Parrots Parrots
Parrots

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.