Caique (/kaɪˈiːk/ or /kɑːˈiːk/[3]) refers to two to four species of parrots in the genus Pionites endemic to the Amazon Basin in South America.

They are relatively small and stocky, with a short, square tail and bright colors; this may be why they are referred to as "caique" based on the term for a similarly described Turkish vessel.

Caiques are generally canopy dwellers, spending most of their time in the tops of trees, foraging and playing.

Some recent morphological work has suggested that the white-bellied parrot should be split into three species based on plumage and leg coloration,[1] though this has not been accepted by either the IOC World Bird List,[4] or the South American Classification Committee.

Recent mitochondrial and nuclear DNA work has found Pionites to be the sister taxon to the Deroptyus (the genus that contains the red-fan parrot); the two genera occupy a basal position in the tribe Arini.

The black-headed parrot is found in forest (especially, but not exclusively, humid) and nearby wooded habitats in the Amazon north of the Amazon River and west of the Ucayali River in Brazil, northern Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela.

They “surf” (described below), “hop” (when excited or to move quickly without flying), and “shuffle” (often in a rapid, backwards direction).

A sound resembling a dead battery on a smoke detector is the typical contact call for the Black-headed Parrot.

When highly stimulated, caiques pin and flash their pupils, making their emotional state obvious.

These birds sometimes perform a behavior unusual for avian species in which they roll over on their backs in apparent play-fighting with other caiques—sometimes called "wrestling".

They often prefer to walk, jump, climb, ride other animals' backs, or hop as a mode of transportation.

Caiques also exhibit a unique behavior known as "surfing", where the bird will vigorously rub its face, wings and chest against any nearby soft item (e.g. carpets, towels, cushions, crumpled paper, curtains or human hair) while using its beak to pull itself along.