The Cape Parrot is a stocky, large-headed African parrot with an oversized beak and a quiet, thoughtful manner that keepers describe as closer to a small Grey than to the Senegals and Meyer's it is related to. They are uncommon, they are not cheap, and they are a specialist bird for reasons worth understanding before buying.
Disease testing is not optional here
This group is known to be susceptible to beak and feather disease, and it is the question to ask first rather than last. A serious breeder will have an answer ready, will test, and will say so without being pushed. Anybody vague about it is somebody to walk away from, however good the bird looks.
The naming is genuinely confused
Cape, Brown-necked and Grey-headed have been split, lumped and re-split by taxonomists, and birds are sold under more than one of those names. For a companion bird it barely matters. For anybody intending to breed it matters a great deal, so ask precisely what the parents were and what they are registered as.
The beak
Disproportionately large and genuinely powerful - in the wild they open hard fruit kernels other parrots cannot. Perches, toys and cage fittings need to be built for a bigger bird than the body suggests, and chew material is not optional.
Temperament
Calm, intelligent and observant. Cape Parrots are generally described as gentle and a little reserved - affectionate with their own people, slow to warm to strangers, and not clowns. They are good talkers in a soft voice, better than most people expect.
Noise
Moderate for the size. A loud call used in bursts rather than a constant voice. Far from silent, far from a cockatoo.
Living with one
Thirty to forty years. A large cage, serious chew material, a pelleted base with vegetables and nuts in measured amounts - they take nuts readily and will overdo them.
Buying one
Fewer breeders raise Cape Parrots than almost anything else at this level of interest, so expect to wait and to travel. Ask about disease testing first. Ask exactly what the parents were. Ask when the bird weaned. The breeders listed on this page raise Cape Parrots and can be contacted directly through the site.