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Parrots

Animals Know Our Stars Parrots

The 350 species of parrots include macaws, parakeets, cockatoos, and more. These brilliantly colored birds use their powerful, curved beaks to effortlessly crack through hard-shelled nuts and seeds. Their feet have four toes — two that face forward and two that point backwards — which they use to climb through branchs with the assistance of their beaks.

Parrots often mate for life, and they can live to a maximum of 20 to more than 80 years, depending on the species. Parrots are easily trained and capable of performing a wide variety of behaviors and imitating sounds.

Blue Horizon’s rainbow of parrots includes green-winged macaws and three species of Australian coral-billed parrots; all distinguished by their vibrant colors and extremely long tails.

Q: How big do they get?
SW: The tallest parrot is the hyacinth macaw that reaches 40 in. (102 cm) and the smallest, the buff-faced pygmy parrot grows to only 3.3 in. (8.4 cm). 

Q: Are they endangered?
SW: Of the more than 350 parrot species in the world, only a handful continue to thrive in the wild. Many species are endangered or threatened because of habitat destruction and illegal capture for the pet trade.

Q: Do parrots make good pets?
SW: Although parrots are often kept as pets, they are extremely noisy, destructive, often bite, require a lot of attention, and are long-lived. Many pet parrots end up unwanted or displaced. You should only consider having a parrot as a pet if you research the species’ needs and know you can provide the proper level of long-term care to keep it physically healthy and behaviorally enriched.