Poicephalus robustus
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~40% in a week ~60%
The Cape parrot (Poicephalus robustus) or Levaillant's parrot is a large, temperate forest dwelling parrot of the genus Poicephalus endemic to South Africa. It was formerly grouped as a subspecies along with the savanna-dwelling brown-necked parrot (Poicephalus fuscicollis) and grey-headed parrot (P. f. suahelicus), but is now considered a distinct species.
The Cape parrot was described in 1781 by the English ornithologist John Latham under the English name, the "robust parrot". When in 1788 the German naturalist Johann Friedrich Gmelin revised and expanded Carl Linnaeus's Systema Naturae, he included the Cape parrot with a short description, coined the binomial name Psittacus robustus and cited Latham's work. The type locality is South Africa. The Cape parrot is now placed with nine other species in the genus Poicephalus that was introduced by the English naturalist William Swainson in 1837. The genus name is from the Ancient Greek phaios "grey" and -kephalos "headed". The specific epithet rubustus is Latin for "strong" or "robust". The species is monotypic: no subspecies are recognised.
The Cape parrot was formerly considered to be one of the three subspecies of the... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Liwonde National Park | 🇲🇼 Malawi | |
| 2 | Gonarezhou National Park | 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe | |
| 3 | Kafue National Park | 🇿🇲 Zambia | |
| 4 | Mana Pools National Park | 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe | |
| 5 | Lower Zambezi National Park | 🇿🇲 Zambia | |
| 6 | Gorongosa National Park | 🇲🇿 Mozambique | |
| 7 | South Luangwa National Park | 🇿🇲 Zambia | |
| 8 | Lake Mburo National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 9 | Kruger National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lusaka | 🇿🇲 Zambia |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Szeged Zoo | 🇭🇺 Hungary |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Levaillant's Parrot sighting in Gonarezhou National Park on a given day, based on 23 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 151st most-seen of the 233 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.
February and May
In those months about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Levaillant's Parrot in Gonarezhou National Park on a given day, against about 10% in July and September–November, the lowest months. Those are among Gonarezhou National Park's wettest months, with about 80 mm of rain a month against almost none in July. March–April, June and December–January have too few records to rate.
Between 4 and 7 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Levaillant's Parrot sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Among the best
Of the 9 parks where we can rate Levaillant's Parrot sightings, Gonarezhou National Park ranks 2nd at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Liwonde National Park (Malawi, about 10%).
Same genus: Poicephalus
The closest relatives of the Levaillant's Parrot that you can see in Gonarezhou National Park (genus Poicephalus, African Green Parrots) are Brown-headed Parrot (about 50%) and Meyer's Parrot (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Levaillant's Parrot is recorded against all the birds logged in Gonarezhou National Park (23 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
