Parrots are exotic birds that live on all continents of the Earth except Antarctica. To date, of course, they are a fairly well-studied species. However, ordinary people do not know much about these amazing birds, which have been living next to them as pets for almost two centuries.
The appearance of parrots in the Old World
The first interesting fact about parrots is the history of their appearance in Europe. It is known for certain that these birds were brought from Australia by ornithologist D. Gould in 1840. The scientist did a lot to adapt these representatives of the fauna in the Old World. He not only placed the birds in the Antwerp Zoo, where they were the first to breed in this part of the world, but also made a very detailed description of this species. The treatise on parrots was so detailed and well composed that all ornithologists who subsequently studied them had practically nothing to add to what had already been written by D. Gould.
Interesting facts about parrots are not limited to their appearance in Europe. This type of bird was discovered by a naturalist who accompanied James Cook on a trip to Australia. In the southeastern part of this continent, sailors saw budgerigars.
It should be noted that birds began to be actively exported from Australia to Europe, which led to the almost complete disappearance of this species on the territory of the smallest continent on Earth. That is why the government decided to ban the export of these representatives of the fauna from Australia.
Studying parrots
Ornithologists for a long time after the appearance of this species of birds in Europe not only studied their habits, but also conducted various genetic experiments. This is another interesting fact about parrots. Breeders have bred more than two hundred new species of these representatives of the fauna. They differ in the color and shape of feathers, the presence or absence of a tuft, the length of the tail, and many other indicators.
It is from these experiments that another interesting fact about parrots follows. First of all, scientists, by crossing individuals of different colors, brought out birds with a single color of feathers. Thus, yellow parrots appeared. Later, already in the 20th century, ornithologists managed to breed blue and white representatives of this species.
The parrots, which scientists in Great Britain and France worked on, acquired a special color. Since 1921, they have had a unique lilac feather color, which is considered one of the rarest colors in thesebirds.
Genetic experiments
Ornithologists H. Steiner and H. Dunker were engaged in genetic developments related directly to the color of parrots. So, scientists have found that the color of feathers, which has not yet been obtained, namely black, is theoretically possible. This is due to the fact that the color of these birds obviously contains black in the form of blotches on the cheeks and on the tips of the feathers.
Interesting facts about budgerigars relate to their red colors. Scientists have found that it is genetically impossible to breed such a breed. In parrots, this color is simply absent in the DNA structure. In addition, this gene cannot be borrowed from any of the families close to this species. Thus, the red budgerigar remains a pipe dream for ornithologists and all lovers of these small sociable birds.
A special result of genetic experiments are crested breeds of parrots, which were only developed in the last century.
Q&A
As you know, children are very fond of pets and try to spend as much time with them as possible. In addition, babies are very inquisitive, so they strive to get as much information as possible about what is really important to them. That is why it is worth giving interesting facts about parrots for children, as these birds are one of the most popular types of pets.
Of course, every owner talks to his pet. But does he understandis he human? And most importantly: can the animal answer the question asked of him or ask something? Scientists have been training monkeys for a long time. The essence of the program was to teach primates the ability to answer questions and ask them. The first goal has been achieved. Monkeys successfully answered the questions of scientists. However, the primates themselves were unable to ask the researchers anything.
Thus, scientists have come to the conclusion that animals simply cannot formulate and ask questions. This theory was refuted by the parrot Alex, who asked what color it was. It is worth noting that the bird knew only about a hundred words.
Names and rhythm
Another interesting fact about parrots is that they give their chicks names at birth. Of all the creatures that live on Earth, only humans and dolphins do this. Parrots call their chicks with a certain combination of sounds, which not only indicates the name of a particular individual, but also indicates gender and belonging to a particular family and species.
Several years ago, scientists argued that only humans have a sense of rhythm. But in 2011, researchers analyzed video footage of a parrot named Snowball moving to music. Scientists noted that the bird slowed down and accelerated movements depending on the tempo of the melody, and also shook its head to the beat of the composition. Later, the researchers studied more than a thousand videos of dancing parrots and came to the conclusion that these birds still have a sense of rhythm.
A miraculous rescue
Interesting parrot facts for kids are not limited to the ability of birds to ask and answer questions. In Idaho (USA), firefighters rescued unusual fire victims. They were two parrots. It should be noted that at the time of the fire, there was no one in the house except birds. As firefighters entered the home looking for those to be rescued, they heard cries of "Help!" ("Help!"). Going to the voice, people found two parrots that remained in the house. This case proves how smart pets are.
Crackers
Interesting facts about macaws should be mentioned. They, like many other large species of these birds, have an amazing talent for picking locks. This is not about the fact that parrots can simply open the door with a key, but about real breaking with a hairpin. At the same time, the bird does not require a reward for the work done, that is, it has no incentive.
The presence of such talent is facilitated by such interesting facts from the life of parrots as a passion for all kinds of mechanisms, as well as small shiny little things. Please note that a bird sitting on a woman's shoulder immediately draws attention to earrings, a chain or a pendant. Obviously, the ability to pick locks came from a love for all kinds of jewelry that parrots sometimes manage to steal without giving themselves away.
