Parrots - what the ***k do I know?

What the beak do I know about parrots?

The beautiful brightly colored birds who stand upright, typically seen with a one eyed pirate. 

"True" Parrot, Psittacoidea

 Parrot is is the name for approximately 398 species of bird. Composed of three distinctions, the "true" parrot, Psittacoidea, the cockatoos Cacatuoidea, and New Zealand parrot, Stringopoida. 

Cockatoo, Cacatuoidea

This is me with Kiwi, a cockatoos who lives at the local animal shelter. She is always exited to play. She will climb up your leg and gladly sit on your shoulder until you take her off. Kiwi loves the attention.

Appearance, diet and mating

Black Palm Cockatoo

With their hundreds of species comes just as many different appearances such as the black palm cockatoo. 

Native to several parts of the world including Africa and South America. Fruits, seeds and nuts are the primary components of the parrots diet though some parrots are know to eat carrion or nectar. 

Monogamous breeders who lay bright white eggs in a cavity they call home. Parrots are not territorial outside of the cavity they live in.

Parrots along with several other types of birds such as crows are highly intelligent with effective problem solving skills and ability to mimic sounds. Some parrots learned to speak hundreds of words, some even hold brief conversations.

Intelligence

One of my favorite facts about parrots and their intelligence is about Alex, an African grey parrot. 

Alex is the only documented animal to ever ask an existential question. 

Alex understood, and was able to communicate the color and shape of items. 

One day Alex was shown himself in the mirror and asked "what color" suggesting that he was asking what color he was looking at. It is interpreted by many members of the bird community that Alex was asking "what color am I" 

Was this chance, or was Alex actually asking a question about himself is still debated to this day. 

Unfortunately, we will never know if that is what Alex was truly asking. He unexpectedly passed away at the age of 31 in 2007.

New Zealand Parrot, Stringopoida

In modern life

In the 1990s the US and Europe declared importation of wild-caught parrots illegal. This resulted in the release of several hundred parrots. Since parrots are quite hardy and can adapt to their environment the released parrots flourishing in some areas. It is now estimated that around 300 hybrid parrots live in and around San Francisco.

Do you or someone you know own a parrot? If you love parrots you can rejoice in knowing that  world parrot day is May 31.