Poicephalus
Distribution
Distribution
------------

All ten species of *Poicephalus* parrots live in Africa, south of the [Sahara](/wiki/Sahara "Sahara"). Their natural habitat ranges from the coastal regions of the [Red Sea](/wiki/Red_Sea "Red Sea") and the [Gulf of Aden](/wiki/Gulf_of_Aden "Gulf of Aden") in the north to the [Drakensberg](/wiki/Drakensberg "Drakensberg") in South Africa and the northern edge of the [Kalahari Desert](/wiki/Kalahari_Desert "Kalahari Desert") and the [Namib](/wiki/Namib "Namib") in the south. Thus *Poicephalus* parrots can be found in any tropical and subtropical habitat across Africa, except the high\-altitude mountains, although they also live in the subtropical [Afromontane](/wiki/Afromontane "Afromontane") regions and a geographical region where Kalahari desert and the South African [Highveld](/wiki/Highveld "Highveld") merge. The Sahel and the two other deserts within their habitat (Namib and Kalahari Desert) are natural distribution boundaries because they are no appropriate biotopes for parrots. To the southeast, increasing [deforestation](/wiki/Deforestation "Deforestation") limits their range. So much so that the [Cape parrot](/wiki/Cape_parrot "Cape parrot") populations, already considered one of the most threatened large parrot species of Africa, have become disjunct in an area reaching from the [Eastern Cape Province](/wiki/Eastern_Cape "Eastern Cape") to [KwaZulu\-Natal](/wiki/KwaZulu-Natal "KwaZulu-Natal").

*Poicephalus* parrots have spread to only a few islands on the African shore; while brown\-headed parrots can be found on [Pemba Island](/wiki/Pemba_Island "Pemba Island") in the [Indian Ocean](/wiki/Indian_Ocean "Indian Ocean"), and Senegal parrots occur on the [Îles de Los](/wiki/%C3%8Eles_de_Los "Îles de Los") off the Guinean coast, *Poicephalus* parrots have become [extirpated](/wiki/Extirpated "Extirpated") from [Zanzibar](/wiki/Zanzibar "Zanzibar").

Normally, the distribution areas of the different *Poicephalus* species do not overlap but this may happen when food becomes scarce after longer periods of [drought](/wiki/Drought "Drought") and the parrots are forced to migrate to find more abundant food sources. Then several different *Poicephalus* species can be found in one region. Other parrot species naturally occurring in the same distribution area as *Poicephalus* parrots include [African grey parrots](/wiki/Grey_parrot "Grey parrot"), [African ring\-necked parakeets](/wiki/Rose-ringed_parakeet "Rose-ringed parakeet"), and different species of [lovebirds](/wiki/Lovebird "Lovebird") like red\-headed, black\-collared, yellow\-collared, rosy\-faced, black\-cheeked, black\-winged, Fischer's, and Lilian's lovebirds.


Where are all ten species of Poicephalus parrots found?