sparse white down and they do not open their eyes until about two to three weeks after hatching. The eggs are incubated by the female, starting after the second egg has been laid, for about 27 to 28 days. The eggs are about 3 centimetres (1.2 inches) long by 2.5 centimetres (1 inch) wide. Senegal parrots nest in holes in trees, often oil palms, usually laying three to four white eggs. One parrot is feeding the other as part of bonding behaviour between a pair. Seeds made up about 22% of the diet, and the remaining 1% consisted of flowers. Research by Texas State University conducted in southeastern Senegal found that the parrots ate a diet of about 77% fruit, with figs ( Ficus sp.), African grapes ( Lannea microcarpa), and shea fruits ( Vitellaria paradoxa) being the most commonly eaten. Senegal parrots live an average of approximately 25–30 years in the wild, and have been known to live for 50 years in captivity. ![]() It is a gregarious species, continuously chattering with a range of whistling and squawking calls. They flock most commonly in countries in West Africa. Senegal parrots are birds of open woodland and savanna. DNA testing is another way to determine the sex.Males are generally, but not always, larger and heavier than female birds.The under-tail covert feathers (short feathers under the base of the main tail feathers) are generally mostly yellow in the male and generally mostly green in the female.The female's beak and head are generally slightly smaller and narrower than the male's.The V-shape of the vest is usually longer in females in females the green area extends down over the chest to between the legs, whereas in males the tip of the green area ends midway down the chest.Senegal parrots are not sexually dimorphic, but there are some hypotheses which sometimes might help to determine the gender of adult birds: Young Juveniles have dark grey, almost black, irises, which change to light grey. The yellow and green areas on a Senegal parrot's front form a V-shape resembling a yellow vest worn over green. Adults have a charcoal grey head, grey beak, bright yellow irises, green back and throat, and yellow underparts and rump. They have a relatively large head and beak for their overall size, and feathers form a short broad tail. Senegal parrots are about 23 centimetres (9.1 inches) long, weigh about 120 to 170 grams (4.2 to 6.0 ounces). In the pet trade, the nominate subspecies is the most common though both are raised and sold as pets. They do not differ in behaviour, but only in the colour of the "vest". versteri: this subspecies has a deep-orange /red vest its range is from the Ivory Coast and Ghana east to western Nigeria. senegalus (the nominate subspecies): this subspecies has a yellow vest its native range includes Senegal, southern Mauritania, southern Mali to Guinea and Lobos Island. ![]() This species is now placed in the genus Poicephalus which was introduced by the English naturalist William John Swainson in 1837. Linnaeus included a terse description, coined the binomial name Psittacus senegalus and cited Brisson's work. When in 1766 the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus updated his Systema Naturae for the twelfth edition he added 240 species that had been previously described by Brisson. Although Brisson coined Latin names, these do not conform to the binomial system and are not recognised by the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature. He used the French name La petite perruche du Sénégal and the Latin name Psittacula senegalensis. ![]() In 1760 the French zoologist Mathurin Jacques Brisson included a description of the Senegal parrot in his Ornithologie based on a specimen collected in Senegal. A pair of Senegal parrots in the wild at Hann Park, Dakar, Senegal
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