Parrot facts – beautiful, noisy
There are 372 species of parrots in 86 genera in the Psittaciformes order, subdivided in 3 families: Psittacidae (true parrots), Cacatuidae (cockatoos) and Nestoridae. There are almost as many parrots as cats or dogs in the USA, some 40 million.
Parrots are the only birds that can bring food to its mouth with its foot. Their tongues are made up of small bones that make them flexible enough to manipulate the food. In the wild, parrots eat flowers, fruit, nuts, plants, and insects. They eat less seeds than often thought.
Pet parrots often die of the same causes as humans do: too much fat, too much stress, too little exercise. In fact, parrots have a tendency to become obese.
The largest species of parrot is the hyacinth macaw (Anodorhynchus hyacinthinus): it grows up to 39 inches (100cm) long and can weigh almost 5 pounds
The smallest parrot is the buff-faced pygmy parrot (Micropsitta pusio). It is only 3.5 inches (9 cm) tall and weighs as little as 0.4oz (11,5g).
