PARROTS

RAINBOW LORIKEET

Parrots have been a highly valued cage birds for thousands of years. There are 341 different species and found mainly in the tropics. It is an ancient group of birds. At first they didn't seem to be related to any other group. However, after recent tests of their DNA the closest to a relative was the cuckoos, owls, swifts and kingfishers.

An obvious feature of parrots is its bill. A strongly downward-curving over a smaller, upward-curving lower mandible. Over the upper mandible is a bare and unfeathered area which includes its nostrils.

The bill has a great mobility because of a unique structure. The upper mandible is attached to the skull but with a special hinge. This enables parrots to open its bill very wide. Its bill performs task like gentle preening its feathers, feeding its young or crushing the toughest seeds and nuts with an unbelievable power,

BLUE-WINGED
PARROTLET

COMMUNITY-BASED CONSERVATION HAS HELPED TO STOP THE DECLINE OF THE OUVEA PARAKEET

Their feet also differ from other birds. Other birds have three toes forward and one backward. The parrots' feet have two inner facing forwards and two outer facing backwards. This enables the Parrot to have a great grip on branches. A few tree-climbing birds, such as the woodpeckers, have the same feet.

Parrots have a great manoeuvrability and are very acrobatic. Those characteristics made them such a widely love pet. It climbs through the forest canopy along the smallest branches. This gives it an advantage to reach fruits, seeds and flowers which are denied to other birds of the same size. Their bill serves also as a third foot and hooking onto branches. Their powerful neck and legs are then used at the same time to move from branch to branch.

Parrots' plumage is of a great variety and vivid colours which again made them such wanted pets. Even some birds which have a dull brown, grey or black have some brilliant red or yellow feathers. One of the most bright-coloured birds is the rainbow lorikeet of Australian, New Guinea and Indonesia. Their feather has the brightest blue, orange, yellow and green colours. The majority of parrots are green which blends in well with the forests. Although it is a bright green and some with coloured batches, it still gives a good camouflage.

A lot of their time is spent on preening to keep the feather in top condition. Especially the head feathers are easily soiled from fruits and nectar. They usually preen each other's head feathers.

GLOSSY BLACK
COCKATOO

SULPHUR-CRESTED COCKATOO

The family of parrots are divided into three groups.

COCKATOOS

The cockatoos with their prominent crest on their head are found in Australia, New Guinea and nearby island. This crest is raised if the bird is alarmed or in courtship

LORIES AND LORIKEETS

The Lories and lorikeets are found in the same places as the cockatoos but also on Pacific islands. Their size is small to medium and feed on pollen and nectar of flowers. The feathers are brightly coloured.

The largest group of species are found over a wide range; in Africa, southern Asia, Australasian and Pacific islands. In this group are quite a number of smaller distinguishable groups.

PYGMY PARROTSA

The pygmy parrots are found in New Guinea and Indonesia. They feed on lichens and small insects found on top of tree trunks in dense forests. They also have, like the woodpecker, a stiffened feather tail and use it as a prop to have extra support.

The broad-tailed parrots are in Australia, New Zealand, New Caledonia, and Fiji. Their size is medium and they have long tail. Their diet is seeds. Part of that group is the swift parakeet which feeds on pollen. The shining parrots feed on fruits. There is the colourful rosellas and the budgerigar of Australia. Another of the group is the red-fronted parakeet of New Zealand. The small fig parrot of Australia and New Guinea eats the seeds of figs and other fruits, as well as insect larvae.

A MOUNTED SPECIMEN
OF A CAROLINA PARAKEET
WHICH  WAS HUNTED
TO EXTINCTION.

LOVEBIRDS

A large group of parrots are found in Africa, Asia and Australia and vary in sizes. There are sturdy parrots with short tails, slender parakeets with long tails, a range in size of little lovebirds 13-16cm long and the large eclectus parrots 35cm long. A number of parakeets and the most widespread wild parrot, the ring-necked or rose-ringed parakeet of Africa and Asia.

KEA

KEA -- THE ORANGE FEATHERS UNDER THE WINGS CAN ONLY BE SEEN IN FLIGHT

KAKA

Three odd group of parrots living in New Zealand and they are the kea, the kaka and the kakapo which are Maori names.

KEA

The kea's feathers are bronzy-green with orange-red on the rump and under their wings. They are found in the central highlands of the South Island, on the mountains of 600m to 2000m or more. Their diet varies widely including sheep carrion.

KAKA

The kaka has the same plumage but with brighter patches of orange, yellow or red feathers. They live in forests and eat fruits and insects.

KAKAPO --
A ONE YEAR OLD BIRD

KAKAPO

The kakapo is the world's heaviest parrot and lives in New Zealand. The male weighs up to 3kg. They are night hunters and live on the ground. It is the only flightless parrot. It feeds on grass, ferns, and bulbs and climbs trees to find nectar.

AFRICAN GREY PARROT

The African grey parrot is in the group with the not very colourful parrots living in Madagascar. One is the vasa parrot with brownish-black feathers and some grey under the tail. The other is the black parrot which has only brownish-black feathers.

A BLUE AND YELLOW
MACAWS HOLDING
A WALNUT WITH HIS FOOT

MACAWS

The group of parrots living in tropical America includes the macaws. These parrots have bare patches on their faces. Their feathers are tiny and brightly coloured and long tails. A very big and strong hooked bill. The macaws are a large size but have long pointed wings which enable them to be swift fliers. The conures are like the macaws but smaller size.

This group includes the small species parrotlets and the amazons. The amazons have bright green feathers with patches of bright yellow, orange, red, purple or blue. They have broad, rounded wings which are perfect for short flights in the trees. They are very good climbers.

Parrots are a threatened species for one reason the destruction of the tropical and sub-tropical forests the other reason being hunted for the trade with the pet shops. It doesn't matter to people even if that species is the most endangered one like the Spix macaw from northeast Brazil. It is assumed that there is only one male bird in the wild. Although they are protected by international law, they have been stolen for the bird collectors. Nowadays, not even 40 Spix's macaws are surviving in captivity and a breeding programme had been set up to increase the number.

KAKAPO

Another threatened species is the kakapo of New Zealand which was almost wiped out. Their main problem is predators like stoats, cats and rats which were introduced by European. There is now only a small number on very isolated islands. The New Zealand government had set up a conservation programme with two and a half million NZ Dollars to rescue the kakapo.

10,000 HYCENT MACAW WERE TAKEN FROM THE WILD TO SATISFY THE DEMAND OF THE PET SHOP TRADE, IN 1980 

SUMMARY:

Everywhere, many parrots are endangered or already lost forever. Species living on islands are particular endangered because of loss of habitat or introduction of predators. Also of the constant demand from the pet trade. They are trying very hard to bring out a law to stop the trade of wild parrots. People could help if they make sure that the parrot they bought was bred in captivity.

PARROTS ARE LOVELY PETS BUT NOT AT THE COST OF EXTINCT