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<h1>parrot</h1>
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<!--[BEFORE-ARTICLE]--><span class="marker before-article"></span><section id="ref1" data-level="1"><!--[1STIMG]--><div class="assemblies"><div class="w-100"><figure class="md-assembly card print-true" data-assembly-id="7020"><div class="md-assembly-wrapper card-media" data-type="image"><a style="
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" href="https://cdn.britannica.com/35/3635-004-F5B51870/Scarlet-macaw.jpg" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center media-overlay-link card-media" data-href="*7020"><img src="https://cdn.britannica.com/35/3635-004-F5B51870/Scarlet-macaw.jpg?w=300&h=169&c=crop" alt="Scarlet macaw (Ara macao)." data-width="347" data-height="450" loading="eager"><button class="magnifying-glass btn btn-circle position-absolute shadow btn-white" aria-label="Zoom in"><em class="material-icons link-blue" data-icon="zoom_in"></em></button></img></a></div><figcaption class="card-body"></figcaption></figure></div></div><!--[/1STIMG]--><p class="topic-paragraph"><strong><span id="ref269873"></span>parrot</strong>, term applied to a large group of gaudy, raucous <a href="https://www.britannica.com/" class="md-crosslink" data-show-preview="true">bird</a>s of the family Psittacidae. <em>Parrot</em> also is used in reference to any member of a larger bird group, order <a href="https://www.britannica.com/" class="md-crosslink" data-show-preview="true">Psittaciformes</a>, which includes <a href="https://www.britannica.com/" class="md-crosslink" data-show-preview="true">cockatoo</a>s (family Cacatuidae) as well. Parrots have been kept as cage birds since ancient times, and they have always been popular because they are amusing, intelligent, and often affectionate. Several are astonishingly imitative of many sounds, including human speech.</p><!--[P1]--><span class="marker p1"></span><!--[AM1]--><span class="marker AM1 am-inline"></span><!--[MOD1]--><span class="marker MOD1 mod-inline"><div class="assemblies medialist slider js-slider position-relative d-inline-flex align-items-center mw-100" data-type="other"><div class="slider-container js-slider-container overflow-hidden d-flex"><div class="rw-track d-flex align-items-center"><div class="rw-slide col-100 px-20"><figure class="md-assembly card print-true" data-assembly-id="6848"><div class="md-assembly-wrapper card-media" data-type="image"><a style="
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" href="https://cdn.britannica.com/80/3380-004-32AFA4FC/Budgerigar.jpg" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center media-overlay-link card-media" data-href="*6848"><img src="https://cdn.britannica.com/80/3380-004-32AFA4FC/Budgerigar.jpg?w=300&h=169&c=crop" alt="Budgerigar (Melopsittacus undulatus), a popular parakeet." data-width="332" data-height="300" loading="eager"><button class="magnifying-glass btn btn-circle position-absolute shadow btn-white" aria-label="Zoom in"><em class="material-icons link-blue" data-icon="zoom_in"></em></button></img></a></div><figcaption class="card-body"></figcaption></figure></div><div class="rw-slide col-100 px-20"><figure class="md-assembly card print-true" data-assembly-id="129679"><div class="md-assembly-wrapper card-media" data-type="image"><a style="
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" href="https://cdn.britannica.com/02/132502-050-F4667944/macaw.jpg" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center media-overlay-link card-media" data-href="*129679"><img src="https://cdn.britannica.com/02/132502-050-F4667944/macaw.jpg?w=300&h=169&c=crop" alt="blue-and-yellow macaw" data-width="1068" data-height="1600" loading="eager"><button class="magnifying-glass btn btn-circle position-absolute shadow btn-white" aria-label="Zoom in"><em class="material-icons link-blue" data-icon="zoom_in"></em></button></img></a></div><figcaption class="card-body"><a class="md-assembly-title font-weight-bold mb-5 d-inline-block