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Caique Species & Subspecies
by Gloria Balaban, Shady Pines Aviary
There are two species
in the genus Pionites; Leucogaster, commonly called the White-belly, and
Melanocephala, commonly called the Black-head. Within these two species,
there are 5 subspecies, 2 Black-headed and 3 White-bellied.
In the White-belly Caiques, there are three distinct subspecies The nominate,
or main form is Pionites l. leucogaster, commonly referred to as
"Green Thigh" White Belly. Although it is the nominate, or main
race, very few were ever imported to the US. There is a photo at
http://www.arndt-verlag.com/pics/295_1.JPG
which shows both the Green thigh and Yellow thigh.
The subspeciesPionites l. xanthomeria, commonly referred to as
"Yellow Thigh" White-belly, is the form we are all familiar
with. Although it is a "subspecies" it is still most certainly
considered a White-belly Caique as are the other two.
The common names "yellow-thigh" and "white-belly"
both refer to the same bird. Think of it this way: all yellow thigh's
are white-bellies, but not all white-bellies are yellow-thigh's.
The third subspecies, Pionites l. xanthurus, called the "Yellow-tailed
Caique", is paler in coloration overall. There are no known representatives
of this species in the US. There is a photo of this subspecies at: http://www.arndt-verlag.com/pics/295_2.JPG
The geographical range of
this subspecies is much smaller than that of the other two.
Of the Black Headed Caiques, Pionites m. melanocephala is the subspecies
we are all familiar with. There is a subspecies, Pionites m. pallida,
commonly called the "Pallid" Caique where all orange feathering
is replaced with yellow feathers. There is speculation that some earlier
hybridization (both in captivity and possibly even in the wild) accounts
for some of the color variations we see today among the Black-headed Caiques.