Top 20 most interesting facts about parrots

The parrot family has more than 300 species of these wonderful birds that live in different parts of the Earth. Few people know that despite the fact that some species live up to 70 years, a third of them are under the threat of extinction. You can learn about this and much more by reading little-known facts about parrots.

1. At the beginning of the twenty-first century, more than seventy species of parrots were listed in the Red Book as being on the verge of extinction.

2. Parrots are considered the smartest birds in the world.

3. The most popular types of pet parrots are cockatiels and budgerigars. 4. The Indians were the first to tame the Macaw. Birds often played the role of watchmen in their tribes: they warned their owners about the approaching danger with a loud cry.

5. Harmless foods like chocolate, avocado and salt can be deadly to birds.

6. Rocky parrots build communities, the number of which sometimes reaches 70 thousand individuals.

7. Like people, these birds can be right-handed or left-handed. It all depends on which paw they grab food with.

8. Not all types of parrots are herbivores. For example, representatives of the Kea species that live in New Zealand feed on insects and carrion. It happens that Kea attack live cattle.

9. Hyacinth macaws are the largest species of parrots, the length of some individuals of the species reaches one meter.

10. Woodpeckers are the smallest species of parrots that live in New Guinea. Ten centimeter birds, called woodpeckers because of their tail, which is incredibly similar to the tail of a woodpecker.

11. Cockatoos are considered the owners of the largest beaks. Translated from Malay, their name means “nippers”. With their huge beak, birds can bite a person’s finger.

12. Some species of these birds give names to their chicks. The names are in a special way of chirping, which contains the call of a bird and which reflects its belonging to a particular genus.

13. Despite the fact that these birds are able to imitate human speech, they do not have vocal cords.

14. Budgerigars are able to perceive about 150 images in one second, while humans are able to distinguish only 16 in this time.

15. Budgerigars are able to distinguish sounds of an incredibly wide range and turn their heads 180 degrees.

16. One of the record holders of the Guinness Book of Records is a parrot named Jaco, who knew about 400 words and spoke in whole sentences.

17. Jaco is also a species of birds, whose representatives are the most “talkative” it is believed that they can learn about a thousand words.

18. Australia is the only country in the world in which there are special schools that teach birds to speak.

19. A parrot named Baby appeared as a witness in a robbery case in the United States. Baby remembered and named the names of the thieves who robbed his owners.

20. And in conclusion, the oldest fossil feathered, which archaeologists have found on the territory of modern Denmark, is about 54 million years old.