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| Parrots |
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| Common
Name: |
parrots |
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| Class:
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Aves |
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| Order: |
Psittaciformes |
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| Family:
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Psittacidae
(parrot), Loriidae (parrot), Cacatuidae (Malay name for bird calls) |
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| Genus
species: |
77 genera
and 328 species |
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| Fast
Facts |
| Description:
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Can
be found in every color of the spectrum, but many South American species
tend toward olive green. All have zygodactylous feet, two toes that
point forward and two that point backwards. Most members of the parrot
family also have strongly hooked beaks. |
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| Size: |
From
9 cm (3.6 in) pygmy parrots to 100 cm (40 in) hyacinth macaws |
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| Weight:
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From
65 grams for the small species to more than 1.6 kg (3.5 lbs) for a
large hyacinth macaw |
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| Diet: |
Fruit,
seeds, buds, nectar, and pollen. Occasionally insects or other meat
will be eaten. |
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| Incubation: |
17 to
35 days; fledging lasts another 21 to 70 days |
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| Sexual
maturity: |
Usually
1 to 2 years in small species and 3 to 4 years in the large species |
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| Life
span: |
Smaller
species between 10 and 15 years, larger macaws and cockatoos to more
than 75 years |
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| Range:
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| Habitat:
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Primarily
forest dwellers of tropical zones around the world |
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| Population: |
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| Status:
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Several
threatened or endangered under USFWS such as the Lear's macaw and
golden conure; all but three species are protected by CITES |
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| Fun
Facts |
| 1. |
Parrots
raised by humans show an amazing ability to mimic people and noisy
objects, but in the wild they have never been observed mimicking. |
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| 2. |
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. |
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| 3. |
Lorikeets
have tongues that look like little brushes for feeding on nectar. |
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| 4. |
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. |
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| Ecology
and Conservation |
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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.
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| Bibliography |
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Forshaw,
J.M. Parrots of the World. T.F.H. Publications Inc., 1978.
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Parker,
Sybil P. (ed.). Grzimek's Animal Life Encyclopedia. Birds II. Vol.
8. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold Co., 1972. |
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Perrins,
Christopher (ed.). The Encyclopedia of Birds. New York: Facts
on File Publications, 1985.
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| RETURN
TO TOP |
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| Return
to Expedition
Pantanal 2002 |
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| Return
to Animal Bytes |
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