After dogs, cats and fish, birds are the world’s fourth most popular pets — and a significant number of them are parrots. It is hardly surprising: with their vibrant colours, acrobatic antics and often comical personalities, these feathered characters are irresistible. Parrots are known for their intelligence, sociability and long lifespans.
Traits
Parrots make up a broad order of more than 350 species. Macaws, Amazons, lorikeets, lovebirds, cockatoos and many others all fall under the parrot family.
Despite their diversity, they share several key characteristics. All parrots have curved beaks, and all are zygodactyl, meaning each foot has four toes — two pointing forward and two pointing backward. This unique anatomy makes them the only birds capable of eating with their feet. It allows them to pick up objects, such as food, and bring them to their beaks much as humans use their hands.
Most parrots feed on fruit, flowers, buds, nuts, seeds and, occasionally, small creatures such as insects.
Highly Intelligent
Parrots learn both quickly and effectively. If you have not witnessed it yourself, parrots are among the most intelligent birds in existence. They can associate words with objects and situations, and they are capable of using tools and solving problems. Some scientists argue that their intelligence is comparable to that of a four-year-old child.
Many parrots can mimic a wide range of non-avian sounds, including human speech. The male African grey parrot (Psittacus erithacus) is considered the most accomplished user of human language in the animal world; one African grey was able to speak more than 100 words. Beyond imitating animal sounds, they can replicate various environmental noises as well.
Your parrot may outlive you
A parrot’s lifespan varies by species, but some can actually outlive their owners. Small parrots typically live for 15–20 years, medium-sized species for 25–30 years, while large parrots may live up to 100 years.
The record for the oldest known parrot belongs to a cockatoo named Cookie, who was 82 years old when it died in 2016.
Not all parrots can fly
The world’s largest parrot species, the kakapo, is flightless. Despite this, it can jump and is an excellent climber, allowing it to reach fruit in the trees. It is also notably heavy, weighing up to nine pounds and growing more than two feet in length.
Sadly, the kakapo is now one of the rarest birds on the planet. As of June 2016, only around 150 kakapos remained, largely due to the introduction of predators such as cats and rats to its native New Zealand.