font-16 font-sans-serif media-overlay-link" href="https://cdn.britannica.com/02/132502-050-F4667944/macaw.jpg" data-href="*129679">blue-and-yellow macaw</a></figcaption></figure></div></div></div><button disabled="true" class="prev-button js-prev-button position-absolute btn btn-circle shadow btn-lg btn-blue m-20"><span class="material-icons" data-icon="keyboard_arrow_left"></span></button><button disabled="true" class="next-button js-next-button position-absolute btn btn-circle shadow btn-lg btn-blue m-20"><span class="material-icons" data-icon="keyboard_arrow_right"></span></button></div></span><p class="topic-paragraph">The family Psittacidae numbers 333 species. The subfamily Psittacinae, the “true” parrots, is by far the largest subfamily, with members found in warm regions worldwide. These birds have a blunt <a href="https://www.britannica.com/" class="md-crosslink" data-show-preview="true">tongue</a> and eat seeds, buds, and some fruits and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/" class="md-crosslink" data-show-preview="true">insects</a>. Many members of the subfamily are known simply as parrots, but various subgroups have more specific names such as <a href="https://www.britannica.com/" class="md-crosslink" data-show-preview="true">macaw</a>, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/" class="md-crosslink" data-show-preview="true">parakeet</a>, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/" class="md-crosslink" data-show-preview="true">conure</a>, and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/" class="md-crosslink" data-show-preview="true">lovebird</a>.</p><!--[P2]--><span class="marker p2"></span><!--[AM2]--><span class="marker AM2 am-inline"></span><!--[MOD2]--><span class="marker MOD2 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">The African <span id="ref269884"></span>gray parrot (<em>Psittacus erithacus</em>) is unsurpassed as a talker; the male can precisely <span id="ref849843"></span>echo human speech. Captive birds are alert and, compared with other parrots, relatively good-tempered. Some are said to have lived 80 years. The bird is about 33 cm (13 inches) long and is light gray except for its squared, red tail and bare, whitish face; the sexes look alike. Gray parrots are common in the rainforest, where they eat fruits and seeds; they damage crops but are important propagators of the oil palm.</p><!--[P3]--><span class="marker p3"></span><!--[AM3]--><span class="marker AM3 am-inline"></span><!--[MOD3]--><span class="marker MOD3 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">Among other proficient mimics are the <span id="ref269885"></span>Amazon parrots (<em>Amazona</em>). The 31 species of Amazons are chunky birds, mostly 25 to 40 cm (10 to 16 inches) long, with slightly erectile crown feathers and a rather short, squared tail. Their predominantly green plumage is marked with other bright colours, chiefly on the upper head; the sexes look alike. Amazon parrots live in <a href="https://www.britannica.com/" class="md-crosslink" data-show-preview="true">tropical forest</a>s of the West Indies and Mexico to northern South America. They are difficult to breed and may be aggressive as well as squawky. Common in aviaries is the <span id="ref849827"></span>blue-fronted Amazon (<em>A. aestiva</em>) of Brazil; it has a blue forehead, a yellow or blue crown, a yellow face, and red shoulders. The <span id="ref849829"></span>yellow-crowned parrot (<em>A. ochrocephala</em>) of Mexico, Central America, and from Ecuador to Brazil has some yellow on the head and neck, a red wing patch, and a yellow tail tip.</p><!--[P4]--><span class="marker p4"></span><!--[AM4]--><span class="marker AM4 am-inline"></span><!--[MOD4]--><span class="marker MOD4 mod-inline"></span><div class="assemblies"><div class="w-100"><figure class="md-assembly card print-true" data-assembly-id="4972"><div class="md-assembly-wrapper card-media" data-type="image"><a style="
