Parrots are members of the order Psittaciformes, which includes more than 350 bird

species, including parakeets, macaws, cockatiels and cockatoos, according to the

Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS). Though there are many types of
parrots, all parrot species have a few traits in common. For example, to be classified as
a parrot, the bird must have a curved beak, and its feet must be zygodactyl, which
means there are four toes on each foot with two toes that point forward and two that
point backward. 

Size
Because the parrot order includes so many different species, parrot sizes vary widely.
Parrots can range in size from about 3.5 to 40 inches (8.7 to 100 centimeters) and
weigh 2.25 to 56 ounces (64 g to 1.6 kg), on average. The world's heaviest type of
parrot is the kakapo, which can weigh up to 9 lbs. (4 kg). The smallest parrot is the buff-
faced pygmy parrot, which is only about 3 inches (8 cm) tall and weighs just 0.4 ounces
(10 g).

Habitat 
Most wild parrots live in the warm areas of the Southern Hemisphere, though they can
be found in many other regions of the world, such as northern Mexico. Australia, South
America and Central America have the greatest diversity of parrot species. 

Not all parrots like warm weather, though. Some parrots like to live in snowy climates. A
few cold-weather parrots are maroon-fronted parrots, thick-billed parrots and keas.

With their colorful plumage and ability to mimic human speech, parrots are very popular
pets. Some parrot pets have escaped their owners and bred in unusual areas. For
example, a popular bird in the pet trade, the monk parakeet, a native of subtropical
South America, now resides in the United States after some of them escaped and
reproduced in the wild.

(Image credit: valex61 Shutterstock)

Habits 
Most parrots are social birds that live in groups called flocks. African grey parrots live in
flocks with as many as 20 to 30 birds.

Many species are monogamous and spend their lives with only one mate. The mates
work together to raise their young. Parrots throughout the flock communicate with one
another by squawking and moving their tail feathers. 

Some parrots, like the kakapo, are nocturnal. They sleep during the day and search for
food at night.
 Diet
Parrots are omnivores, which means that they can eat both meat and vegetation. Most
parrots eat a diet that contains nuts, flowers, fruit, buds, seeds and insects. Seeds are
their favorite food. They have strong jaws that allow them to snap open nutshells to get
to the seed that's inside. 

Keas use their longer beaks to dig insects out of the ground for a meal, and kakapos
chew on vegetation and drink the juices.

Offspring
Parrots are like most other birds and lay eggs in a nest. Some species, though, lay their
eggs in tree holes,ground tunnels, rock cavities and termite mounds. Parrots typically
lay two to eight eggs at one time. A parrot's egg needs 18 to 30 days of incubation
before it can hatch, so the parents take turns sitting on the eggs. 

A parrot chick is born with only a thin layer of thin, wispy feathers called down. Parrot
chicks are blind for the first two weeks of their lives. At three weeks, they start to grow
their adult feathers. The chick will not be fully matured for one to four years, depending
on its species.

Classification/taxonomy 
According to the Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS), the taxonomy of
parrots is:

 Kingdom: Animalia
 Phylum: Chordata
 Class: Aves
 Order: Psittaciformes
 Family: Psittacidae
 Genera and species: More than 60 genera and more than 350 species.
Species that are popular as pets include Ara macao (scarlet
macaw), Aratinga holochlora (green parakeet), Myiopsitta monachus (monk
parakeet), Poicephalus senegalus (Senegal parrot), Nymphicus
hollandicus (cockatiel) and Cacatua alba (white cockatoo). 
Conservation status
Many species of parrots are endangered. The kakapo (Strigops habroptila) is a
critically endangered parrot, according to the Kakapo Recovery Organization. There
are fewer than 150 left. The there are only 50 orange-bellied parrots (Neophema
chrysogaster), found in Australia, making it one of the most endangered parrots in the
world. 
The yellow-headed Amazon (Amazona oratrix) is another endangered parrot, though
there are more of them than kakapos or orange-bellied parrots. According
 to International Union for Conservation of Nature, there are 7,000 yellow-headed
Amazons left in the wild.

Gray parrots are known for their intelligence. Researchers working with one gray parrot, named Alex,
found that he could communicate with a vocabulary of 150 words. (Image credit: © Sandra Mikolasch )

Other facts
Parrots are very good mimics and can copy sounds that they hear in their environment;
they can even copy human words and laughter. The African grey parrot (Psittacus
erithacus) is one of the best at this and one named Alex (1965-2007) was reported
to be the world's smartest parrot.
The kakapo is one of the world's longest-living birds; they can live more than 90 years.

Cockatoos have a group of feathers on top of their heads that they can move. When on
full display, these feathers resemble a mohawk. The cockatoo can also retract the
feathers so they lay flat against their heads.

Other resources
 National Geographic: Parrots
 San Diego Zoo: Parrot
 BBC Nature: Parrot
 National Wildlife Federation: African Gray Parrot