When you think of a parrot do you picture a bird with vibrant feathers and a bulky beak? The scientific Order Psittaciformes includes more than 350 species of parrots including cockatoos, lories and lorikeets, macaws, keas, parakeets, and the birds we traditionally call parrots. Parrots all have strong, curved beaks to help them effortlessly crack open hard-shelled nuts and seeds, which they eat along with fruits, flowers, nectar, and occasionally insects. Parrots are also characterized by their feet that each have four toes - two that face forward and two that point backward. These beak and foot adaptations allow parrots to easily climb through branches and grab hold of food. Explore more about these brilliantly hued birds in this issue of Land, Sea & Air.

Students (grades K-3) can learn about bird adaptations while creating and playing with parrot finger puppets in the following activity.

Many parrot species are endangered or threatened by habitat destruction. In the Wildlife Reserve activity, 4-8 grade students can design an ideal habitat that would protect endangered parrots or other imperiled wildlife.

Another key threat to many wild parrot populations is overcollection of wild parrots to supply the illegal pet trade, where these birds are illegally smuggled into the U.S. and other countries and sold for pets. High school students can investigate the origins of pet store animals, including parrots, in the Virtual Pet Store activity.

Parrots are an amazingly diverse group of birds that include macaws, cockatoos, budgies, and the more traditional types of parrots. They range in size from the tallest - the hyacinth macaw that reaches 1 m (3.3 ft.) - to the smallest - the buff-faced pygmy parrot that is only 8.4 cm (3.3 in.) tall. Find out more fascinating parrot facts in the following Animal Bytes.

The Guayaquil macaw is a critically endangered parrot that is native to Ecuador. Learn about how the SeaWorld & Busch Gardens Conservation Fund has helped support a project to study and establish a captive breeding program to replenish the wild population of this macaw subspecies.

Each year, thousands of yellow-headed parrots are taken from nests in the wild to supply the illegal bird trade. The SeaWorld & Busch Gardens Conservation Fund provided a grant to the Avian Research and Conservation Institute to study the conservation biology of these endangered birds. Discover more at the following link.

Did you know that SeaWorld and Busch Gardens offer camps for school, scout, and other private groups? February marks the official start to sign up for SeaWorld and Busch Gardens 2010 Adventure Camps. To learn more, visit our Adventure Camp website (see link immediately below) or call 866-468-6226.