Around 393 species of parrot could be found in tropical and subtropical regions in the world who are also known as Psittacines.
Parrots are eye-catching for being polychromatic. They make the whole new world of colors and you can not but love them. People who love pet birds choose parrots over any other birds.
Not only their colors but their names are also appealing. For example, Lorikeet, Macaw, Budgerigar amongst others. Parrots have enriched the bird community in all means.
Different Types of Parrots
Among all the beautiful parrots in the world here below, we have enlisted some 15 types of parrots bearing different characteristics.
1. Green Parrot
For these characteristics, they have been kept as cage birds since ancient times. Their diet is consist of seeds, fruit, nectar, arthropods and other animal prey.
They have demonstrated intelligence through scientific testing of their language using the ability. In addition to this, they are skilled at solving puzzles & using tools.
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2. Parakeet
Among different type of parrots, parakeets previously spelled paroquet/paraquet are seed-eating, slender build, small size, and a long tapering tail parrot. In India & Malaya, they are popular cage birds.
Their name is derived from the French word perroquet which means parrot in French. The Australian parakeets are called grass parakeets/grasskeets which are native to grassland.
They lay 3-8 eggs on average & breeding in a group is successful because, in a group, other parakeets encourage a parakeet pair for breeding.
3. Lorikeet
This short-tail and talking parrot is extraordinarily colorful parrots of Australia & New Guinea that fee on pollen & nectar. For sweeping food such as small insects, important pollinators of many trees including coconut palms, they use their brush-tipped tounges.
The rainbow lorikeets are the most spectacular of the group whereas purple-crowned lorikeets are breathtakingly attractive & colorful.
4. Cockatiel
A small, gray, crested Australian parrot with a red ear patcher, yellow head & a heavy beak for cracking nut is called cockatiel. Coming second as a cage bird, they have been prized as household pets as well as companion parrots in the entire world.
This bird’s sentimental state is expressed through its distinctive erectile crest. Currently, there are 22 cockatiel color mutations worldwide.
The cockatiel is native to Australia’s arid/ semi-arid areas. Its lifespan in captivity is usually given as 16-25 years. Besides, they are sexually dimorphic and male adults are typically louder & more complex than females. So to say, diet & exercise are their principal determining factors.
5. Bristlehead
There are numerous kinds of parrots and bristlehead/Bornean bristlehead/bristled shrike/bald-headed crow/bald-headed wood shrike is one of them. It is a black crow-sized parrot with a short tail and it is nearly 20inches in length.
Its underpart is red on the other hand legs are gray. Its head’s back part doesn’t have enough feathers and feathers on its neck are bristle-like, thus its name is bristlehead. It loves to travel in pair/mini groups.
It may be found in lowland forest like peat & swamp forest, mangroves etc. This type of parrot basically feeds on vegetable, fruits, small plants etc. Although this socially amiable creature’s breeding behavior is not known, an oviduct egg was described. Very few species of the rainforest canopy are as enigmatic and unique as this.
6. Budgerigar
Nicknamed as a budgie, budgerigar is another seed-eating, a long-tailed parrot whose name’s origin is ambiguous. They are green & yellow with black, scalloped spots on the nape, back & wing.
Owing to their low cost, small size, the skill of imitating the human voice, they are infamous around the world. They opportunistically breed In pairs and regarded as the third most popular pet after dog & cat.
7. Cockatoo
This parrot species is found in New Guinea, the Soloman islands & Australia. Some of them are black but most of them are white with the touch of yellow/red. It has a beak for cracking nuts, prying gubs which is like a scimitar. A strong tongue helps in feeding.
This inventive, affectionate and hole-nesting parrot can live more than 50 years and are caged as pets. Its forward-curving feathers are golden and narrow. Shoots, grass, insects etc are its food.
8. Macaw
Macaw is a long-tailed brightly colored bird whose male and females look similar. These gregarious types of parrots fly in pairs or flocks. With the help of their sickle-shaped beak and muscular tongue, they can feed on hard-shelled nuts, nutmeat, seeds, fruits, flowers leaves etc.
The easily tamed macaws usually nest in riverbank holes & tree hollows. Often they can imitate sounds.Besides, in captivity, they can live up to 65 years.
The reason why they are now listed as either endangered or critically endangered is that they are illegally exported in order to enrich the worldwide pet trade.
9. Rosella
A popularly caged and broad-tailed colorful parrot is rosella. Fruit & seed are their diets. Its characteristics are the distinctive cheek patches & a green-based plumage which is common in female and male. They got an absent/ slight sexual dimorphism.
It inhabits woodland, forest etc & is native to Australia. This cavity- nester predominantly takes bathe in water puddles and scratch their head by their feet which are behind the wing.
10. Conure
Although it has come into sight in various scientific journals, ‘conure’ is primarily used in bird keeping. A medium-sized parrot is a conure. Conures can consume healthy fresh foods such as pellet mixes & seed mixes according to growth, physical condition, egg-laying etc. and what they should definitely not consume is alcohol, chocolate, fatty /oily food etc.
There are innumerable conures and they are Aratinga, Nandy conure, Pyrrhura and many more in the list and they inhabit in mostly urban areas. Conures possess several art forms such as singing and painting which makes them extraordinary from other parrots.
11. Lory
Lory & Lorikeets belong to a monophyletic group within the Psittacidae parrot family & a subfamily Loriinae. Lori is a small-medium sized parrot which is characterized by its brush-tipped tongue that helps to feed soft fruits like berry.
‘Lory’ famously had appeared in ‘Alice’s Adventure in Wonderland’ chapter three where the famous character Alice argues with Lory regarding its age.
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12. Lovebird
There is a copious number of parrot species in the world but among all of them what attract us, the most are the lovebirds who come in pair. They are so adorable that everyone is very inquisitive about them.
They are usually noted for being colorful & seemingly affectionate. Another key point is, if one bird’s bereft is unproven then the other one will die in grief. For this reason, they are called lovebirds.
These chunky, short-tailed birds’ sexes are the same and they nest in tree holes. Despite being popular, they are difficult to tame but they can be trained to perform different tricks & human speech mimicry. Having a very harsh voice, they are quite belligerent to other birds.
13. African Gray Parrot
A silvery gray flocking parrot African grey is somewhat sexually dimorphic and males are slightly larger than the females. It prefers agricultural land, low land rainforest etc. This frugivorous parrot feeds on seeds, fruits, flower, insects etc.
Its special characteristics are socialization, vocalization for communication, mimicry of the bat and other birds.
14. Kaka
Being endangered & passed from sight from its former range, the gregarious Kakas are arboreal and often seen flying across valleys. It eats the berry, fruits, flower, plants, invertebrates etc.
Hollow trees & house roofs are its nesting place. It is a social bird which interacts with the human being. Also, it can lay 2-4 eggs in late winter and both male and female parents help in feeding the little chicks.
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15. Kea
The worlds only alpine parrots are the olive green Keas. There is a beautiful brilliant orange color under their wings and they got a grey-brown upper beak. As they are omnivorous, they eat leaves insects, nectar etc.
They are very talented parrots because they can solve logical puzzles like pushing things in order to get food. The circus is the name of a kea group. They are rightly called ‘the clown of the mountains’.
In the midst of all birds, parrots are beyond doubt the most attractive ones and they are very close to human beings for their nature of companionship.
These 15 different types of parrots are most known to us. We might think we know enough about parrots but if we look outside the box we would be mesmerized to see the richness of parrots. No one can say NO to parrots when it comes to tamed birds.