Parrots: An Intriguing Pet

Parrots, part of the Psittaciformes family, are a medium sized order of birds. Within this order there are 360 species. These birds generally range in length from about 3 to 4 inches all the way up to 40 inches in length. Their colorful patterns and intriguing habits have made them a very popular pet. The large demand for parrots as pets has led to the potential extinction of some species in areas around the world because of excessive trapping to supply the pet trade.

One of the most characteristic features of the birds in this family is the curved beak, making the parrot easily recognizable. They are also unique in the fact that they possess a rather thick and muscular tongue which allows them to manipulate their food inside their mouths.

Perhaps the most intriguing and entertaining feature of the birds in this family is their ability to speak. While researchers believe that parrots are only imitating words spoken by humans and other sounds rather than actually understanding what they are saying, it is none the less quite an amusing characteristic. In their natural habitat parrots are found in warm regions of the world such as South East Asia, West Africa, India, Australia, South America and Central America. For awhile at least, there was a species native to the United States; however it has since become extinct. This species, the Carolina parakeet, would actually make its home as far north as the Great Lakes. Now that this bird is extinct, the most northerly parrot is the Slaty-headed parakeet, Psittacola himalayana, from eastern Afghanistan.

The average lifespan of parrots is nothing short of amazing. Many species of parrots can live between 40 to 80 years. The longest recorded life span for a bird was achieved by a Cockatoo; who lived to be at least 82 years old. Generally, parrots tend to be monogamous. They form strong bonds, in pairs. These bonds may last for life in some cases.

Usually parrots will lay 2 to 3 eggs; although there have been some cases in which parrots have been recorded as laying 5 eggs at one time. Parrots eggs are almost always white and spherical in shape. When the babies are hatched they usually have few or no feathers except for a fine down. They are unable to leave the next for several weeks, making them dependent on their parents for protection and food. The adult birds actually feed the babies in a number of species; even after the young have left the nest.

The process by which the birds receive a full set of feathers is known as fledging. The length of time it takes for this to happen varies from one species to the next, as does the time required for the eggs to hatch and even for the birds to reach sexual maturity. As a general rule of thumb, larger birds require longer for each of these processes. Macaws, one of the larger species, tend to take 35 days to hatch and 100 days to fledge. It can be up to 4 years before these birds reach sexual maturity.

For the most part, the species in this bird group eat fruit and seeds. There are some species that will feed on insects, such as Black Cockatoos. There are few birds in this order that will eat meat in the wild. Generally, these birds prefer to live in forests and form groups, families or individual pairs. There are some species that live in open grassland. With these birds it has been noted that there can be up to 1,000,000 living in one flock.

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