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" href="https://cdn.britannica.com/28/12728-050-AA42E39F/parakeet.jpg" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center media-overlay-link card-media" data-href="*4972"><img src="https://cdn.britannica.com/28/12728-050-AA42E39F/parakeet.jpg?w=300&h=169&c=crop" alt="Black-capped parakeet (Pyrrhura rupicola)" data-width="976" data-height="1600" loading="eager"><button class="magnifying-glass btn btn-circle position-absolute shadow btn-white" aria-label="Zoom in"><em class="material-icons link-blue" data-icon="zoom_in"></em></button></img></a></div><figcaption class="card-body"><a class="md-assembly-title font-weight-bold mb-5 d-inline-block font-16 font-sans-serif media-overlay-link" href="https://cdn.britannica.com/28/12728-050-AA42E39F/parakeet.jpg" data-href="*4972">Black-capped parakeet (<em>Pyrrhura rupicola</em>)</a></figcaption></figure></div></div><p class="topic-paragraph">The <span id="ref269886"></span>monk, or green, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/" class="md-crosslink" data-show-preview="true">parakeet</a> (<em>Myiopsitta monachus</em>) is one of the hardiest parrot species. It is native to South America, but some have escaped from captivity in the United States and now nest in several states. Its large stick nest is unique among psittaciforms. Other remarkable parrots of this subfamily include the <span id="ref849831"></span>hanging parrots (<em>Loriculus</em>), which sleep upside-down like bats. Caiques (<em>Pionites</em>) are small, short-tailed South American birds similar to conures in build and habits.</p><!--[P5]--><span class="marker p5"></span><!--[AM5]--><span class="marker AM5 am-inline"></span><!--[MOD5]--><span class="marker MOD5 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">For decades the <span id="ref269887"></span>night parrot, or night parakeet (<em>Geopsittacus occidentalis</em>), of Australia was thought to be extinct, until a dead one was found in 1990. It feeds at night on spinifex grass seeds and dozes under a tussock by day. Its nest is a twig platform in a bush and is entered by way of a tunnel. Equally unusual is the <span id="ref269888"></span>ground parrot, or ground parakeet (<em>Pezoporus wallicus</em>). Rare local populations exist in the wastelands of coastal southern Australia and western Tasmania. It runs in the grass, flushes like a <a href="https://www.britannica.com/" class="md-crosslink" data-show-preview="true">quail</a>, and makes a sudden deceptive pitch, and it was formerly hunted with dogs. It eats seeds and insects; its nest is a leaf-lined depression under a bush.</p><!--[P6]--><span class="marker p6"></span><!--[AM6]--><span class="marker AM6 am-inline"></span><!--[MOD6]--><span class="marker MOD6 mod-inline"><div class="assemblies medialist slider js-slider position-relative d-inline-flex align-items-center mw-100" data-type="other"><div class="slider-container js-slider-container overflow-hidden d-flex"><div class="rw-track d-flex align-items-center"><div class="rw-slide col-100 px-20"><figure class="md-assembly card print-true" data-assembly-id="186850"><div class="md-assembly-wrapper card-media" data-type="image"><a style="
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" href="https://cdn.britannica.com/14/172414-050-21323BA9/Pesquet-parrot-New-Guinea.jpg" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center media-overlay-link card-media" data-href="*186850"><img src="https://cdn.britannica.com/14/172414-050-21323BA9/Pesquet-parrot-New-Guinea.jpg?w=300&h=169&c=crop" alt="Pesquet's parrot" data-width="1143" data-height="1600" loading="eager"><button class="magnifying-glass btn btn-circle position-absolute shadow btn-white" aria-label="Zoom in"><em class="material-icons link-blue" data-icon="zoom_in"></em></button></img></a></div><figcaption class="card-body"><a class="md-assembly-title font-weight-bold mb-5 d-inline-block font-16 font-sans-serif media-overlay-link" href="https://cdn.britannica.com/14/172414-050-21323BA9/Pesquet-parrot-New-Guinea.jpg" data-href="*186850">Pesquet's parrot</a></figcaption></figure></div><div class="rw-slide col-100 px-20"><figure class="md-assembly card print-true" data-assembly-id="6858"><div class="md-assembly-wrapper card-media" data-type="image"><a style="
