Currently, more than forty orders of birds live on our planet. Their total number is about one hundred billion individuals. Among such a variety of birds, there is one detachment, whose representatives any person can recognize at a glance. These are parrots. They differ from other birds in their bright plumage, energy and the ability to talk. Such a pet can surround its owner with love and affection no worse than a cat or dog. The article describes the existing types of parrots. Photos and names of each are also attached.
A bit of history
Parrots are one of the few representatives of the animal world that have survived to this day and have hardly changed their appearance. This is evidenced by numerous excavations of ancient human sites, during which the fossilized remains of this order of birds were discovered. Historical facts indicate that the Indians were the first to teach parrots human speech. Representatives of this order of birds appeared on the European continent together with the soldiers of Alexander the Great. At that time, parrots were consideredsacred, because they knew how to talk like people. Later, these bright and energetic birds spread throughout the territory of European countries, gaining fame as beloved pets.
How many species of parrots are there today? The answer to this question can be found below.
Types of parrots
The parrot order is divided into two families:
- cockatoo;
- parrots.
The cockatoo family is divided into three subfamilies. They include twenty-one species.
The parrot family is divided into two subfamilies. The total number of species represented in them is more than three hundred and fifty.
Thus, you can count how many species of parrots exist in modern nature. Nowadays there are more than three hundred and seventy.
The following will describe how you can determine the type of representative of the parrot order.
How to identify the type of parrot?
In order to answer this question, you should pay attention to the following parameters:
- body length and weight of an individual;
- beak shape;
- plumage color;
- presence or absence of a crest.
After analyzing these characteristics and comparing them with photos and descriptions of various types of birds, it will be possible to understand what kind of representative of the parrot order is in front of you.
Let's consider the most famous types of parrots,photos and titles of which are given below.
Nestor
This type of parrot is an ancient inhabitant of New Zealand. Nestor is strongly built and comparable in size to a crow.
One of the subspecies - kaka - is an inhabitant of mountain forests. Such parrots are distinguished by a lively and sociable character and make a lot of noise. The kaka tongue is well developed and adapted for extracting nectar from tree flowers. These birds love to eat berries, seeds and larvae of harmful insects. The last parrot extracts from under the bark of trees, pulling out the affected areas of wood.
Another representative of the Nestor species is the kea parrot. These birds live in highlands. They feed mainly on berries of various trees, honey, roots and insects. It is believed that kea can attack herds of sheep and pluck small pieces of meat from the backs of animals.
Owl Parrot
This type of parrot got its name from the original shape of the facial disc, the soft structure of the plumage and the nocturnal lifestyle. More recently, such birds lived in large numbers in New Zealand. It is now an endangered species of parrot that can only be found in remote wild parts of the island.
Such birds mainly live on rocky slopes, in bushes and along the banks of mountain rivers. Owl parrots lead a terrestrial lifestyle. And this is their main difference from other species. In such birds, the muscles of the wings are poorly developed, so they fly poorly. But owlparrots run great. They can also easily climb a tall tree using their prehensile claws and beak.
Like owls, these parrots sit in their nests during the day, and come out in search of food at nightfall. At night, these birds navigate in space with the help of special long hairs located on the facial disc. The main food of owl parrots is moss and various berries. Their favorite treat is snow grass.
Budgerigar
The most numerous species of parrots - budgerigar - lives in Australia. Its representatives can be found in any part of this continent. They live in savannahs, eucalyptus forests, semi-deserts and even cities. Budgerigars create large colonies, the number of which can be up to a thousand individuals. They always locate their place of settlement near a water source.
The budgerigar is a small, slender bird with bright plumage. Its length is 17-20 centimeters, and its weight is only 40-50 grams. Most budgerigars have characteristic grassy green or greenish yellow feathers. Often there are individuals of white, blue or bright yellow colors. Dark brown stripes are located on the back, wings and back of the head of such birds. Budgerigars have a friendly nature.
The main food of such birds is wheat grains and grass seeds. Water is an essential part of their diet.
