There
are lots of colourful parrots
in the rainforest.
Although some
parrots do live
in temperate climates and even inhabit
dry areas, most of the world's 370 species of parrots live in tropical
climate and in rainforests.
Parrots
belong to the order Psittaciformes,
which is further divided to true parrots (Psittacidae),
cockatoos (Cacatuidae)
and New Zealand parrots (Strigopidae).
Most of the
world's parrot
species are found in South
America
and
Oceania (including Australia)
- a fact that suggests they originate from Gondwana
continent.
Others
include Pacific Islands, south and south-east Asia, Africa, Central
America and some Caribbean Islands.
Parrots in the Rainforest: Bill, Diet and
Intelligence Parrots
typically have strong curved bill,
reflecting
their diet
- seeds, nuts, buds, fruit and other plant material. Some species also
eat insects, and some, particularly lorikeets specialise in nectar.
Almost all species lay white eggs and nest in tree hollows.
They are also some of the most intelligent
and social
birds, and they can imitate peoples' voices - something that
makes them popular pets
and common targets for pet
trade.
Other threats they face are habitat loss, hunting, and competition from
introduced species.
Parrots in the Rainforest: True
Parrots (Psittacidae)
is by far the largest group of Psittaciformes.
Most
species
are predominantly
green, with patches of red, yellow, blue and other colours. There are five subfamilies:
* Arinae -
about 160 species
of South American parrots, including the famous macaws
* Loriinae
- about 50 species
of lorikeets
and loris,
mainly New Guinean, but
also Pacific
Islands', Indonesian
and Australian
parrots.
* Micropsittinae
- six
species of pygmy parrot,
found
in New Guinea, and also some neaby islands.
* Psittacinae
- several
different subgroups of mainly African and South-east Asian parrots.
* Platycercinae
- several
subgroups including rosellas,
parakeets, budgerigars and
broad-tailed parrots.
Parrots in the Rainforest: Cockatoos
and Cockatiels
(Cacatuidae)
are
quite different from true parrots. They have lost the green colour and
are mostly white,
black or pink. Another
distinctive feature is the mobile head-crest that true
parrots lack.
The cockatoo family is only
found in
Australia, New Guinea, Philippines
and Indonesia; and it contains three subfamilies:
* White cockatoos - e. g. salmon-crested, sulphur-crested, major
mitchells, galahs and corellas.
* Dark cockatoos - e. g. gang-gangs, yellow-tailed blacks, red-tailed
blacks
* Palm cockatoos - some of the smartest cockatoos with huge crests and
beaks, which are only found in Cape York,
Australia.
New Zealand Parrots
(Strigopidae)
include Kea, Kākā and the flightless Kākāpo. These are the rare parrots
that
don't inhabit tropical regions. Kea
is a large greenish-brown parrot that lives in the Alpine regions on
South Island. Kākāand Kākāpō live on both South and
North Islands.
The flightless Kākāpō
is the heaviest parrot in the world.
Note:
This site uses British English, which is the English we use in
Australia. Disclaimer:
This website is about interesting facts about rainforests.
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