Parrots

Parrots range in body length from 3-40 in (8-102 cm). Their head is relatively large, the neck is short, the body is chunky, and their wings are long and usually rounded. Some species have a short tail, but in others the tail is quite long. Parrots have short, strong legs and feet, with long claws, and the toes arranged in a zygodactyl manner, that is, with two pointing forward, and two backward.

Parrots and their allies are highly adapted to living in trees. Both the feet and beak are very dexterous, and are used as aids to climbing. The feet are also used to hold and maneuver food and other objects, as are the beak and tongue. No other birds have the dexterity of parrots.

The bill and the large, muscular tongue of parrots are highly distinctive. The upper mandible is down curved and strongly hooked, and the lower mandible fits neatly into the shell of the upper when the beak is closed. The upper mandible is attached to the skull by a flexible joint, which allows relatively free-ranging, up-and-down movement. The nostrils are contained in a specialized, fleshy, enlarged structure known as a cere, present at the top of the upper mandible, where it joins the face. Like many other species of seed-eating birds, parrots have a well-developed crop, an esophageal pouch in which hard seeds are kept for softening, and a gizzard where the seeds are ground with particles of inorganic grit and small stones.

Almost all of the psittacids are rather attractive, brightly colored birds. The most frequent base color of the plumage is green, but this is commonly offset by bold patterns of bright red, yellow, blue, violet, white, or black. The sexes are similarly colored in most species.

Parrots and their allies are highly social birds, commonly occurring in noisily chattering, shrieking, squawking, or whistling family groups and larger flocks. Some of the smaller species in semi-arid habitats can occur in huge colonies; flocks of budgerigar (Melopsittacus undulatus) in Australia can contain more than one-million individuals. The social psittacids forage in groups, mostly for fleshy fruits and seeds. Some species forage in fruit orchards, where they may cause significant damages. Flocks of psittacids are wary and wily, and are usually difficult to approach closely.

Psittacids fly quickly and directly, using rapid wing-beats, but they tire quickly and do not usually fly very far. Most species are sedentary, spending the entire year in and around their breeding territory. However, species living in arid and semi-arid habitats often wander widely in search of food, which can vary greatly among years depending on the amounts and timing of the rains.

Psittacids are mostly vegetarian birds. Many species are frugivorous, eating fruit as the major component of their diet. Others also eat seeds, buds, and other plant matter. A few species also eat insects, and the kea (Nestor notabilis) of New Zealand is known to eat sheep carrion. (This has led to erroneous beliefs that the kea also kills healthy sheep. The kea may, however, finish off sheep that are virtually dead.) Most species of psittacids will habitually hold their food in their feet as they eat. The beak is used to crack seeds and nuts-captive individuals of hyacinthine macaws (Probosciger aterrimus) are even able to crack the hard shell of Brazil nuts.

Parrots have a monogamous breeding system, in which the male and female are faithful to each other, sometimes for life. The nest is usually located in a hollow in a tree. That cavity may have been developed naturally The endangered hooded parakeet (Psephotus dissimilis.). Photograph by Robert J. Huffman. Field Mark Publications. Reproduced by permission.
through decay, or it may have previously been excavated by another species of bird, such as a woodpecker. A few species will also nest in hollows in rock piles, earthen banks, or similar places. The clutch size ranges from one to 12, with larger species laying fewer eggs. Both sexes incubate the eggs, and they share in the feeding and rearing of the babies. Young parrots are fed by regurgitation.

Parrots are relatively long-lived birds. In captivity, individuals of some of the larger species have lived for more than 80 years.