Parrots Species

Parrots species is one thing that you need to take into consideration while buying a parrot because different parrots behave in different ways. Senegal Parrots are the most popular ones which make good pets. Native to West Africa (Senegal, Guinea and Gambia), Senegal Parrots are quiet in nature and are known to get attached to a single person.

These parrots are green colored, have a grey head and bright-yellow iris. Their belly and under parts are distinctly colored. Senegal parrots prefer living in savanna and woodland. They are excellent at talking and imitating sounds like garage door creak or telephone ring. Though not as accurate as African grey parrot in tone and pitch, Senegal parrots are great entertainers.

An ideal diet for this parrot type would be a mixture of safflower and sunflower seeds, oats, pine nuts, canary and millet. If healthy, this bird is not inclined to feather plucking. These parrots grow up to 23 cm in size. For Senegal parrots to be obedient and well behaved, you need to spend some time to train them well.

These parrots show faster development as compared to other parrots species. Even at an early age of six weeks they do many significant things.

To purchase a Senegal parrot, you need to spend around $200 to $800. However, the price may vary depending on many different factors such as the area, parrot’s age, whether it is trained or not etc. Make sure you buy a young Senegal parrot as they have just 20-25 years of life span.  

What Do Parrots Eat?

What do parrots eat? The majority of parrots’ diet consists of fruits, seeds, pollen, nectar, buds, and rarely insects and cockroaches. All parrot species except pesquest’s parrot apply same method of obtaining the seed from husk, while the former crush the seed by pressing between mandibles, the latter rotates the seed.

Most veterinarians complain that the problems in parrots are arising due to malnutrition. One should take sensitive care while understanding the question, what do parrots eat? Ornithologists’ emphasize on whole diet, which is strictly not only on seeds, while a few cases are exceptional in this area as some hardy species of parrots seem to do well with strict seed diet in spite of missed nutritional balance.

Statistics reveal that seeds are emphasized with high fat and lack of many essential nutrients and vitamins such as vitamin A. It is advised to keep the seed diet only from 10% to 25% and the rest of nutrients have to be supplied accordingly.
A high quality pelleted food, which is rather a new innovation in bird sustenance, provides optimal nutrition in an easy to serve up and easy to eat format. Each pellet is a healthy blend of vitamins, minerals, grains, seeds, fruits and vegetables. This is can be a complete diet for your pet parrot, which also creates a stimulation to crave for food.
Coveted treats for your pet are fresh fruits, grains and vegetables with rich nutritional values. Be innovative in supplying the food, besides provoking them to consume food.
Be cautious while choosing the parrot diet as few may be toxic to your pet’s health. Check out the contents under, what do parrots eat, given by the veterinarian or the pet seller and choose accordingly.

Parrots As Pets

A complicated relationship exists between parrots and humans. Their sociable and affectionate nature makes them popular as pets, but some feral population pose frigidity. The domesticated Budgerigar is the most popular species of parrots as pets. Their intelligence, bright colors, and capability to imitate human vocalizations distinguish them from other kinds of home pets.

A cage or aviary suits well for parrots as pets, though tamed parrots should be allowed to stand regularly on the perch.   

Most of the parrot species are basically kept as pets which include macaws, cockatoos, African grays, Eclectus, Caiques, Parakeets and lovebirds. Different species possess different temperament, talking ability, noise level, Cuddliness among people and their needs. Role modeling effects the parrots growth and personality eminently. However love and patience are essential items when dealing with the same.

Close and affectionate bonds are developed with parrots while making companionship. To achieve this act, one should take enormous amount of care, attention and intellectual stimulation.  

Some parrots have destructive mentality when they are emotional, so a very large cage and regular supply of innovative toys, branches, and perches are quite essential. The extreme intelligence of parrots enables them to learn tricks quickly which is both good and bad as it may allow them to get whatever they want from you such as treats or toys.

Parrots as pets are not easy with less maintenance as they require feeding, veterinary care, grooming, training, exercise and social interaction for good health. Parrots are the sweetest living beings and are wonderful to have them as pets.

African Gray Parrot

One of the most intelligent of all the bird species and especially of the parrot species is the African gray parrot. Gray parrots are native to primary and secondary rain forest of West and Central Africa and are reputed for mimicking humans and are gentle by nature.

