Parrots of the World
Parrot Families
All parrots of the world belong to the order Psittaciformes. In that order there are two different families: Cacatuidas and Psittacidae. Cockatoos belong in the first family, while the second includes all the true parrots of the world.
Each family of parrots has subfamilies within it, and subspecies within that. Macaws, for example, belong to the Psittacidae family. Macaws are a subfamily group. Among macaws, there are at least 17 members:
* Hyacinth
* Glaucous Macaw
* Lear’s Macaw
* Spix’s Macaw
* Blue and Yellow Macaw, or Blue and Gold Macaw
* Caninde Macaw
* Military Macaw
* Buffon’s Macaw
* Scarlet Macaw
* Green-winged Macaw
* Red-fronted Macaw
* Yellow-collared Macaw
* Chestnut-fronted Macaw, or Severe Macaw
* Red-bellied Macaw
* Illiger’s Macaw
* Blue-headed Macaw
* Red-shouldered Macaw
Most Popular
People differ in their opinions of which parrots are more well-liked. Some look at the trendy parrots. Others consider the most prevalent in the pet stores. Some speak of which is more popular in this country or that, but of all the parrots of the world, the 5 most often dubbed popular are these.
1. Parakeets: The common Parakeet, Budgerigar to be more precise, is from Australia, and is often chosen as a pet for children or those who are beginners at bird care, partly due to its low price. Colorful little “Budgies” are hardy, require little space, and are much lower maintenance than larger birds. They are very intelligent, and although content to whistle or sing quietly, some do learn a few words. The name “Budgerigar” comes from the Australian Aboriginal name for the parrot. It means “good eating” but most “Budgie” owners would be horrified to hear you say so. Among the many parrots of the world, this is probably the least expensive in both initial and upkeep costs.
2. Cockatiels: Another Australian species, these medium sized parrots are known for sophisticated whistling and singing. While they can be taught to speak, many people find that the birds would rather whistle, and mimic random sounds, such as a ringing cell phone. A disadvantage to the cockatiel is that it uses a powdery substance to keep its wings water-proof, so owners often find their fingers dusty after handling the bird.
3. Sun Conures: Among the parrots of the world, Sun Conures are one of the brightest. Their plumage is red, orange, yellow, blue, and green. Sun Conures have been known to talk well, but beware! These parrots often screech and scream rather than talk. Their 12 inch length means they will require a smaller cage than larger parrots, but you and your family may require earplugs. If you train your Sunnie to lower its voice, you will enjoy its antics, as these parrots tend to be playful.
4. Parrotlets: Parrotlets, especially Pacific Parrotlets, are one of the smallest known parrots of the world – about 4 inches in length! They are also one of the most pernicious and spunky of all the parrots of the world. These tiny parrots learn to talk in a voice that sounds like that of a robot. This tiny voice, their size, and the fact that they do not scream, make them ideal for those who need a quiet companion.
5. African Greys: African Grey Parrots are probably the most intelligent of the parrots of the world, and indeed, of all birds. These parrots are not as colorful as some. They are mainly grey, as the name implies. They do have a bright red or maroon tail, though, depending on the subspecies. African Greys excel at mimicry, sometimes learning as many as 1-2000 words. They learn other sounds, too, and may quickly learn to imitate a jet engine if you walk through an airport with them. Among the many parrots of the world, these may be the most demanding. Just like your toddler, these birds get bored and want their owners to provide entertainment. If you are looking for an intellectual, loyal, and affectionate parrot, the African Grey is probably a good choice.
How Many Different Parrots Are There?
All told, parrots of the world number more than 350 different species and subspecies! Due to loss of habitat, climate changes, hunting, and the trade in live birds as pets, some parrots have become extinct. Others are listed as threatened, or are on the “endangered species” list.
Life Expectancy
People who purchase a parrot, purchase a commitment that is likely to continue throughout their lives and beyond. Most parrot owners are already 20 years old or more, and parrots themselves often have a life expectancy of more than 50 years. Some live to be nearly 100 years old. Added to that long life expectancy, many parrots of the world tend to bond with a single person. If that person breaks the bond in some way, the parrot may die.
Before you ask a parrot to be your companion, think it through carefully. The bird may outlive you.
