Parrots - Biology Of Parrots, Species Of Parrots, Parrots In North America, Parrots And People
Parrots, macaws, lories, parakeets, and related birds, known collectively as psittacids, are 328 living species of birds that make up the family Psittacidae. The psittacids and the cockatoos (family Cacatuidae) are the only families in the order Psittaciformes.
Species of psittacids occur in Central and South America, Africa, Madagascar, South and Southeast Asia, New Guinea, Australia, and New Zealand. The greatest richness of species occurs in Australasia and South America. No native species of the parrot family now breed in North America, although one previously abundant species, the Carolina parakeet, is recently extinct.
Parrots are arboreal birds, living in and around trees. Most species breed in forests, ranging from temperate to tropical, but other species occur in savannas and other relatively open, treed habitats.
Parrots and their allies are beautifully colored birds, and they are also quite intelligent and personable. These birds are very interesting and vital components of their ecosystems, and sightings of psittacids are highly sought-after by bird-watchers and field ornithologists. Several species are also commonly kept as pets.
Additional Topics
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. …
The parrots and their allies in the family Psittacidae include a wide range of groups of species. The systematics of psittacids is not totally agreed upon, but there appear to be six to eight subfamilies, some of which may eventually be segregated into separate families after additional research is completed. The major groups of parrots are described below. The "typical" parrots are …
No native species of parrots breed in North America. The only native species known to have bred in North America was the once-abundant, Carolina parakeet (Conuropsis carolinensis). Regrettably, this native species is now extinct, with the last sightings of the species occurring in Florida as late as 1920. The original range of the Carolina parakeet was the southeastern United States, although it s…
At least 15 species in the parrot family have recently become extinct, all as a result of human influences. The greatest threats to rare and endangered psittacids are to species occurring in naturally small populations, for example, those endemic to islands or to unusually restricted, continental habitats. These species are mostly put at risk by habitat losses associated with the conversion of the…
Citing this material
Please include a link to this page if you have found this material useful for research or writing a related article. Content on this website is from high-quality, licensed material originally published in print form. You can always be sure you're reading unbiased, factual, and accurate information.
Highlight the text below, right-click, and select “copy”. Paste the link into your website, email, or any other HTML document.
User Comments Add a comment…