Parrots: The Animal Answer Guide

1. Introducing Parrots

What are parrots? Young children can readily pick a parrot out of a storybook lineup. What is it about parrots that make them as recognizable as dogs, ducks, and dinosaurs? Their brilliant coloration is part of the explanation. Parrots are mostly green, with splashes of red, yellow, and blue. Males and females are usually similar in appearance, though males are more brightly colored than females in a quarter of species. Looking out my window, I can see examples of both these situations. A pair of Yellow form Crimson Rosellas (Platycercus elegans) forages in an ornamental pear, the sexes indistinguishable from each other with their blue cheeks and red foreheads. A small flock of Red-rumped Parrots (Psephotus haematonotus) feeds on the lawn beneath the tree, the bright color patches of the males contrasting with the dull green plumage of the females. In a few parrots, females are more brilliantly colored than males. The Glossy Cockatoo (Calyptorhynchus lathami) is one such species. I sometimes search for this trusting cockatoo among the rocky rises north of my home in Albury. I locate foraging flocks by the rhythmic crunch of beak-on-wood as birds process their daily quota of Drooping Sheoak (Allocasuarina verticillata) cones. Sitting quietly among the feeding birds, it is easy to distinguish the yellow-headed females from the brown-headed males. The other characteristic that helps in identifying parrots is their unique body shape. A strongly curved bill, large head, and short neck give parrots a distinctive silhouette. The parrot bill is one of the great multipurpose tools of the animal kingdom. The tip of the downward-curving upper mandible fits over the upward-curving lower mandible. The base of the upper manChapter 1 Introducing Parrots 1 2 Parrots: The Animal Answer Guide dible has a fleshy covering called a cere and articulates with the skull. In concert with a muscular tongue and well-developed jaw muscles, the parrot bill provides strength and dexterity. The versatility of this feeding setup is demonstrated by the catholic diet of Sulphur-crested Cockatoos (Cacatua galerita) in southeastern Australia. These large white cockatoos use their bill to dig up the underground parts of plants, fell stems of ripening wheat, and tear open the leathery fruit of native pines. The other defining physical characteristic of parrots is their short, powerful legs. Their feet have two toes pointing forward and two backward, an arrangement allowing them to hold and manipulate food items. Parrots are adept climbers and often hang upside down while foraging or playing. Our fascination with parrots cannot be fully explained by their exotic appearance. Their popularity owes as much to various interrelated behavioral traits. First among these is their social nature. Wild parrots establish strong pair bonds and spend much of their time in the company of other birds. Denied these opportunities in captivity, parrots will bond with their owners and incorporate humans into a surrogate flock. Such relationships are valued by the owners of companion birds, though the large numbers of birds in refuges attest to the potential for problem behaviors to develop. Parrots also have a relatively large brain and are known for their curios- “Banksian Cockatoo” by Sarah Stone (1760–1844), National Library of Australia. Banksian Cockatoo is another name for the Red-tailed Cockatoo (Calyptorhynchus banksii). In fact, this watercolor is of a Glossy Cockatoo (Calyptorhynchus lathami). 3 Introducing Parrots ity and capacity for learning. Such intelligence reduces the likelihood of wild birds going hungry when food is in short supply. It also assists birds in navigating their way through the sometimes-complex social networks that characterize parrot society. In this regard, a parrot’s vocal ability plays an important role in establishing and maintaining relationships with other birds. The cognitive and vocal skills of parrots mean captive individuals have the ability to use human words, a trait that has contributed to their popularity as pets and ensured a prominent place in mythology, literature, and popular culture. Parrots have long lifespans. Many people have a story about a parrot that has lived forever in a cage on their grandparents’ back porch. Indeed, some cockatoos have survived in captivity for over a century. My own story relates to a Blue Bonnet (Northiella haematogaster) my cousins obtained from Hay on the riverine plains of New South Wales. While there is debate about the age of this bird, all agree he was more than 30 years old when he...