About 410 species of intelligent, mostly tropical birds with strong curved beaks and grasping feet. They include macaws, cockatoos and budgies, and a third of all species are threatened with extinction.
This entry covers a whole group, so the answers describe a typical member. For a specific one, see Macaw, Cockatoo, Cockatiel, Kakapo, Kea.
Quick answers
What is it?Bird
Carnivore?No, herbivore
Dangerous?No
Domesticated?No
Awake when?Daytime
Hibernates?No
Kept as a pet?Commonly
Intelligent and often able to imitate speech, which makes them popular pets.
Do people eat it?No
At a glance
Found inSouth America, Africa, Australia, Asia
HabitatRainforest, Forest, Grassland
ColoursGreen, Red, Blue, Yellow
SizeMedium
Length8 cm (buff-faced pygmy parrot) to 1 m (hyacinth macaw)
WeightUnder 10 g (pygmy parrot) upward
Legs2
Covered inFeathers
Lives inflocks
Lives for50–80 years
Can fly
Lays eggs
In the wild
- Where it lives
- Mostly tropical and subtropical regions, with the greatest variety in South America and Australasia.
- What it eats
- Mostly seeds, nuts, fruit, buds and other plant material; a few species sometimes eat animals.
Did you know
Big parrots such as macaws can live 80 years or more.
Large parrots such as macaws and cockatoos can live 80 years, with records of over 100.
Often confused with
On these lists
Sources
Last reviewed
Play
Could you have guessed it?
A photo, a few hints, one guess. Same 438 animals.
