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.