By: Anna Hart
- Anna Hart
Help I Am Allergic To Birds
If you are allergic to birds then you suffer from Allergies Type 1, also called Contact Allergies.
The immune system reacts to the allergens fond in the birds skin. This allergen can be found in the dander, saliva, urine or feces of birds. The number of people with allergies to cats and dogs are much higher than the number of people that suffer from bird allergies.
Like all animal allergies, dander will trigger an allergy attack to those who suffer from bird allergies. When bird preens itself or ruffles its feathers, the dander is sent into the air where it can come into contact with the skin or inhaled into the lungs. If you have watched a bird for any length of time you can actually see the dander and small bits of feather leaving the birds body.
When the bird is caged they cannot avoid stepping in their own urine or feces. The allergens can cause a reaction when they come into contact with your skin when handling the bird.
People with allergies to birds have a good chance of being allergic to Eggs. As your body becomes sensitized to the bird allergens, you may react to the ingestion of eggs as well.
Parrot and the parakeet family can cause a severe reaction known as bird-fancier’s lung also called hypersensitivity pneumonitis. Symptoms include fatigue, a loss of energy, and a slowly progressive shortness of breath. Scar tissue can form in the lungs and the disease, in some cases, has been known to be fatal.
Confining the pet to one room will not help much. Every time the bird flaps it wings the allergens are put into the air and the air currents from forced-air heating and cooling will spread the allergens throughout the house. Consider investing in a HEPA room air cleaner for all bedrooms and in the family room.
Air cleaners can make a really big difference in the severity and frequency of allergy attacks. The central heating system should have an electrostatic air filter to distribute clean air through out the house. These electrostatic air filters trap microscopic allergens.
Cleaning the bird cages often will also help. Dried microscopic dander and the partially decomposed feathers on the bottom of the cage are loaded with bird antigens and should be remove as soon as possible from the environment.
Always consult your doctor before using this information.
This Article is nutritional in nature and is not to be construed as medical advice.
- David Cowley
The Joy Of Having A Parrot Pet
Because of their impressive nature, people buy parrots to become their pet on pet stores on impulse. Popular choices are amazons, macaws, and cockatoos because of their adorable traits and characteristics.
But, better be careful in choosing and buying parrot pets on impulse because caring for them can be an overwhelming and stressful task for you. Before you bring home a parrot to become your pet, make sure that you do a little research on its types and caring procedures so you will know what is the most suitable parrot specie for you.
Parrot shopping guidelines
Every parrot—or any pet or animal for that matter—is different. Thus, they require special needs and caring. You must know by now that choosing a parrot for a pet is a lifelong commitment so it’s advisable that you do not make hasty decisions in buying one. Since buying a parrot requires a good decision-making, here are some things that can get you started:
1. A parrot’s “noise” is one of the major considerations in choosing any pet parrot. Majority of the Conure species and Quaker Parakeets produce ear-piercing screeches that you might not tolerate.
Amazons, Macaws, Cockatoos, and African Greys, one the other hand, give out information about you that can smear your reputation while Pionus, and some medium-sized Poicephalus like Senegals and Meyers, are known to create lesser noise compared other parrots. Budgies, Lovebirds, and Parrotlets, on other hand, are famous for not having very loud screeches because they do not possess a real ability to scream.
2. The next basic thing to consider when you’re pondering over buying a pet parrot is the mess the bird will create. Don’t be shocked if you see at least one-third of the food you give to the parrot will end up scattered on the floor.
This “food-scattering” is just part of a parrot’s nature of being experimental or just being naughty. Aside from food particles, feathers will also be present everywhere. If you are not used to having pets as messy as parrots and you are about to have one, you might want consider placing its cage where cleaning materials are accessible.
3. You should also consider the attention you can give and the attention your parrot pet will need. Being social flock animals, parrots are known to enjoy utmost attention. You must know when to pay attention to your pet parrot because they become easily depressed, lazy, and untrusting. Give them enough freedom to explore and interact with you.
4. You also be prepared to maintain the cleanliness of your pet parrot. No bird—or any pet for that matter—will be happy and healthy if they are confined in a soiled, dirty cage. Putting newspapers under their cage is the easiest way to get rid off soiled perches but make sure you don’t use colored papers because they contain toxins that can be harmful to your parrot pet.