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" href="https://cdn.britannica.com/93/3393-004-E4BA0F16/Rainbow-lorikeet.jpg" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center media-overlay-link card-media" data-href="*6858"><img src="https://cdn.britannica.com/93/3393-004-E4BA0F16/Rainbow-lorikeet.jpg?w=300&h=169&c=crop" alt="Rainbow lorikeet (Trichoglossus haematodus)." data-width="400" data-height="273" loading="eager"><button class="magnifying-glass btn btn-circle position-absolute shadow btn-white" aria-label="Zoom in"><em class="material-icons link-blue" data-icon="zoom_in"></em></button></img></a></div><figcaption class="card-body"></figcaption></figure></div></div></div><button disabled="true" class="prev-button js-prev-button position-absolute btn btn-circle shadow btn-lg btn-blue m-20"><span class="material-icons" data-icon="keyboard_arrow_left"></span></button><button disabled="true" class="next-button js-next-button position-absolute btn btn-circle shadow btn-lg btn-blue m-20"><span class="material-icons" data-icon="keyboard_arrow_right"></span></button></div></span><p class="topic-paragraph">The <span id="ref269880"></span>lories (with short tails) and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/" class="md-crosslink" data-show-preview="true"><span id="ref269881"></span>lorikeets</a> (with longer, pointed tails) make up the Psittacidae subfamily <span id="ref269879"></span>Loriinae. The 53 species in 12 genera are found in Australia, New Guinea, and some Pacific islands. All have a slender, wavy-edged beak and a brush-tipped tongue for extracting nectar from flowers and juices from fruits.</p><!--[P7]--><span class="marker p7"></span><!--[AM7]--><span class="marker AM7 am-inline"></span><!--[MOD7]--><span class="marker MOD7 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">The <span id="ref269882"></span>pygmy parrots of the subfamily Micropsittinae all belong to the genus <em><span id="ref849832"></span>Micropsitta</em>. The six species are endemic to New Guinea and nearby islands. These are the smallest members of the family. They live in forests, where they eat insects and fungi.</p><!--[P8]--><span class="marker p8"></span><!--[AM8]--><span class="marker AM8 am-inline"></span><!--[MOD8]--><span class="marker MOD8 mod-inline"></span><div class="assemblies"><div class="w-100"><figure class="md-assembly card print-true" data-assembly-id="6857"><div class="md-assembly-wrapper card-media" data-type="image"><a style="
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" href="https://cdn.britannica.com/92/3392-004-CA0C16AF/Kea.jpg" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center media-overlay-link card-media" data-href="*6857"><img src="https://cdn.britannica.com/92/3392-004-CA0C16AF/Kea.jpg?w=300&h=169&c=crop" alt="Kea (Nestor notabilis)." data-width="400" data-height="295" loading="eager"><button class="magnifying-glass btn btn-circle position-absolute shadow btn-white" aria-label="Zoom in"><em class="material-icons link-blue" data-icon="zoom_in"></em></button></img></a></div><figcaption class="card-body"></figcaption></figure></div></div><p class="topic-paragraph">The subfamily <span id="ref269876"></span>Nestorinae is found only in New Zealand. The <span id="ref269877"></span>kea (<em>Nestor notabilis</em>) occasionally tears into sheep carcasses (rarely, weakened sheep) to get at the fat around the kidneys. The <span id="ref269878"></span>kaka, <em>N. meridionalis</em>, a gentler forest bird, is often kept as a pet. The owl parrot, or <a href="https://www.britannica.com/" class="md-crosslink" data-show-preview="true"><span id="ref269875"></span>kakapo</a> (<em>Strigops habroptilus</em>), also lives only in New Zealand. It is the sole member of the subfamily <span id="ref269874"></span>Strigopinae. Rare and once thought extinct, it survives as a scant population on <a href="https://www.britannica.com/" class="md-crosslink" data-show-preview="true">Stewart Island</a>.