Congo African Gray Parrot and Timneh African Grey Parrot are the universally accepted sub species among gray parrots. Ghana African Gray and Cameroon African Gray are species of the Gray parrots with some skeptics.

The African gray parrot ranges from 10 to 14 inches with medium sized body of the genus Psittacus. Their average weight varies from 300 too 554 grams depending on the sub species. The name itself explains that the bird is predominantly gray and contains accents of white and red or dark maroon tail and the surrounding area of eyes is usually white.

Feet are zygodactyl in nature and have 4 toes on each foot with two on front and two at the back. However, several mutations occur naturally in these parrot species and one among them has resulted in broad red band across the abdomen. Males are bigger than females by 12 to 14 inches and certain differences that can be perceived are more slender neck and narrower head in females.

The feral population mainly feed on palm nuts, seeds, fruits and supplements of leafy matter while few are omnivorous by feeding on small snails. Captive breed are fed with seeds, grains, veggies and pellets. Over feeding the pellets with vitamin C rich foods or citrus fruits leads to iron overload disease so proper measures have to be taken while feeding African gray parrot with the same.

Parrot Perches

Parrots are the sweetest pet animals that one can keep in their homes. They would love to hang on the branches rather than the normal cages which try to imprison them. The parrot perches are made of different materials like plastic, wood and metal. Manzanita is a type of wood that is rated as the sixth hardest wood all over the world.

Besides satisfying the parrot’s need to chew and gnaw, the sandblasted Manzanita parrot stands are a wonderful source of exercise to the parrots. These kinds of parrot perches have natural curves and bumps. The elegant texture of these stands makes it easy for the parrots to climb and play. This stand is very useful for different parrot types like Macaws, Congo African grey and umbrella cockatoo.

There are four different types of perches available for the parrots which are useful for strengthening their feet and create a natural environment for them. They are Rope perches, natural hardwood cholla perches, nail trimming cement perches and edible perches. The rope perch is very soft and bendable through which you can make different shapes for your bird to move around.

The natural hardwood cholla perches are natural and hence provide the environment which gives strength to the leg muscles thus helping the bird build up the feet. Nail trimming cement perches help the birds trim the nails so that they will not have long nails, which often get caught and hurt the bird while they try to get the nail out.

The edible perches are the type of parrot perches made of calcium and bee pollen. This way the birds can eat the perch and get lot of nutrients too.  

Parrot facts

The excavations at Europe have revealed some mind boggling parrot facts that these species are about 50 million years old. The research at Germany and England made it clear about these parrot ancestors, while modern parrots which we see today are about 23 million years old.

Psittacidae and Cacutaidea are the two beautiful families of parrot species while the former possess bright and more vibrant colors, the latter is with movable head crust. There are some endangered parrot species nearing to the extinction.

Spixs Macaw is one among them with only about 7 survivors of the species in captivity. Parrot owners have emerged by raising huge funds for the parrot protection at zoo and wild life centers and are working vicariously in spreading the awareness in the schools. There are few cases where imprisonment has taken place for smuggling parrots!

Few other parrot facts are about their key role in various theatre plays, ancient texts, magazines and in many Hollywood films. Their nickname is winged rainbows as they come in every color of a rainbow. However their eggs are always simple white.

Most parrots live on seeds, fruits and other vegetarian protein diet but few are exceptional and feed on water snails, cockroaches and abandoned sheep carcasses.

One of the important parrot facts that makes you startle is that they don’t have vocal cards but they make sounds, chirps, and mimic the human vocalizations. They can achieve this phenomenon by controlling the pitch of the sound through pushing the air out, and by manipulating the depth and shape of the trachea. Ornithologists explain that whenever a parrot talks, it is performing variations on whistling.

African Grey Parrots

The African grey parrots are some of the most elegant and delightful parrots and one of the species of parrots which can be cared for very easily. As the name suggests, these parrots have their origin in Africa, to be more specific in Central Africa. This category of parrots is regarded as the most intelligent species with some exceptional abilities like they can talk and think too.

Generally, we find two main categories of species in this class of parrots that is the Congo African and the Timneh African Grey Parrots. Both the categories of parrots are considered to be of medium sized, when compared to the other species of parrots and they grow up to the length of about 10 to 14 inches on an average.

Like any other species, males of the African grey parrots grow a bit faster than the females. The female birds have more slender neck and a narrower head than the male parrots. Strange, but very true that they have a very long life span and some may even live up to the age of 60 years. However you do need to take proper care of them.

