Parrot

 

True Wild Life | Parrot | The parrot is a medium sized group of birds, with the parrot being best known for it's extremely brightly coloured feathers, and the ability of some parrot species to talk, as these species of parrots are able to mimic sounds made by other animals such as humans. There are thought to be over 350 species of parrot worldwide, ranging across rainforest regions of the Southern Hemisphere. The parrot tends to inhabit densely forested areas, where the parrot hunts insects and small mammals, as well as eating nuts, seeds and fruits.

The parrot can grow between 8cm and 1m, depending on the parrot species. The pygmy parrot is the smallest species of parrot in the world, growing to around the same size as an adult human's finger. The pygmy parrot is found in the jungles of Papua New Guinea. The Hyacinth Macaw is the largest species of parrot in the world, growing to more than a meter in height and native to the jungles of central and eastern South America. However, the endangered kakapo of New Zealand can often be heavier than the Hyacinth Macaw, with the kakapo often reaching more than 3kg in weight.

The parrot is believed to be one of the most intelligent of all the bird species, mainly in the sense that parrots are able to replicate (mimic) the noises made around them. Some parrots are able to mimic modern sounds and human voices to almost perfection. One African grey parrot was found to have a vocabulary of more than 800 words! Nearly all of the different parrot species around the world are known to live for a long time, particularly in comparison to other species of bird (even other species of animal). The average lifespan of the parrot is around 60 years although it is not uncommon for parrots to be much older ages, as many parrot individuals have reached the age of 100.

Parrots are identifiable by a number of their features, the brightly coloured feathers of the parrot being the most obvious one. Parrots are known to have sharp, curved beaks which help parrots to crack nuts open more easily and to access fruits on the trees. Parrots also have strong legs, but are most well known for the fact that there are four toes on each of the parrot's two feet, two of these toes face forwards and the other two toes face backwards. These remarkable feet help the parrot not only to perch on tree branches more easily but also aid the parrot in climbing tree trunks or clambering through the dense jungle foliage.

Parrot populations are rapidly declining mainly due to deforestation and therefore destruction of the parrot's natural habitat. Parrots are also a popular animal in the exotic pet trade and are trapped in the wild to be delivered to homes around the world. Due to their large size (of the majority of parrot species) and intelligence, parrots have few natural predators in the wild. The human trapping and hunting parrots, is the main predator of the parrot along with monkeys, snakes and large birds of prey that tend to feed more on the eggs of the parrot rather than the bird itself.

Macaw

True Wild Life | Macaw | The macaw is a colourful tropical parrot native to Central and Southern America. There are 17 different species of macaw found in the rainforests of South America. Many of the different macaw species are today considered to be endangered animals. The macaw is an omnivorous animal and feeds on nuts and fruit in the trees along with insects, eggs and small mammals and reptiles. The macaw is known to sleep during the night meaning that the macaw is a diurnal animal, and in the morning the macaw will often fly long distances in order to find food.

The macaw is one of the largest species of parrot in the world, with the average adult macaw growing to more than a meter in height. The macaw is well known for it's array of brightly coloured feathers which are often many different colours including blue, red, yellow and green. Macaws have recently become very popular as pets, and there is a flourishing black market for some of the rarer breeds of macaw. This only contributes to their endangered status. Please, do not buy imported macaws. The declining macaw populations is also due to the fact that the macaw's natural rainforest habitat is being destroyed due to deforestation, which is happening all over Central and South America at an alarming rate.

The macaw has a large and powerful beak which means that the macaw can break the shells of nuts and seeds more easily. Like other species of parrot, macaws have four toes on each foot, with two toes facing forward and two toes facing backward. This foot adaptation helps the macaw to grip onto prey and tree branches more easily and allows the macaw to perch in the trees without slipping off. Macaws are known to be intelligent and very sociable birds and macaws can often be seen together in large flocks of up to 30 macaw individuals. Macaws communicate between one another using loud vocal calls such as squawking and screaming. Some species of macaw are even known to be able to mimic (copy) human sounds.

The macaw is one of the world's animals that is known to have the same breeding partner for their whole lives. Macaw couples do not only breed together but they also share their food and help to groom one another. When the female macaw has laid her eggs (typically 2 but more are common), the female macaw sits on her eggs to incubate them while the male macaw hunts and collects food for them both. The macaw chicks hatch after about a month. Macaws are well known to humans in the areas in which they inhabit and have been known to be hunted by local tribesmen for their brightly coloured feathers. The macaw however, is also widely respected and even appears on the one of the Brazilian bank notes.

Kakapo

True Wild Life | Kakapo | The kakapo is one of the largest species of parrot in the world with the average adult kakapo growing to around 60 cm in height. The kakapo is the heaviest species of parrot in the world and it is due to this weight that the kakapo is one of the few bird species that is unable to fly. The kakapo is native to the forests of New Zealand and the kakapo is not found in the wild anywhere else in the world. The flightless kakapo is thought to have once thrived in it's New Zealand habitat due to the fact that there were no mammals that would hunt the kakapo, and this is thought to be another reason as to why the kakapo has evolved to be a ground dwelling bird.

Like many other animal species found on New Zealand's islands, the kakapo was of great importance to the local tribes people and the kakapo appears in many local tales and folklore. The native people would hunt the kakapo for it's meat and it's feathers which the local tribesmen would use to make clothes. Due to the fact that the defenceless kakapo was hunted by the natives and the introduction of predators such as cats, stouts and rats by the European settlers, the kakapo population has been nearly wiped out with less than 150 kakapo individuals thought to have been left in the wild at the start of 2009. The kakapo is now considered to be one of the most critically endangered animal species on the planet.

The kakapo has short wings for it's large size and as it cannot fly, the kakapo mainly uses it's wings to help it balance and to support itself when hopping around in the trees. The kakapo also uses it's wings to help break it's fall when the kakapo leaps onto the ground from the lower branches of the trees. As with all other species of parrot, the kakapo has large scaly feet with two toes facing forwards and two toes facing backwards. This helps the kakapo to hold onto tree branches when the kakapo is perching on them and along with the long, sharp claws of the kakapo, assists the kakapo in climbing up trees.

The kakapo has a primarily herbivorous diet, eating seeds, nuts, fruits, berries and flowers. However, the kakapo is classed as an omnivore as the kakapo is known to eat insects and small reptiles from time to time. The kakapo is particularly fond of the fruit of the rimu tree and kakapo have been known to feed exclusively on the rimu fruit when they are in abundance. The kakapo has large brown eyes and it is because of it's large eyes that the kakapo is often referred to as the owl parrot. The shape of the kakapo's head and beak also contributes to the reason as to why the kakapo is known as the owl parrot.

During the mating season, male kakapo are often found looking for a female mate and attract one using loud calls and elaborate displays. The kakapo will only breed in years when there is a plentiful supply of food, so the kakapo reproduction process can be a slow one. Kakapo breed later on in life than most birds, with male kakapo reaching sexual maturity at around the age of 5 and female kakapo can be nearly 10 years old before they can breed. Kakapo tend to live very long lives with the average kakapo individual getting to around 60 years old. It is not uncommon however, for kakapo to get to be much older and many kakapo individuals get to be nearly 100 years old.