Everything you need to know about parrots

Not only are parrots colourful, but their complex social behaviour and longevity make them one of the most unique bird groups. All parrots display hooked beaks and four toes per foot – two pointing forward and two pointing backwards – to enable fluid climbing in treetops and to handle fruit, nuts and other objects with ease.  

They disperse seeds, regenerate forests, and maintain the health and biodiversity of ecosystems. Despite these similar characteristics, the 389 species of parrot in the world are each distinct, varying in size, colour and shape. 

What types of parrots are there?

Based on their evolutionary history, parrots can be divided into four main groups:  

New World and African Parrots 

The New World and African parrots are distributed from Central and South America to the Congo basin’s tropical forests to the open woodland and savanna of southern Africa to Australasia. Primarily composed of green feathers, these parrots range from the large macaws to the miniscule parrotlets. Their squawks often lack any melodic tune, and in locations such as southern Peru, large flocks congregate at clay licks to eat the material – thought to neutralise the toxins from foraged plants.  

New Zealand Parrots 

Only three species of New Zealand Parrots remain today, and they all live in forests. The social and talkative Kaka perches high in the canopy, but the Kea prefers high elevation alpine habitats in the South Island.  

The only flightless parrot is the Kakapo, now restricted to offshore islands in an effort to protect it from introduced ground predators. Despite its inability to fly, it’s an agile climber and jogs in the under bush. The Kakapo’s lek-mating system is also different to most other parrots, which mate in pairs. They dig out a bowl at night to amplify their booming calls, attracting females who then congregate at the site to mate.  

Header Image: Critically Endangered Great Green Macaw © Ondrej Prosicky/ Shutterstock

Old World Parrots 

Old World parrots range from central Africa to India, South-East Asia and Australasia. The majority are inhabitants of tropical and sub-tropical forests, but some species are found in temperate woodlands, savannas and grasslands. Trees remain vital for nesting, but in areas where tree trunks are absent, parrots may nest in rock crevices or create a nest on the ground, like the Ground Parrot. Unique groups in this category are the colonial breeding lovebirds, nectar-loving lories, and bark-eating pygmy-parrots.  

Cockatoos 

Of all the types of parrots, cockatoos are amongst the most distinctive. Found in Australia, Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, Timor-Leste and the Philippines, the majority are identified by flamboyant crests and large bodies. Palm, Sulphur-crested and Gang-gang Cockatoos display black, yellow and red crests, respectively.  

Their flocks can gather in the thousands in areas where food is abundant and trapping pressure is low, filling the sky with their screeching chatter. It’s common to find them congregating around farmlands, and a couple have been controlled as agricultural pests. Regardless of their presence in these open plains, they are reliant on finding holes in endemic trees for nesting. Rotten tree holes are often used – as long as woodpeckers haven’t got there first!  

How intelligent are parrots?

Parrots’ brain-to-body size ratio are similar to primates, resulting in some species showing intelligence comparable to chimpanzees. Those with larger brains are smarter and have been observed using innovative tools to break open nuts, while some have displayed problem-solving skills, like the inquisitive Kea. This intelligence has helped parrots adapt to their environment and avoid predators, increasing their chances of survival.  

Larger brains are thought to be behind longer parrot life spans, but living to an older age could alternatively have provided time to develop and acquire these complex skills.  

Palm Cockatoos are an example of a species with high levels of intelligence. They are the only known species, other than humans, to make tools with the purpose of making sounds. Renowned for drumming their own rhythms on trees to attract mates, they select drumsticks by snapping them from branches or picking them up from the ground. Once chosen, they whittle them with their beaks. It is thought that cockatoos learn what makes a good drumstick from their fathers. No neighbouring individuals have been found to copy one another and were all consistent with their own designs. 

Conservation

Parrots are one of the most threatened groups of birds on Earth. Unfortunately, many parrots do not fulfil their potential life span in the wild, with 16 species already lost to extinction (including one Extinct in the Wild) and many teetering on the edge. 

Threats include habitat destruction for logging and conversion to agriculture, hunting, and trapping for the pet trade. Some island endemics are threatened by introduced species, such as rats, predating adults or reducing the chances of breeding. To tackle this, the Critically Endangered Kakapo was moved by conservationists to predator-free islands to be monitored and to establish a program of captive breeding. Nearly half of cockatoo species are also threatened with extinction.