They like to live in an entertaining and interactive environment as they get bored very soon. As a consequence, they may indulge in some uncontrollable activities which can pose a problem for other birds and the owner. These parrots are characterized as the social birds and hence they make very good pets, but they do not enjoy too much of physical contact during petting.

Parrot Training

Parrots are the most fascinating breed of birds that have the ability to quickly adapt to human surroundings. These charming birds can surprise you with their elegance and majesty. One such parrot species that is sure to fascinate you with their flamboyance is the Macaws.

Macaws are definitely a gift from nature and their rainbow colored wings enhances their beauty and attractiveness. These birds are beautiful, intelligent, and highly captivating. They are found and bred in Central and South America. Initially they were kept in captivity to protect and preserve the species, but now Macaws freely roam in the wilderness.

There are seventeen species of these birds found today, some examples being Blue and Gold Macaw, Military Macaw, Hyacinth Macaw, and Scarlet Macaw. These are the best parrots to have as pets. Macaws respond quickly to good training which also allows them to stay healthy and live longer. Before starting the parrot training you must get familiar with the bird’s diet, feather conditions, personality and flying tendencies.

Parrot training requires a large amount of patience and hard work. Training can bring about wonderful changes in Macaws mostly in their behavior and discipline. You can train them to be mischievous, hilarious and happy. There are many ways to go about with the training depending upon the response of your Macaw.

Some lines on which you can train your parrot is to be friendly, to sing, talk, perform tricks and many more. One should keep in mind not to stress out the bird while training. Give it ample time to relax before attempting to train again.

Amazon Parrots

Parrots are intelligent and sensitive birds found mostly in warm climates. Some parrot species are wonderful pets and easily bond with the owners. These bright colored bird species are costly pets and it is more expensive if it is large and belongs to more attractive category.

Parrot species generally eat fresh fruits, vegetables, grains, seeds and chicken.  Most of them love to be cuddled and tend to be moody and start to pluck their feathers when they feel neglected, unhealthy or in a bad state of mind. There are more than 350 species of parrots dispersed throughout the world and large diversities are found in South America, Central America and Australasia.  

Among the attractive parrot species, Amazon parrots are very popular with distinctive nature.  These short winged parrots are green in color and are very playful, energetic and social animals and need more care and love than most pet owners would think.

There are approximately 27 species of Amazon parrots and many of them are seen in large flocks. Farmers treat them as pests and they are almost extinct in some areas. Each Amazon parrot has distinctive character and moods. 

A healthy and balanced diet of Amazon Parrot includes fruits, vegetables, a prepared parrot pellet mix and fresh water.  Food items like chocolate, avocado, caffeine, apple seeds and alcohol are toxic to these pets and hence it is best to avoid them.

Amazon Parrots are among the most expensive pet parrots and generally costs between $800 to $1600. These birds love talking and are good mimics.  They are very clever pets and some experts claimed that they can talk like humans. If they are in the right atmosphere, they should have an average life span of 40-70 years.

Parrot Food

Parrots are intelligent and sensitive pet birds with striking features. These colorful birds love to be cuddled and respond to your love and affection. Besides friendly and intelligent nature, the problem solving quality of parrots make it a favorite pet bird throughout the world.

Most species of parrots are seen in large flocks and generally feed on fruits, nuts, seeds and nectar. For communicating, these vocal birds usually make special screaming sounds.  Since it is a favorite pet of many, the cost of parrots differs widely based on different species.  If the pet bird is larger and exotic, it will be costlier. You must carefully observe the birds, when you buy them to make sure that it doesn’t have any kind of health issues.

Most of the parrot species prefer a pre-formulated diet including pellets and fresh food like fruits, seeds, grains, greens and sprouted seeds. Even though some of them have very specialized food habits, most of them prefer less complicated food. Large parrots are benefitted mostly from different types of food and take less seed servings.

Parrot owners are keen to know which parrot food is best for their pet. For them to stay in the pink, parrots are required to be fed a healthy balanced diet. They are the birds who crave stimulations and it is important to keep their mealtimes interesting in order to prevent them from getting bored.

Feed a balanced diet to your pet and some of the parrot food includes lots of vegetables, fresh fruits, plenty of grains and cooked meats. There is nothing wrong to share your food with your pet if the diet is balanced, healthy and salt-free. However, it is wise to stick to a particular parrot diet for your pet.  Give special parrot pellets for supplementary feeding.