5. Lastly, contemplate on feeding your parrot pet. Far from common perception, birds—especially parrots—cannot live in birdseed alone. Daily pelleted or seed diet combined with a variety of dark green, orange, and yellow vegetables or cooked brown rice, pasta, and beans are best for your winged pet.
- Low Jeremy
Discover The History Of Parrot-Keeping
Not a great deal was written about parrot-keeping in ancient times, and although in certain cases the information is repetitive, it is contradictory in others, so I have thought it best to give the quotations in full.
One thing that must be pointed out at once is that the Ancients knew of no difference between parrots and parakeets, so by them all psittacoses birds were simply classed together as “parrots”.
From time immemorial any bird that could “talk” has charmed and mystified the human race, so it is not surprising to learn that in India, particularly among the Brahmins, “parrots” from the earliest times were not eaten but were held sacred simply because they could imitate the speech of human beings. This same facility fascinated the great ladies of ancient Rome, where talking “parrots” were highly prized luxuries, their price often exceeding that of a slave, and were frequently housed in magnificent cages made of ivory, tortoiseshell and silver.
The following interesting excerpt is from Dr. Russ’s Die Fremdlandischen Stubenvogel, Parrot vol. Ill:
The old Egyptians did not know the parrots and in their hieroglyphics we find no sign or any indication of them. In like case were the Israelites, at any rate research shows that the name of Parrot is never once mentioned in the Bible. In the time of Alexander the Great they were introduced into Greece, for we are told, though there is some doubt about the correctness of this statement, that one of his retinue brought with him from India a species of parrot, which he found was commonly kept tame among the natives there.
This species, according to Wagler, was the Psittacus eupatrius of Linnaeus, now popularly known as the Large Alexandrine Parrakeet. As Aristotle (see Sundervall, Thierarten des Aristoteles (Stockholm 1863) and Lenz Zoologie der alten Grierhen und Romer (Gotha 1856)) gives such a very short description of the parrots, we may assume that he had but very rarely seen one, for otherwise such a painstaking author as he would have given a more satisfactory account.
It was the Ring-necked Parrakeet (P. torquata, Bodd) also commonly nowadays known as the Small Alexandrine, which the Romans knew, for this species was discovered in farthest Syria by Diodorus Siculus, a contemporary of Julius Caesar and Augustus and accurately described by Pliny, the first real description of a parrot we have. Martial tells us that they were kept in costly cages of silver, ebony and tortoiseshell, and were taught to speak human words, especially the name of Caesar. For their training special teachers were appointed and the price of a well-trained bird often exceeded that of a slave.
Turner, one of the earliest English writers on birds, gave in his Historia Avium, written in 1544, Pliny’s interesting account as to the somewhat drastic, not to say brutal method of teaching parrots to speak in ancient Rome. The following quotation is taken from Turner on Birds by A. N. Evans, published about 1903:
Beyond all, Psittaci repeat men’s words, and even talk connectedly. India sends this bird, which they call Psittace, with the whole body green marked only by a scarlet ring upon the nape. It will pronounce “Hail Emperor” and any words it hears; it is especially sportive after wine.
The hardness of the head is the same as of the beak, and when the bird is being taught to speak, it is beaten with an iron rod, else it feels not the strokes. When it flies down it receives its weight upon its beak, and supports itself thereon; and thus lightens itself to remedy the weakness of its feet.
As to the unfortunate bird having to stand on its head in order to remedy the weakness of its feet, Pliny seems to have thought this quite a normal procedure. For myself, however, I can only suppose that it was either suffering from concussion through having been hit on the head with an iron rod; or else, having been “especially sportive after wine”, the poor thing had reached the stage where it was too drunk to stand up properly!
This is but a brief history of the keeping of parrots. Hopefully it has inspired the reader to try to glean more information himself on this fascinating subject.
- Jimmy Cox
Projects Abroad Update From the Taricaya Conservation Research Centre in Peru
Stuart Timson, Director of our incredible Peruvian Conservation Project gives us the news from the Amazon Rainforest:
The heavy rains promised by the storms earlier in January never materialized and so this wet season has been relatively dry thus enabling us to work without delays over the last couple of months. With the lodge filling up to near capacity and the willingness of the volunteers to get stuck in I have been able to advance much quicker than planned. A lot has been accomplished in little time and I will try and do justice to all the hard work and the latest advances at Taricaya.
