Facts about Parrot
The United States protects its only native parrot through its Endangered Species Act, and protects other nations' birds through its Wild Bird Conservation Act.
Popular as pets due to their sociable and affectionate nature, high intelligence, bright colors, and ability to imitate human voices, parrots have historically been kept as pets in many cultures.
At this point, however, is found the first unambiguous parrot fossil (as opposed to a parrot-like one), an upper jaw that is indistinguishable from that of modern cockatoos.
Some parrot species are agricultural pests (Warburton and Perrin 2006), eating fruits, grains, and other crops, but parrots can also benefit economies through birdwatching based ecotourism (Christian et al.
Learning in early life is apparently important to all parrots, and much of that learning is social learning.
Parrots do not have vocal cords, so sound is accomplished by expelling air across the mouth of the bifurcated trachea.
Cockatoos also lack the Dyck texture feathers which, in the Psittacidae, scatters light in such a way as to produce the vibrant colors of so many parrots.
Most parrots are predominantly green, with other bright colors, and some species are multicolored.
Some parrot species can be quite loud, and most larger parrots can be destructive and require a very large cage, and a regular supply of new toys, branches, or other items to chew up.
Escaped parrots of several species have become established in the wild outside their natural ranges and in some cases outside the natural range of parrots.
Several parrot species enter the cool, temperate regions of South America and New Zealand.
Parrots species that are commonly kept as pets include conures, macaws, Amazons, cockatoos, African Grays, lovebirds, cockatiels, budgerigars, eclectus, Caiques, parakeets, Pionus, and Poicephalus.
The parrot family's fossil record, however, is sparse and their origin remains a matter of informed speculation rather than fact.
Due to these problems, and the fact that homeless parrots are not euthanized like dogs and cats, parrot adoption centers and sanctuaries are becoming more common.
Pet parrots may be kept in a cage or aviary; though generally, tame parrots should be allowed out regularly on a stand or gym.
Parrots that are bred for pets may be handled or otherwise accustomed to interacting with people from a young age to help ensure they will be tame and trusting.
Subsequently, the fossil record—again, mainly from Europe—consists of bones clearly recognizable as belonging to parrots of modern type.
Many parrot species are still threatened by this trade as well as habitat loss, predation by introduced species, and hunting for food or feathers.
Congo African gray parrots (CAG) are well known for their ability to "talk," which may be caused by more control, or stronger trachea.
Economically, parrots can be beneficial to communities as sources of income from the pet trade and are highly marketable tourism draws and symbols.
The subfamily Nestorinae are three species of aberrant parrots from New Zealand.
The subfamily Arinae encompasses all the Neotropical parrots, including the Amazons, macaws, and conures, and range from northern Mexico and the Bahamas to Tierra del Fuego in the southern tip of South America.
The "idea" of the parrot has been used to represent the human condition in medieval literature such as the bestiary.
The Psittaciformes are generally considered to consist of two major living lineages of family rank: the true parrots (Psittacidae) and the cockatoos (Cacatuidae).
Parrots have been subjected to more exploitation than any other group of birds (Snyder et al.
In ancient times and currently parrot feathers have been used in ceremonies, and for decoration.
A combination of trapping of wild birds and damage to parrot habitats makes survival difficult or even impossible for some species of parrot.
Almost all parrots nest in tree holes (or nestboxes in captivity), and lay white eggs from which emerge altricial (helpless) young.
The following classification of the true parrots in family Psittacidae is a version in which several subfamilies are recognized.
All other parrots and cockatoos nest in cavities, either tree hollows or cavities dug into cliffs, banks, termite nests, or the ground.
The domesticated Budgerigar, a small parrot, is the most popular of all pet bird species.
The final true parrot subfamily, Psittacinae, includes a range of species from Australia and New Guinea to the species found in South Asia and Africa.
Some parrots have also benefited from human changes to the environment in some instances, and have expanded their ranges where agricultural practices, while many parrots have declined as well.
On the voyage a hundred out of his 140 rowers died of hunger on their way, but the survivors reached Aotona and captured enough parrots to fill 140 bags with their feathers (Craig 1989).
A single 15 millimeter fragment from a lower bill (UCMP 143274), found in Lance Creek Formation deposits of Niobrara County, Wyoming, has been suggested as the first parrot fossil (Stidham 1998).
By at least some versions, the feathers were plucked off living parrots without killing them.
Another New Zealand parrot, the Antipodes Island parakeet, enters the burrows of nesting gray-backed storm-petrels and kills the incubating adults (Greene 1999).
Many parrot species occur only on islands and are vulnerable to introduced species such as rats and cats, as they lack the appropriate anti-predator behaviors needed to deal with mammalian predators.
Seed eating parrots have a strong tongue, which helps to manipulate seeds or position nuts in the bill so that the mandibles can apply an appropriate cracking force.
In 1975, 24 parrot species were included on Appendix I of CITES, thus prohibiting commercial international trade in these birds.
At present the IUCN recognizes 19 species of parrot as extinct since 1600 (the date used to denote modern extinctions) (IUCN 2007).
The Moche people of ancient Peru worshipped birds and often depicted parrots in their art (Berrin and Larco 1997).