Parrot Behavior

Parrots are superb family pets and these beautiful birds are also great companions. Apart from being stunning, they are extremely smart and has the capacity to entertain you with their outstanding mimicking ability. However, they can be violent, harsh, loud and very rebellious. Perhaps, you may think, it is quite impossible to train such a type of parrot and you might feel this kind of Parrot Behavior is troublesome for you.

The unruly behavior among parrots is quite possible. Your parrot may keep on plucking out its own feathers and may not eat the food offered to it. If you are facing similar kind of issue with your pet parrot, then your parrots have serious behavior issues that need to be sorted out fast!

You may even think of carrying your parrot to the veterinary doctor because of this kind of behavior. However, your vet cannot do much difference, apart from giving you a heavy bill for the services offered. To eliminate such kind of parrot behavior issues, you need read the parrots mind and understand what it wants.

Once you understand this, you will be able to handle your pet parrot easily and get rid of its nasty and disorderly behavior that is bothering you and your family.

You have one more option in hand. You can handle your parrot's demanding behavior by reading "The Easy Parrot". It is an amazing eBook written by an avian expert, Mr. Sapphyre, who has an experience of 25 years in the field of parrot care. Very soon you will understand the reason behind the bad behavior and train it wonderfully to make it an amazing pet.

Types Of Parrots

The cuddly and cute parrots are the colorful members of the bird kingdom.  They are among the most popular pets throughout the world.  These family pets are loving and affectionate and easy to care for. They are considered as true companions and help to relieve stress.  The tradition of keeping birds as pets has been in practice for thousands of years. Even though the exact origin of parrots has not been settled, some fossil records provide incomplete details of its history of evolution.

There are more than 350 different species of parrots scattered throughout the southern and northern hemispheres.  Most of these parrots are found in the tropical and subtropical regions especially in Amazon and Australia. Parrots generally prefer to live in forest habitats even though some species like cockatiel live in open country areas.

There are different types of parrots.  The most common types of parrots are:

1. MACAWS: Colorful Macaws are intelligent, flamboyant and captivating birds and needs well training if you prefer to keep it as a pet.
2. CONURES:  These friendly and peaceful parrots are famous for its playful nature and sweet dispositions.
3. COCKATOOS: The sweet nature of Cockatoos makes it a favorite parrot among many people.  They are easy to bond with humans and love to be cuddled.
4. PARAKEETS:  These small parrots have many variations with different colors.
5. COCKATIELS: These cheerful birds are the best for the first time parrot pet owners because of their sweet and non-moody nature. Besides, Cockatiels are not very demanding parrots.
6. BUDGIES: Short word for budgerigar, Budgie is a green and yellow parrot of Australia and a wonderful pet bird because of its gregarious, smooth and entertaining nature.

Facts about Parrots

Having parrots as pets is very exciting and fun. They are brightly colored, cuddly, small and cute. There are different kinds parrot species. Some of the them  are Macaws, Cockatoos, cockatiels, Eclectus parrots, Amazon parrots, Quaker parrots, African grey parrots, blue and gold macaws, scarlet macaw, hyacinth macaw, green wing macaw, nanday conure, green cheeked conure, umbrella cockatoo and so on.

There are two major groups in the parrots- the psittacidae and cacutaide. The second group has a movable head crest while the first group consists of about three hundred and seventy species and is distinguished by their vibrant colors. Parrots are largely available in the tropical areas of South America, Australia and New Guinea. Some species are also found in Africa and Asian mainland.

One of the important facts about parrots is that they nest in holes in trees, ground tunnels, rock cavities and even termite mounds. Parrots eat fruits, buds, seeds, nectar and pollen in the wild environment. They also eat insects at times. The length of the parrots can vary from eight to hundred centimeters and they weigh from sixty grams to one and a half kilograms.

The average lifespan of the parrots is fifty to eighty years and small parrots live up to ten to fifteen years. You can find them in a wide array of colors like grey, blue, red and green. They are the most charismatic and intelligent birds and have the amazing ability to imitate sounds, human speech and also obey simple commands. 

Another among significant facts about parrots is that they are very sensitive creatures and crave for a lot of attention. They need continuous interaction and friendliness, which is very important when you keep them as pets at home.