Parrots, Cockatoos and Macaws By Ashley Dawkins-Garcia (05/14/09 12:23:35)
Related animals: Cockatoo, Macaw, Parrot Type of Parrots
• African Grey Parrot- Cling to one person. Can imitate humans and non-humans.
• Amazon Parrot-Good at talking and imitating sounds. Intellect of a 3 yrs old, dolphin or monkey. Very energetic, playful, moody and social creature. Loud, cuddly, quiet, stubborn, silly, jealous, playfully aggressive or irritable. Eats fruit and vegetables.
• Eclectus Parrot- Can sing songs and talk to humans and bird companions. Eats fruit, vegetables, sprouted seeds and beans, brown rice, high-fiber cereals and pellets.
• Green Parrot- Eats selected seeds, high quality proteins, carbohydrates, lean chicken and boiled vegetables. Affectionate, inquisitive and can be easily trained.
• Quaker Parrot- Loves to play amusing little games. Highly intelligent. Loves to heard “Goooood Bird” or “Pretty Baaaaaby.”
• Senegal Parrot- Can talk and imitate. More accurate in pitch and tone. Eats sunflower, safflower, pine nuts, oats, hemp, millet and canary.
General Information
• Parrots are – Intelligent animals who depend on some degree of socialization and will not be good pets unless they are taught and patterned to be good pets. Good training is therefore vital to make these parrots bond with you. It’s very important to understand your parrot’s needs and intelligence, physical and psychological. Parrots belong to the family Psittacidae. All parrots are zygodactyl, having the four toes on each foot placed two at the front and two back. Along with the cockatoo family (the Cacatuidae), the parrot family makes up the order Psittaciformes. Confusingly, the term parrot can be used in either the narrow sense of the parrot family Psittacidae or the broad sense of the order Psittaciformes.
Many species can imitate human speech or other sounds, and at least one researcher, Irene Pepperberg has made controversial claims for the learning ability of one species; an African Grey Parrot Alex, has been trained to use words to identify objects, describe them, count them, and even answer complex questions such as "How many red squares?" (with over 80% accuracy). Many other scholars claim that parrots are only repeating words with no idea of their meanings and point to Pepperberg's results as being nothing but an expression of operant conditioning.
Type of Macaws
• Blue and Gold Macaw- Very intelligent and good talkers. They balk initially but adjust very quickly. Very loud. Eats fruits, vegetables, seeds and nuts, cheese and chicken. Very demanding and can be aggressive or pluck.
• Hahns Macaw- Playful and talkative. Eats fruits, seeds, berries and nuts.
• Hyacinth Macaw- Eats nuts of certain palms, palm nutshells and strips of palm fronds. Affectionate, sweet disposition and very strong. Smart and inquisitive.
• Scarlet Macaw- Eats fruits, nuts, flowers and nectar. Picks up a limited number of words very quickly. Extremely intelligent and a very talented talker. It is social and friendly to people it has known for a very long time.
General Information
• Macaws – They are native to Mexico, Central America, South America and formerly the Caribbean. Most species are associated with forest, especially rainforest, but others prefer woodland or savanna-like habits. Macaws have been said to live for up to 100 years; however, an average of 50 years is probably more accurate. The larger macaws may live up to 65 years. Macaws are ready to breed when they are about 7 or 8 years old.
• Macaws are known to eat clay. This is antidote to poisonous seeds they eat. The chemicals in the clay mix with the poison allowing it to pass through the bird’s digestive system without harming the bird. Can live up from 20 to 50 years old. To have a macaw is a life-long commitment. A pet macaw will need frequent interaction, handling and love just as humans do. A lack of attention and love will result in mental and physical suffering (such as pulling out their feathers). Like children, they need supervision or they could harm others such as children and adults since these creatures are powerful (their break can break a human finger).
Type of Cockatoos
• Goffin Cockatoo- Fun-loving, very gentle disposition, clever, loving, curious, playful and energetic. Fair talker but some talk extensively.
• Moluccan Cockatoo- Very intelligent and sensitive. Eats fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds and pellets. Mimic human speech. Acts more like a dog. “Lap bird.”
• Umberella Cockatoo- Loves to cuddle and forms strong bonds with owners. Intelligent, social, good-natured, active, acrobatic and very affectionate. Can live to 80 years old.
General Information
• There are 17 (21 in total) other types of cockatoos. Well-raised cockatoos are adorable; a hog for attention, a socialite, and just a pleasure to have around. The family of cockatoos has an Australasian distribution, ranging from the Philippines and the eastern Indonesian islands of Wallacea to New Guinea, the Solomon Islands and Australia.
• Cockatoos are generally large to medium sized parrots, with one species, the Cockatiel, being quite smaller than the other species. They are not early risers, instead waiting until the sun has warmed their roosting sites before feeding. They are highly social and will roost, forage and travel together, often in large flocks. They prefer roosting sites that are sometimes located near drinking sites, but many species may travel great distances between the roosting sites and feeding sites.
Cockatoos are known as one of the most affectionate species of birds. The term "velcro bird" is often used to describe their affectionate behavior which so endears them to humans. They are birds who usually bond to a mate strongly and for life. It is this characteristic which enables them to be so loving to a human. Like macaws, these birds need a lot of attention and interaction (about 4 to 6 hours). Without constant attention, the cockatoo will become ill and stressed, which will result to pulling out their feathers, to a point that they will go mentally insane. Their cages should be in an area where they can see all the activity that is going on within the family and they should be allowed to be out of their cage and played with each day. [Write Comment]