Some species are colonial, with the burrowing parrot nesting in colonies up to 70,000 strong (Masello et al.
The earliest records of modern parrots date to about 23 to 20 mya and are also from Europe.
The diet of parrots consists of seeds, fruit, nectar, pollen, buds, and sometimes insects, and to a lesser degree animal prey.
Some larger insects feed on aphids, acting as an ecological control, as do some fungi.
Among the earliest instances were pet red shining-parrots from Fiji, which established a population on the islands of southern Tonga.
By far, the greatest number of parrot species come from Australasia and South America.
Several fairly complete skeletons of parrot-like birds have been found in England and Germany (Dyke and Cooper 2000).
One finding of major importance is that neither cockatoos nor lories seem to be as distinct from other major parrot lineages as they are usually assumed to be.
The popularity of parrots as pets has led to a thriving, and often illegal, trade in the birds, and some species are now threatened with extinction.
Parrots are persecuted for a number of reasons; in some areas they may (or have been) hunted for food, for feathers, and as agricultural pests.
Importation of wild caught parrots into the United States and Europe is illegal, but continue to be smuggled into the countries as the birds can command a high price.
Without question the most important of these to most true parrots and cockatoos are seeds.
A common problem is that large parrot species that are cuddly and gentle as juveniles will mature into complex, often demanding adults that can outlive their owners.
Along with crows, ravens, and jays (family Corvidae), parrots are considered the most intelligent of birds.
Most wild bird studies rely on rings (or bands) or some form of wing tag, but parrots will chew them off (Collar 1997).
Species vary in their temperament, noise level, talking ability, cuddliness with people, and care needs, although how a parrot has been raised usually greatly affects its personality.
Only the monk parakeet and five species of Agapornis lovebird build nests in trees (Eberhard 1998), and three Australian and New Zealand ground parrots nest on the ground.
The parrot head is large, with eyes positioned sideways, which limits binocular vision, but greatly enhances peripheral vision.
Trapping of wild parrots for the pet trade, as well as other hunting, habitat loss, and competition from invasive species, have diminished wild populations.
The verb "parroting" can be found in the dictionary, and means "to repeat by rote."
The popularity, longevity, and intelligence of many of the larger pet parrots has led to many of these birds being rehomed during the course of their long lifespans.
Of the 350 or so living species of parrot, 130 species are listed as near threatened or worse by the IUCN (2006).
Habitat loss or degradation, most often for agriculture, is a threat to numerous parrot species.
The pair bonds of the parrots and cockatoos are strong and the pair will remain close even during the non-breeding season, even if they join larger flocks.
File:Amazon edited.ogg Many species of parrots can imitate human speech or other sounds, and the results of a study by Irene Pepperberg suggested a high learning ability in an African gray parrot named Alex.
Aviculturists working with parrots have identified the need for environmental enrichment to keep parrots stimulated.
The broad-tailed parrots, subfamily Platycercinae, are restricted to Australia, New Zealand.
Recent conservation measures to conserve the habitats of some of the high-profile charismatic parrot species has also protected many of the less charismatic species living in the ecosystem (Snyder et al.
Parrots are popular as pets due to their beauty, intelligence, and sociable natures.
Parrots have featured in human writings, story, art, humor, religion, and music for thousands of years (Boehrer 2004).
A large number of parrot species are in decline, and several species have become extinct.
Parrots can make excellent companion animals, and can form close, affectionate bonds with their owners.
The most obvious physical feature that characterizes parrots is their strong, curved, broad bill.
Some parrots also eat insects and small animals, and the lories and lorikeets are specialized to feed on nectar from flowers, and soft fruits.
Species vary in their temperament, noise level, talking ability, cuddliness with people, and care needs, although how a parrot has been raised usually greatly affects its personality.
Parrots are found on all tropical and subtropical continents including Australia and the islands of the Pacific Ocean, India, southeast Asia, southern regions of North America, South America and Africa.
The parrots also tend to range widely and as a consequence there are many gaps in science's knowledge of their behavior.
Parrots, being cavity nesters, are vulnerable to the loss of nesting sites and to competition with introduced species for those sites.
Parrots have a pan-tropical distribution with several species inhabiting the temperate Southern Hemisphere as well; the greatest diversity is in South America and Australia.
Another New Zealand parrot, the Antipodes Island parakeet, enters the burrows of nesting gray-backed storm-petrels and kills the incubating adults (Greene 1999).
The pygmy parrots, subfamily Micropsittinae, are a small genus restricted to New Guinea.
Small parrots, such as lovebirds, hanging parrots, and budgies have shorter life spans of up to 15-20 years.
Play forms a large part of learning in parrots, it can be solitary, and related to motor skills, or social.
The most important components of most parrots' diets are seeds, nuts, fruit, buds, and other plant material. A few species sometimes eat animals and carrion, while the lories and lorikeets are specialised for feeding on floral nectar and soft fruits.
Key structural differences in the brains of parrots explain the birds' ability to imitate sounds and human speech. Scientists have discovered how parrots talk, as they believe it's down to the wiring in their brains. And the same brain region controls movement which may explain why some parrots "dance" to music.Jun 24, 2015