Parrots

Parrot Facts

Classification:

• Kingdom: Animalia
• Subkingdom: Bilateria
• Phylum: Chordata
• Subphylum: Vertebrata (have backbone)
• Class: Aves
• Order: Psittaciformes
• Family: Psittacidae, with various superfamilies, subfamilies, and tribes recognized under different taxonomic systems, containing over 350 species. These groupings include Nestorinae (kea and New Zealand kaka); Psittrichadinae (vulturine parrot or Pesquet's parrot); Cacatuinae (cockatoos); Micropsittinae (pygmy parrots); Loriinae (lories and lorikeets); Strigopinae (kakapo or owl parrot); and Psittacinae (true parrots)
• Geographical location: South and Central America, southern North America, Africa, Madagascar, Indonesia, and southern and Southeast Asia
• Habitat: Lowland tropical or subtropical and mountain forests
• Gestational period: Eggs hatch in seventeen to thirty-five days
• Life span: Forty to eighty years, in captivity
• Special anatomy: Down-curved bills, muscular tongues, zygodactyly

The hundreds of parrot species are vivid-colored members of the bird order Psittaciformes and are generally understood to make up the family Psittacidae. They are further classified into various subgroupings according to different systems of taxonomy, with the common (non-taxonomical) distinctions being between macaws, cockatoos, true parrots, parakeets, and lories and lorikeets. In parrot plumage, reds and greens often predominate, but blue, purple, yellow, and black also appear.

Parrots inhabit warm South and Central America, southern North America, Africa, Madagascar, Indonesia, and southern and Southeast Asia. They live in lowland tropical or subtropical and mountain forests. Parrot sizes range from three-inch New Guinea pigmy parrots to South American macaws over three feet long and kakapos of New Zealand, flightless birds that can reach weights of as much as nine pounds.

Macaws, the largest parrots, have long, pointy tails. Cockatoos of Australia and Indonesia are white, with colored crests and other touches of yellow, red, or pink. True parrots are smaller, square-tailed, and have many green feathers. Parakeets, smaller than most other parrots, have long, pointy tails. Lories have red or orange bills, instead of gray bills like most parrots. In most species, males and females look similar, but males are more brightly colored.

Physical Characteristics of Parrots

The most noticeable features of parrots, beyond color, are their down-curved, hooked bills, thick, muscular tongues, and short legs. The bills have strong grasping ability that helps parrots to climb well. Parrot feet are zygodactyl, meaning that the two outer toes of the foot point backward and grip in the opposite direction to the two forward-pointing inner toes. Because of this, parrots walk awkwardly. However, zygodactyly makes them excellent climbers.

Parrots eat seeds, fruits, and nuts. Australian lories also eat pollen and nectar. The thick, muscular tongues of most parrots manipulate nuts and seeds, breaking them open as needed. Longer lory tongues have brushlike tips for eating pollen and nectar. Most parrots find their food in trees, using feet and bills to navigate search areas.

The Lives of Parrots

Parrots are social birds that often live in flocks. Their loud voices are harsh and used in constant communication. Parrot breeding seasons depend on the geographic location of their habitat and the food they eat. Species living outside the tropics, where food supply changes seasonally, have yearly mating seasons. Those in tropical regions breed at irregular intervals when food is available.

Most parrots pair for life. Males attract mates by hopping, bowing, wagging tails, and flapping wings. After mating, females lay two to eight small white eggs. A mated pair does not part after breeding. They eat together and groom each other year round. Most parrots nest in holes in trees, termite mounds, or rock or ground tunnels. Others lay eggs in large grass or twig nests. Females incubate eggs for eighteen to thirty-five days, while males supply mates with food. Parrots are born blind and dependent on their parents. Young leave the nest after one month in smaller species and after 3.5 months in larger species. Some parrots regularly live for sixty to eighty years, and the kakapo is able to live to 120, making them among the longest-lived birds.

Some Representative Parrot Species

The African gray parrot (Psittacus erithracus) of Central and Western Africa can grow to one-foot lengths and one-pound weights. They have gray bodies, black wingtips, and red tail feathers. They eat fruit, seeds, nuts, and berries, nesting in holes in trees. Females lay about four eggs and incubate them for a month, while males feed them. Chicks are fed by both parents. They fly in 2.5 months and parents feed them for 5 more months. These birds form flocks of up to thirty-six individuals. In captivity they live for up to eighty years. Studies have shown that African gray parrots are among the most intelligent birds, with large brains for their body size and the ability to solve puzzles and use tools. While many parrot species are known to be able to mimic words spoken by humans, the African gray parrot is thought to have capabilities beyond mimicry, displaying abilities similar to a young child in understanding word meanings and recognizing shapes and colors.

Princess parrots (Polytelis alexandrae) live in the scrub land of central and western Australia. They nest in eucalyptus tree holes and eat acacia buds, seeds, berries, and fruit. They are high-altitude fliers, who travel widely seeking food. Their flocks contain up to twenty-four birds. Full-grown, they are fifteen inches long including the tail, and weigh around four ounces. Back, belly, and wing plumage is olive green and yellow; tail feathers are violet; throats are pink; bills are red-orange; and heads are light blue. Breeding occurs between September and December. Females lay four to six eggs and incubate them for three weeks. Young can fly at three months old. An endangered species, they are protected by law.

Indonesian salmon-crested cockatoos (Cacatua moluccensis) have plentiful, pink-tinted white plumage. Atop their heads are crests of salmon-red feathers, raised to show desire to mate. They eat berries, seeds, nuts, fruits, and insects. Breeding season is in November, and after mating they pair for life. Nests are in tree hollows. Females lay four to seven white eggs. Both birds incubate them for a month. After hatching, young remain in the nest for three months, and then live on their own. Salmon-crested cockatoos can live for sixty years in captivity.

Parrots are very ingenious. This is due to their great intelligence, estimated to equal that of porpoises and primates. Many species of parrots are liked as pets, due to their attractive coloring and ability to learn to repeat words. The popularity of pet parrots has brought some species close to extinction, however, as illegal capture and sale threatens wild populations. In most countries, laws regulate their capture, export, and import, but such laws are often difficult to enforce, especially in the face of high demand. Habitat loss is another major threat to many parrot species. On the other hand, wild parrots are seen as pests in some areas where they are common. For example, farmers see cockatoos as nuisances because they eat crops, focusing especially on valuable seeds.

Principal Terms

plumage: the feathers of birds

zygodactyl: having two toes pointing backward and two toes pointing forward

Bibliography

Angier, Natalie. "Parrots are a Lot More than 'Pretty Bird.'" New York Times, 21 Mar. 2016, www.nytimes.com/2016/03/22/science/parrots-are-a-lot-more-than-pretty-bird.html. Accessed 6 Oct. 2016.

De Grahl, Wolfgang. The Parrot Family: Parakeets, Budgerigars, Cockatiels, Lovebirds, Lories, Macaws. New York: Arco, 1981.

Higgins, P. J., ed. Handbook of New Zealand, Australian, and Antarctic Birds. Vol. 4, Parrots to Dollarbirds. New York: Oxford University Press, 1999.

Juniper, Tony. Parrots: A Guide to Parrots of the World. New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press, 1998.

"Parrot." National Geographic, 2016, www.animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/birds/parrot/. Accessed 6 Oct. 2016.

Sparks, John. Parrots: A Natural History. New York: Facts on File, 1990.

World Parrot Trust, 2016, www.parrots.org/. Accessed 6 Oct. 2016.