The taxonomy of one of South Africa’s most iconic birds, the ‘Green and Gold’ Cape Parrot, appears finally to be settled, with various national, regional, and international bodies reaching consensus that they should be considered a distinct species.
'Cape parrots', which will be known as Poicephalus robustus and are restricted to South Africa, were previously lumped together by some authorities with the Brown-necked parrot (Poicephalus fuscicollis) which has a wide-ranging distribution in sub-saharan Africa.
As a result the new species will be evaluated for the IUCN Global Red-List of Threatened species, which categorises species based on their level of endangerment. Input in this process is currently being solicited by BirdLife International.
Cape parrots are fortunate to have a number of passionate individuals and groups working hard to protect populations, restore habitat and secure their future in South Africa. More information on these efforts can be found in an article in the Spring 2017 issue of the World Parrot Trust's magazine PsittaScene.
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