White-bellied Caique
Pionites leucogaster
Also called White-bellied parrot, Green-thighed parrot (P. l. leucogaster), Yellow-tailed parrot (P. l. xanthurus), Black-legged parrot (P. l. xanthomerius), Caique
From South America south of the Amazon: northern and western Brazil, eastern Peru and northern Bolivia, in humid lowland forest, especially seasonally flooded várzea and forest edges.12
At a glance the quick version
Looks how to spot one
Feathered; small, chunky parrot with a short tail and upright stance
An apricot-orange crown and nape, yellow face and throat, green back and wings and a creamy white belly. The eye ring is bare and pinkish, the eyes reddish, the bill pale horn and the feet pink. Subspecies differ in thigh and tail colour: green in the nominate, yellow in xanthurus. Sexes look alike.12
Personality what they are like
Shares the caique reputation as a playful comedian: bold, cheeky and always on the move. It can be strong-willed and prefers whistles and clucks to talking.3
Daily activity how busy a day looks
Very high. Plan for plenty of out-of-cage play every day and a steady supply of toys to shred.3
Grooming and care the hands-on bits
Loves to bathe and will even rub itself against wet leaves, so offer bathing water or wet greens. Foot toys and puzzle toys keep it busy.21
Home where they are happiest
A large, sturdy cage or small aviary; the World Parrot Trust recommends an aviary at least 2 m (6.5 ft) long.13
Food basics what goes in the bowl
Wild birds feed high in the canopy on seeds, palm fruit, flowers and berries. Pets do well on a pellet or kibble base with sprouted beans, fresh vegetables, fruit and some seeds.13
Company who they like around
Very sociable. Wild birds roost in groups of up to 30; pets need constant interaction with their people.13
The story where it all began
Heinrich Kuhl described the species in 1820. It is the southern counterpart of the black-headed caique, living south of the Amazon, and is known in aviculture as the white-bellied caique.21
Fun facts for the dinner table
- 1
Along with the black-headed caique, it is one of only two parrots with a white belly.1
- 2
Its head and nape feathers glow strongly under ultraviolet light.2
- 3
Wild birds bathe by rubbing against wet leaves, which can tint their white chest a chestnut brown.2
- 4
Flocks often travel with blue-headed parrots.1
Recognised by the official bits
- Taxonomy
- Described by Heinrich Kuhl in 1820; three subspecies, leucogaster, xanthurus and xanthomerius.2
- IUCN Red List
- Wikipedia gives Vulnerable for the nominate subspecies and Least Concern for xanthomerius and xanthurus; the World Parrot Trust lists the species as Not Evaluated.2
- CITES
- Appendix II.1
- Aviculture
- Uncommon in captivity according to the World Parrot Trust.1
The care rhythm Furry Diary remembers it for you
A typical home-care rhythm for a White-bellied Caique. It is our own starting plan, not a vet's advice, and you can change every line in the app.
- Fresh food and waterevery day
- Cage linerevery 2 days
- Full cleanevery week
- Bath offerevery 3 days
- Nails checkevery month
- Beak checkevery month
- Toy rotationevery week
- Out-of-cage timeAbout 2 hours a dayevery day
- Vet check-upevery year
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Where this comes from
Every breed page shows where each fact comes from. If we got something wrong, sorry, we are pet people, not a science magazine. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.
- World Parrot Trust - White-bellied Parrot parrots.orgused for range, size, weight, description, diet, lifespan, status, housing
- Wikipedia - White-bellied parrot en.wikipedia.orgused for history, subspecies, description, IUCN, fun facts
- Lafeber - Caique lafeber.comused for temperament, activity, social needs, lifespan
Checked 2026-09-30. Text is written in our own words from these sources.