parrot

parrot, term applied to a large group of gaudy, raucous birds of the family Psittacidae. Parrot also is used in reference to any member of a larger bird group, order Psittaciformes, which includes cockatoos (family Cacatuidae) as well. Parrots have been kept as cage birds since ancient times, and they have always been popular because they are amusing, intelligent, and often affectionate. Several are astonishingly imitative of many sounds, including human speech.

The family Psittacidae numbers 333 species. The subfamily Psittacinae, the “true” parrots, is by far the largest subfamily, with members found in warm regions worldwide. These birds have a blunt tongue and eat seeds, buds, and some fruits and insects. Many members of the subfamily are known simply as parrots, but various subgroups have more specific names such as macaw, parakeet, conure, and lovebird.

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The African gray parrot (Psittacus erithacus) is unsurpassed as a talker; the male can precisely echo human speech. Captive birds are alert and, compared with other parrots, relatively good-tempered. Some are said to have lived 80 years. The bird is about 33 cm (13 inches) long and is light gray except for its squared, red tail and bare, whitish face; the sexes look alike. Gray parrots are common in the rainforest, where they eat fruits and seeds; they damage crops but are important propagators of the oil palm.

Among other proficient mimics are the Amazon parrots (Amazona). The 31 species of Amazons are chunky birds, mostly 25 to 40 cm (10 to 16 inches) long, with slightly erectile crown feathers and a rather short, squared tail. Their predominantly green plumage is marked with other bright colours, chiefly on the upper head; the sexes look alike. Amazon parrots live in tropical forests of the West Indies and Mexico to northern South America. They are difficult to breed and may be aggressive as well as squawky. Common in aviaries is the blue-fronted Amazon (A. aestiva) of Brazil; it has a blue forehead, a yellow or blue crown, a yellow face, and red shoulders. The yellow-crowned parrot (A. ochrocephala) of Mexico, Central America, and from Ecuador to Brazil has some yellow on the head and neck, a red wing patch, and a yellow tail tip.

The monk, or green, parakeet (Myiopsitta monachus) is one of the hardiest parrot species. It is native to South America, but some have escaped from captivity in the United States and now nest in several states. Its large stick nest is unique among psittaciforms. Other remarkable parrots of this subfamily include the hanging parrots (Loriculus), which sleep upside-down like bats. Caiques (Pionites) are small, short-tailed South American birds similar to conures in build and habits.

For decades the night parrot, or night parakeet (Geopsittacus occidentalis), of Australia was thought to be extinct, until a dead one was found in 1990. It feeds at night on spinifex grass seeds and dozes under a tussock by day. Its nest is a twig platform in a bush and is entered by way of a tunnel. Equally unusual is the ground parrot, or ground parakeet (Pezoporus wallicus). Rare local populations exist in the wastelands of coastal southern Australia and western Tasmania. It runs in the grass, flushes like a quail, and makes a sudden deceptive pitch, and it was formerly hunted with dogs. It eats seeds and insects; its nest is a leaf-lined depression under a bush.

The lories (with short tails) and lorikeets (with longer, pointed tails) make up the Psittacidae subfamily Loriinae. The 53 species in 12 genera are found in Australia, New Guinea, and some Pacific islands. All have a slender, wavy-edged beak and a brush-tipped tongue for extracting nectar from flowers and juices from fruits.

The pygmy parrots of the subfamily Micropsittinae all belong to the genus Micropsitta. The six species are endemic to New Guinea and nearby islands. These are the smallest members of the family. They live in forests, where they eat insects and fungi.

The subfamily Nestorinae is found only in New Zealand. The kea (Nestor notabilis) occasionally tears into sheep carcasses (rarely, weakened sheep) to get at the fat around the kidneys. The kaka, N. meridionalis, a gentler forest bird, is often kept as a pet. The owl parrot, or kakapo (Strigops habroptilus), also lives only in New Zealand. It is the sole member of the subfamily Strigopinae. Rare and once thought extinct, it survives as a scant population on Stewart Island.

The cockatoo family (Cacatuidae) numbers 21 species from Australia, New Guinea, and nearby islands. The group includes the cockatiel (Nymphicus hollandicus), a smaller bird. All are crested and have heavy beaks for cracking nuts and seeds. The so-called sea parrot is unrelated to the psittaciforms (see puffin).