Cockatoo
The main habitat of the cockatooare such island states as the Philippines, Australia, Papua New Guinea, Indonesia. These parrots live in alpine, tropical and mangrove forests. They like to exist in close proximity to civilization. Therefore, it is not uncommon to see them in a city or agricultural area.
The plumage of the cockatoo is mainly colored in yellow, pink, black and white. A distinctive feature of this parrot is a high crest. Its color is different from the main color scheme of plumage. The body length of the cockatoo is from 30 to 80 centimeters, weight - from 300 to 1200 grams.
Such birds in flight can reach speeds of up to 70 km/h. They are also good at climbing trees. Representatives of this species of parrots love to swim and devote a lot of time to caring for their plumage. The basis of their diet is seeds, fruits and insects.
Cockatoo is a type of parrot whose talkative representatives can be taught to pronounce individual words and even phrases. Also, these birds are able to show extraordinary ingenuity to achieve their goals. Do not offend the cockatoo, because such birds are extremely vindictive.
Jaco
Which kind of parrot is the most talkative? Without a doubt, it's hot. Another name for it is the gray parrot. Ornithologists distinguish two subspecies of these birds: red-tailed and brown-tailed Jaco. The first lives in Central Africa, Togo, Kenya and Northern Angola. The length of its body can reach 35 centimeters. Such a bird weighs an average of 400 grams. Wing length is about 24centimeters. The plumage of this parrot is painted in ash-gray shades. His chest, head and neck are usually slightly darker or lighter than the base tone. The tail and back of the back are painted red.
The brown-tailed jaco is found in South Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone. This subspecies is smaller than the red-tailed one. The body length of such a parrot can reach 34 centimeters. This bird weighs an average of 350 grams. The wing length is about 21 centimeters. The tail is painted maroon.
The gray parrot is able to remember and reproduce up to 150 words or even phrases. Such a bird can have a meaningful conversation with the owner. In addition, Jaco is able to skillfully imitate various sounds, for example, the trill of a phone call or an alarm clock. Gray parrots also have the ability to distinguish shapes and colors.
Corella
This type of parrot lives in Australia. In addition to the name "corella", which was given to this bird by the natives of the continent, there is another - "nymph". The parrot was awarded to them by European scientists.
Outwardly cockatiel looks like a small pigeon. The length of the feathered can reach 33 centimeters. Half of them are in the tail. A striking feature of this type of parrot is a yellow crest. The plumage of the cockatiel is colored in light olive or gray colors, on the cheeks there are round spots of a bright orange hue.
Corella feeds mainly on plant seeds, wheat grains andinsect larvae.
This kind of parrot is not easy to teach to speak. Despite this, Corella is still able to remember up to 100 words. Males of these birds sing well and can even imitate nightingales.
Ara
Ara is the largest member of the parrot order. Its main habitat is the tropical rainforests of Central and South America. Macaw parrots unite in flocks and lead a nomadic lifestyle.
The length of an adult can reach 100 centimeters. The macaw has a large long tail and a powerful beak, with which the bird can even bite through steel wire.
The basis of the diet of this species of parrots are grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts.
Ara have a loud and sharp voice, are able to reproduce human speech and repeat various sounds. A distinctive feature of the character of these birds is that they are monogamous.
Some of the macaw subspecies are on the verge of extinction and are listed in the world's Red Book.
Lovebirds
Lovebird parrots are called love birds because of the extraordinary mutual affection of the male and female. In nature, this species of birds can be found in Africa and on the island of Madagascar.
Male and female are always together. Even if one of them flies away, he tries to be within such limits so that he can hear the sounds of the voice of the second half. Lovebirds do everything together: they get food, fly to a watering place, rest, sorting out feathers to each other. They are mobileand dexterous, able to fly fast.
These birds feed on berries and small seeds.
Conclusion
Parrots stand out from other birds. Their bright appearance and ability to reproduce human speech and imitate various sounds make it possible to recognize representatives of this detachment at a glance. The article describes the most famous types of parrots. There are many more varieties of such birds in the world, some of which are even listed in the Red Book.
