Parrots are some of the best-known and loved bird species in the world. Parrots are tropical birds that prefer to live in warm places. They are brilliant birds as they can mimic human speech. Parrots live in the bills of trees. Parrots eat fruits such as grapes, berries, mangoes, as well as leaves and crops. So have a look at these 22 facts about this majestic bird.
- A group of parrots is often called a flock, company, or pandemonium. Whereas babies of Parrots are called chicks.
- It’s estimated that parrots evolved about 59 million years ago during the time of Gondwana.
- Parrots fall in the family of Psittaciformes, in which there are about 350 species of birds found worldwide both in rainforests and other environments.
- Macaws parrots are among the longest-living parrot species on the planet. They live an average life of 50 years, but some have been known to live up to 100 years.
- Some parrots reach the age of sexual maturity by 2 to 4 years. Large parrots reach maturity by the age of 3 to 6 years.
- Parrots have one of the strongest bite forces among all bird kingdom with a bite force of over 300-400 PSI. This is because they can easily crunch through nuts, hard shells, and even seeds which an average human can’t.
- It is estimated that about 25 thousand wild parrots are smuggled from Mexico to the United States each year.
- Some American parrots of macaw species are mostly blue or yellow in color.
- Different species of Parrots weigh from just a few grams to 4 kgs. The Buff-faced pygmy parrot weighs around 12 grams, and the Kakapo owl parrot weighs anywhere about 4 kg when fully grown.
- Parrots have a broad range of articulations. Wild parrots do not imitate much, Whereas only the pet parrots will mimic the noises of people they hear. The African gray parrots mimic the best among all parrot species.
- The parrot species are considered to be one of the most intelligent bird species.
- Parrots range in different sizes, which varies from species to species. The pygmy species of the south pacific is about 3½ inches long. While the hyacinth macaw has the largest length of any parrot in the world, with about 1 meter or 3.3 ft. Much of its size is in its tail.
- Parrots do not have vocal cords or vocal folds. They produce sound by the use of their trachea. They control their pitch by changing the shape of the trachea and pushing the air out of the trachea.
- Parrots rely on fruits, grass, leaves, seeds, and plant shoots to feed themselves.
- They have strong beaks, which they use to grind food, crack hard shells, and they even use their beaks for climbing.
- They are popular in the pet trade, due to which some species are now rarely found in the wild.
- Parrots should not be given chocolates as it is quite poisonous for their bodies.
- The most intelligent and talkative bird on the planet is the African Gray parrot. These birds can say over 800 different words, Whereas most species of parrots can say only 50.
- Parrots can hear sounds from 200 Hz-8.5 kHz. While we humans can hear frequencies in the range of 31 Hz to 19 K.
- The macaw’s parrots species can fly at speeds of 14-30 miles per hour(23-48 Kph). Whereas the species of cockatoos parrots can fly at 43 mph (69 kph).
- Just like humans, they choose to use one side of their more, and usually, they tend to use their left side. So that means they are left-handed and even left-footed.
- Parrots do have taste buds and are found in the back of their throats and even on their tongues. Like humans, they can taste salt, bitter, sour, and sweet and have about 350 taste buds. While humans have about 9000.
