 These may in fact be three separate species but this view needs substantiation through studies of plumage, ecology and genetic variation within and among the two forms of "P. fuscicollis".The multiple species interpretations are supported by the lack of overlap in distribution between the three forms, by the distinct biomes and dietary preferences of the Cape parrot ("P. robustus") and the other two forms (which occur in different types of tropical savanna) and by limited data on mitochondrial DNA differences among forms.The Birdlife International taxonomic checklist of the world's birds conflicts with these sources by considering all three forms as subspecies of a single species "Poicephalus robustus".