Combined with beaks that can crack even the world’s toughest nuts, their unique feet make them formidable eaters, not to mention dexterous climbers. But instead of the usual three-in-front-one-behind arrangement, parrot toes are configured for maximum grip: two in front and two behind, like two pairs of opposable thumbs. Like most other birds, parrots have four toes per foot.
Male vasas ate the powder and then offered a regurgitated calcium-rich snack to females before mating. Andrews observed captive greater vasa parrots ( Coracopsis vasa) using date pits and pebbles to pulverize cockle shells.
Researchers at the University of York and the University of St. Now the psittacine tribe can claim another brainy feat: tool use. Some Parrots Grind Their Own Calcium SupplementsĪs a famous research subject, the African grey parrot Alex was said to have the intelligence of a human 5-year-old. Now, in honor of the 14th annual National Bird Day, get a little bird-brained with these 14 facts about parrots:ġ. since the passage of the 1992 Wild Bird Conservation Act and CITES restrictions on importing exotic species. Thankfully trafficking in wild birds has been less of a problem in the U.S. While some pet parrots come from breeders, trade in exotic parrots is big business around the globe, and it contributes significantly to their decline in the wild. The long-lived, intelligent and highly social birds need especially high amounts of attention and enrichment, or else they can pick up bad habits and find themselves bored and stressed to the point where they pluck out their own feathers. Pet parrots can be incredible if demanding friends, but for people more accustomed to fluffy mammalian companions, they can present some unexpected challenges.
And no wonder: With their captivating colors, acrobatic antics and often silly personalities, these avian characters are hard to resist. An estimated 14 million birds live in captivity across the United States, a great many of them parrots. How much do you know about the psittacines?Īfter dogs, cats and fish, birds are America’s fourth favorite pet.