Birds
Senegal Parrot
Poicephalus senegalus
Care level
Intermediate
Lifespan
25 to 30 years, and up to 50 with excellent care
Adult size
23 cm, stocky with a short tail
The Senegal is a compact, quiet African parrot with a grey head, green back and a yellow-and-orange vest, prized as one of the calmer companion parrots suited to apartment living. They are intelligent, playful and can learn a few words, but tend to bond most strongly with one person and can become nippy with others. Their modest noise level and manageable size make them a popular step up from budgies and cockatiels.
Housing & setup
Provide a cage of at least 60 x 50 x 60 cm for one bird, larger if possible, with bar spacing around 1.6 to 2 cm. Include several natural-wood perches of different diameters, ladders and plenty of chewable toys, as Senegals are enthusiastic chewers. Keep open space for movement and place the cage in a sociable room so the bird feels part of the household without being overwhelmed.
Diet & feeding
Feed a base of formulated pellets (about 60 to 70 percent) with a smaller portion of seed, plus daily fresh vegetables, dark leafy greens and small amounts of fruit. Like all Poicephalus parrots they are prone to vitamin A deficiency on seed-heavy diets, so include vitamin-A-rich foods such as sweet potato, carrot, capsicum and dark greens. Provide a cuttlebone or mineral block for calcium. Avocado, chocolate, caffeine, alcohol, onion and salty foods are toxic and must be avoided.
Temperature, light & environment
Keep them at a stable 18 to 28 C, away from draughts, direct sun and kitchen fumes. Provide natural or full-spectrum light and 10 to 12 hours of quiet, dark sleep nightly. Non-stick (PTFE or Teflon) cookware, air fryers, self-cleaning ovens and scented products give off fumes that kill birds within minutes, so keep the cage far from the kitchen. Give daily supervised out-of-cage time in a bird-proofed room.
Company & handling
Senegals are affectionate but often reserved, bonding tightly with a chosen person and sometimes becoming territorial or nippy toward others, so it helps to have several family members handle them gently. They are notably quiet for a parrot, with soft whistles and chatter rather than screaming, which is why they suit flats. A bored or under-handled Senegal can become withdrawn or start plucking, so daily interaction matters.
Enrichment & exercise
Offer foraging toys, shreddable wood and paper, puzzle feeders and chewables, rotating them to keep interest. Senegals enjoy solving puzzles and manipulating toys with their feet. Chewing keeps the beak healthy, and daily flight and climbing provide exercise. Short, positive training sessions build trust and reduce nippiness.
Common health problems
Hypovitaminosis A (vitamin A deficiency)
Signs: Blocked or crusty nostrils, sneezing, poor feather colour, white mouth spots and recurring respiratory or sinus infections.
Prevention: Feed pellets and vitamin-A-rich vegetables such as sweet potato, carrot and dark leafy greens rather than an all-seed diet.
Feather plucking
Signs: Bald patches on the chest and legs, chewed feathers and over-preening, often from boredom, stress or insufficient handling.
Prevention: Provide daily interaction and foraging enrichment, ensure good sleep, and have an avian vet rule out disease and nutritional causes.
Aspergillosis (fungal respiratory disease)
Signs: Laboured or open-mouth breathing, tail bobbing, voice change, lethargy and weight loss, worsened by damp, mouldy conditions.
Prevention: Keep housing dry, clean and well ventilated, avoid mouldy food or bedding, and seek prompt avian veterinary care for any breathing change.
Psittacosis (chlamydiosis)
Signs: Fluffed posture, lethargy, nasal or eye discharge, lime-green droppings and laboured breathing.
Prevention: Quarantine and vet-test new birds and keep housing clean and ventilated; note this disease can spread to people.
See a vet urgently if...
- !Sitting fluffed on the cage floor instead of perching, an emergency
- !Tail bobbing at rest or open-mouth, laboured breathing
- !Not eating, vomiting or sudden weight loss
- !Sudden silence, drooping wings or inability to grip the perch
- !Bleeding or a broken blood feather
In Macau
Senegal parrots are CITES Appendix II, so any bird needs legal paperwork; buy only from a documented, reputable source. Their quiet nature makes them well suited to Macau apartments, but keep housing cool, dry and ventilated against the heat and humidity to reduce fungal respiratory disease. Never run non-stick cookware, air fryers or scented candles near the bird, and quarantine plus vet-check any new arrival.
Senegal parrots are among the quietest of all the true parrots, communicating mostly in soft whistles and clucks, which is part of why aviculturists often recommend them for people who love parrots but live in flats.
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General guidance reviewed by the Royal Veterinary Center team. Not a substitute for a veterinary examination. Always confirm species-specific and legal requirements for Macau.