Trapping wild parrots for the pet trade, as well as hunting, habitat loss, and competition from invasive species, has diminished wild populations, with parrots being subjected to more exploitation than any other group of birds. Parrots, along with ravens, crows, jays, and magpies, are among the most intelligent birds, and the ability of some species to imitate human speech enhances their popularity as pets. Almost all parrots nest in tree hollows (or nest boxes in captivity), and lay white eggs from which hatch altricial (helpless) young. A few species sometimes eat animals and carrion, while the lories and lorikeets are specialised for feeding on floral nectar and soft fruits. The most important components of most parrots' diets are seeds, nuts, fruit, buds, and other plant material. They form the most variably sized bird order in terms of length. Most parrots exhibit little or no sexual dimorphism in the visual spectrum. Many parrots are vividly coloured, and some are multi-coloured. Ĭharacteristic features of parrots include a strong, curved bill, an upright stance, strong legs, and clawed zygodactyl feet. The greatest diversity of parrots is in South America and Australasia. Parrots have a generally pantropical distribution with several species inhabiting temperate regions in the Southern Hemisphere, as well. One-third of all parrot species are threatened by extinction, with higher aggregate extinction risk ( IUCN Red List Index) than any other comparable bird group. The order is subdivided into three superfamilies: the Psittacoidea ("true" parrots), the Cacatuoidea (cockatoos), and the Strigopoidea (New Zealand parrots). Parrots, also known as psittacines ( / ˈ s ɪ t ə s aɪ n z/), are birds of the roughly 398 species in 92 genera comprising the order Psittaciformes ( / ˈ s ɪ t ə s ɪ f ɔːr m iː z/), found mostly in tropical and subtropical regions.
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