Scientific Classification
- Common Name
- parrot
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Psittaciformes
- Family
- Psittacidae (parrot), Loriidae (parrot), Cacatuidae (Malay name for bird calls)
- Genus Species
- 77 genera and 328 species
Fast Facts
- Description
- Parrots can be found in every color of the spectrum, but many South American species are olive green. All have zygodactylous feet--two toes point forward and two point backwards. Most members of the parrot family also have strongly hooked beaks.
- Size
- From 9 cm (3.6 in.) pygmy parrots to 100 cm (40 in.) hyacinth macaws
- Weight
- From 65 grams for the small species to more than 1.6 kg (3.5 lbs.) for a large hyacinth macaw
- Diet
- Fruit, seeds, buds, nectar, and pollen. Occasionally insects or other meat will be eaten.
- Incubation
- 17 to 35 days
Fledging Duration: 21 to 70 days
- Sexual Maturity
- Usually 1 to 2 years in small species and 3 to 4 years in the large species
- Life Span
- Smaller species between 10 to 15 years, larger macaws and cockatoos to more than 75 years
- Range
- Varies by species
- Habitat
- Primarily forest dwellers of tropical zones around the world
- Population
- Varies by species
- Status
- IUCN: Varies by species
CITES: All but 3 species protected
USFWS: All but 3 species protected
Fun Facts
Parrots raised by humans show an amazing ability to mimic people and noisy objects, but in the wild they have never been observed mimicking.
While both sexes of parrots tend to look identical the eclectus parrot is one of the few known vertebrates in which the female is more colorful than the male. She is bright red; he is green.
Lorikeets have tongues that look like little brushes for feeding on nectar.
Because large parrots live so long, and may out live their owners, it is often necessary for owners to put the birds in their wills.
Ecology and Conservation
The parrot plays an important role in its habitat by helping to propagate the forest. Because not all of the seeds consumed are digested, many are passed in the bird's guano over new areas of the forest. Some species eat nectar and are important in the pollination of many species of plants in the tropical forests.
Bibliography
Forshaw, J.M. Parrots of the World. T.F.H. Publications Inc., 1978.
Parker, Sybil P. (ed.). Grzimek's Animal Life Encyclopedia. Birds II. Vol. 8. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold Co., 1972.
Perrins, Christopher (ed.). The Encyclopedia of Birds. New York: Facts on File Publications, 1985.