Let’s start with the ongoing improvements in the animal release program and needless to say there are new residents in the project whilst old friends have been released back into the wild. Our nursery is starting to fill up and there were three new arrivals over the last few weeks. A first at Taricaya was an infant common squirrel monkey, whose continual chattering is now a familiar sound around the centre. Later the same week we also received another young paca and a dusky-headed parakeet chick. The nursery seems much more vibrant with the new additions and the place has also been brightened up by the artistic talents of some of our volunteers who painted numerous animals on the walls creating a much more colorful environment. Plans for April include new cages for the growing macaw populations as just two weeks ago we received two more chestnut-fronted macaws and a scarlet macaw.
Just as we received new guests last month we also released some old ones. Bianca the young paca was growing at a phenomenal rate and was quickly outgrowing her cage in the nursery. Pacas are naturally very independent animals so we decided to release her just in front of the lodge. Being nocturnal by nature she is now happily running around at night often startling volunteers on their way back from the dining room. She is continuing to grow and appears to be thriving with her new freedom.
Moving on I feel that several sightings around the reserve are worthy of a mention not only for the amazing experiences they provided for the volunteers but also as indicators of a healthy ecosystem and reflecting our good work in the reserve. Anaconda Colpa had not been visited for a while and the first few groups to use it this year had some great sightings including a red-brocket deer, a tayra and two grisons. The last two species belong to the weasel family, Mustelidae, and the grison is an animal that we have only ever seen once before around the reserve. Last week a group of visiting tourists got a wonderful surprise when they reached the top canopy platform to see a margay standing in the kapok tree. This small arboreal cat is rarely seen as it is generally nocturnal but I am confident that this individual was the one that we released in 2004 about 600m from the canopy. Whether it is the same or not it is a wonderful sighting, one of the best at the canopy so far.
The farm project continues to flourish and in March we concentrated on our Heliconia project. We are already producing large quantities of flowers from our original plants but this month we were given a collection of many different species to grow and hopefully make nurseries should the flowers find a market. This meant that volunteers were clearing and planting a lot of the time and we now have several plots with neat rows of the different species. We now have to wait for the plants to react after the transfer from Puerto Maldonado and hope that the new species produce flowers with a good market value. Elsewhere at the farm the donkeys are recovering well from a stomach parasite and the volunteers are training them by riding them around some of the trails. One female is pregnant so she just follows along behind without a rider. The idea is to increase their stamina to enable them to work when fully recuperated.
As you can see a lot has been accomplished already this year and with a lodge full of industrious volunteers I expect to keep the work rate up over the coming months. It is an exciting time to be involved and there is plenty of work for everyone!!
Find Out About Our Conservation Project in Peru
www.projects-abroad.co.uk
- Projects Abroad
Animal Communication for Healing
Sandy’s dog told me she was upset because she was. Her digestive problem improved when Sandy solved her problem. Mary’s cat was running away because the new kitten received all the attention.
Gary’s horse informed me that he was being abused by the owner of the boarding facility. Sharon’s parakeet complained that his cage was too small. She had a much happier bird, after she purchased a larger one.
Are you very close to your pets? Do you sometimes wish that you could communicate with them, especially when they seem upset or have physical problems? Animals do speak to humans and it is a wonderful experience to be able to hear them and help them heal.
As a Marriage, Family Therapist and intuitive counselor, I had the opportunity to counsel many clients over the telephone that had beloved pets. They sometimes asked me to help them, too. Since I knew that intuition has no limitations, I tuned into them. The animals seemed very happy to communicate with me. When I told the owner what I heard, the information was always confirmed.
I was amazed to discover that they have similar problems than humans. For example, Kathy purchased a beautiful pedigree dog. Soon after, she noticed that her sweet angel seemed depressed and had severe digestive problems. Very concerned, she contacted me. When I communicated with the puppy, she informed me that she was feeling very insecure because her siblings were kept as “show dogs.” She felt not good enough. When I helped her release that negative belief and realize that she was good enough (as I have with many children and adults) she felt much happier and her appetite returned.