</p><!--[P9]--><span class="marker p9"></span><!--[AM9]--><span class="marker AM9 am-inline"></span><!--[MOD9]--><span class="marker MOD9 mod-inline"><div class="assemblies medialist slider js-slider position-relative d-inline-flex align-items-center mw-100" data-type="other"><div class="slider-container js-slider-container overflow-hidden d-flex"><div class="rw-track d-flex align-items-center"><div class="rw-slide col-100 px-20"><figure class="md-assembly card print-true" data-assembly-id="4916"><div class="md-assembly-wrapper card-media" data-type="image"><a style="
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" href="https://cdn.britannica.com/16/7616-004-678F4663/cockatoo.jpg" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center media-overlay-link card-media" data-href="*4916"><img src="https://cdn.britannica.com/16/7616-004-678F4663/cockatoo.jpg?w=300&h=169&c=crop" alt="Sulfur-crested cockatoo (Cacatua galerita)." data-width="300" data-height="286" loading="eager"><button class="magnifying-glass btn btn-circle position-absolute shadow btn-white" aria-label="Zoom in"><em class="material-icons link-blue" data-icon="zoom_in"></em></button></img></a></div><figcaption class="card-body"></figcaption></figure></div><div class="rw-slide col-100 px-20"><figure class="md-assembly card print-true" data-assembly-id="100875"><div class="md-assembly-wrapper card-media" data-type="image"><a style="
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" href="https://cdn.britannica.com/10/100710-050-9BC00508/Flock-galahs-cockatoos-Austl-New-South-Wales.jpg" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center media-overlay-link card-media" data-href="*100875"><img src="https://cdn.britannica.com/10/100710-050-9BC00508/Flock-galahs-cockatoos-Austl-New-South-Wales.jpg?w=300&h=169&c=crop" alt="Flock of galahs, or roseate cockatoos (Eolophus roseicapillus)." data-width="1600" data-height="1063" loading="eager"><button class="magnifying-glass btn btn-circle position-absolute shadow btn-white" aria-label="Zoom in"><em class="material-icons link-blue" data-icon="zoom_in"></em></button></img></a></div><figcaption class="card-body"></figcaption></figure></div></div></div><button disabled="true" class="prev-button js-prev-button position-absolute btn btn-circle shadow btn-lg btn-blue m-20"><span class="material-icons" data-icon="keyboard_arrow_left"></span></button><button disabled="true" class="next-button js-next-button position-absolute btn btn-circle shadow btn-lg btn-blue m-20"><span class="material-icons" data-icon="keyboard_arrow_right"></span></button></div></span><p class="topic-paragraph">The cockatoo family (Cacatuidae) numbers 21 species from Australia, New Guinea, and nearby islands. The group includes the <span id="ref849833"></span>cockatiel (<em>Nymphicus hollandicus</em>), a smaller bird. All are crested and have heavy beaks for cracking nuts and seeds. The so-called sea parrot is unrelated to the psittaciforms (<em>see</em> <a href="https://www.britannica.com/" class="md-crosslink" data-show-preview="true">puffin</a>).</p><!--[P10]--><span class="marker p10"></span><!--[AM10]--><span class="marker AM10 am-inline"></span><!--[MOD10]--><span class="marker MOD10 mod-inline"></span></section>
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<span class="md-signature"><a href="https://www.britannica.com//editor/The-Editors-of-Encyclopaedia-Britannica/4419">The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica</a></span>
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<span class="md-signature">This article was most recently revised and updated by <a href="https://www.britannica.com//editor/Adam-Augustyn/6394">Adam Augustyn</a>.</span><!--[END-OF-CONTENT]--><span class="marker end-of-content"></span><!--[AFTER-ARTICLE]--><span class="marker after-article"></span></div>
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