It is interesting that I find that many pets (and children’s) problems reflect the upset of one or more of the family members. It is normal and human to have issues. However, it is important to be able to resolve them so that everyone in the family, including the pets, can feel good and prevent physical problems.
It was fascinating to discover that Beverly’s elderly, sick dog knew when he was going to die but told me not to pass the information on to her. Sure enough, three months later Beverly called me very upset because her beloved pet had passed away. I then told her what he had said. “She replied, “Is he all right? I just want to know he’s all right.” (This is a question that many clients also ask me about their deceased human loved ones.) I further comforted her by tuning into him and reporting that he was smiling and happily running around.
Ellen contacted me because she intuitively knew that her 14 year old pet was dying. However, she was too upset to trust her own answers. Her dog told me that she was leaving and gave me all the details of how and where she wanted it to happen, including the burial ceremony. Ellen took notes and was very grateful for the information.
Ellen called me a week after her dog died. She told me again how comforting it was to know exactly what her precious pet desired so that she could fulfill her last wishes.
Knowing how to communicate with animals (and humans) is very important in order to prevent and heal emotional and physical problems. Our beloved pets benefit greatly when we pay attention to their symptoms.
If we tune-in and listen to the animals, we can uncover the causes of their problems and help them to experience what they need to solve them. If you love your pets, I am sure that you agree that they also deserve to be healthy and happy.
- Helene Rothschild
All The Secrets of the Amazing Quaker Parrot
The Quaker Parrot is more formally known as the Monk Parakeet (Myiopsitta monachus) and is native to the temperate areas of Brazil, and Argentina. They average a twenty nine centimeter length with a forty eight centimeter wingspan and an average weight of one hundred grams with females usually 10%-20% smaller than there male counterparts.
Quaker Parrots are usually bright green with a grey to white breast. Its flight feathers are a brilliant dark blue that are very contrasted by its green upper body. They have a curved orange beak which is very common among parrots.
Quaker parrots are very intelligent birds. Like most parrots Quaker Parrots are able to ‘imitate’ human speech and when kept as pets they will often times develop very large vocabularies.
The Quaker Parrot was introduced to the United States from South America in the late 1960’s to be sold as pets, many of these escaped into the wild or were purposefully released by bored pet owners. By the year 1995 it had colonized 15 states and holds a population in Florida believed to be 100,000 birds. Some debate, primarily in the United States, that feral Quaker parrots and harmful to crops and resident species, this however is an ongoing debate with few conclusive answers. If damage did occur it would most likely be light.
Because of there intelligence and rather small stature Quaker Parrots make great small cage pets. They are also very popular as pets so more than likely your local pet store will have some for a reasonable price.
Some interesting facts about Quaker Parrots:
Quaker parrots are very social sometimes building colonies with one large nest. These nests can reach the size of a small car and are made almost entirely of sticks.
Quaker parrot colonies have been found as far north as New York City, Chicago, and Rhode Island, but are usually isolated to the urban enclaves of these areas.
The Quaker Parrot Lifespan is 15-30 years respectively, some say 15-25 years while others say 20-30 years, it’s a wonder if a standard lifespan will ever be named.
Due to the spread of the feral populations of Quaker parrots through the spread of demand for them as pets, they can now be found wild in Europe, Bermuda, Puerto Rico, Canary Islands and Japan.
The Quaker Parrot is the only parrot that builds its nest out of sticks on tree or human structures instead of a hole in a tree.
- Dane Stanton
parakeet cage?
i need a new parakeet cage, it needs to be as small as possible because i don’t have much space.
how big(or small i should say) could it be?it needs to hold two parakeets.
- Sawyer R
How big should my parakeet cage be for 2 birds?
I have 2 parakeets and i want to know how big i need the cage to be and what kind of toys/food to get them and if i should let them out of there cage for a little. My house is big so should i put them in a small room? Thanks!
- Marg G
can a cockateil baby once weened be put in the same cage as an adult parakeet?
i know some one had a simalar question, to mine but if the cockatiel is introduced as a baby to adult parakeets would they get along? i am hand feeding a cockateil baby and it will be a matter of weeks before it is weened. i have layed it in the bottom of the parakeets cage and they just look at it but dont do any thing to it.
- writer_wanna_be04