Difference between revisions of "Parrot"
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| − | '''Parrots''' are [[bird]]s | + | '''Parrots''' are a family of raucous [[bird]]s within the order Psittaciformes, consisting of about 372 species found on all continents except Antarctica, and characterized by a deeply-hooked bill, often gaudy plumage, and a high intelligence. Kept as cage birds for millennia, parrots retain a popularity due to intelligence, playfulness, and an astonishing ability to imitate human speech and many other sounds. It is primarily due to the pet trade that some 90 species are threatened with extinction<ref>http://www.parrotsinternational.org/</ref>. |
| − | ==Phylogeny== | + | ==Description== |
| − | *Family Strigopidae (New Zealand parrots) | + | Parrots range in size from the small lovebirds at 6 inches to some 36-40 inches for the larger macaw species. The heaviest species, the New Zealand [[kakapo]], weighs in at 9 pounds, nearly three times the weight of the largest macaw. |
| + | |||
| + | Parrots have an upright stance when perched; when not flying they move about in the trees using their hooked beak as a climbing aid. On the ground they walk with a rolling gate. Both feet are zygodactyl, i.e. two toes in front, two toes behind, a trait shared with [[owl]]s and [[woodpecker]]s. Parrots further use one foot as a "hand" to hold and bring food to its mouth. | ||
| + | |||
| + | Parrot plumage is also unique in that the brilliant colors are not the result of diet; they are made directly within the feathers by a set of five pigments, or ''psittacofulvins'', a trait found in no other bird species<ref>http://creation.com/parrot-fashion</ref>. | ||
| + | |||
| + | ===Phylogeny=== | ||
| + | *Family Strigopidae (New Zealand parrots). | ||
::Tribe Nestorini ([[kākā]] and [[kea]]) | ::Tribe Nestorini ([[kākā]] and [[kea]]) | ||
::Tribe Strigopini ([[kakapo]]) | ::Tribe Strigopini ([[kakapo]]) | ||
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:Subfamily Calyptorhynchinae (dark cockatoos, [[cockatiel]]) | :Subfamily Calyptorhynchinae (dark cockatoos, [[cockatiel]]) | ||
:Subfamily Cacatuinae (white cockatoos) | :Subfamily Cacatuinae (white cockatoos) | ||
| − | |||
*Family Psittacidae (true parrots) | *Family Psittacidae (true parrots) | ||
:Subfamily Micropsittinae (pygmy parrots) | :Subfamily Micropsittinae (pygmy parrots) | ||
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::Tribe Platycercini ([[rosella]]s) | ::Tribe Platycercini ([[rosella]]s) | ||
| + | ==References== | ||
| + | <small><references/></small> | ||
== External links == | == External links == | ||
| − | |||
*[http://creation.com/parrot-fashion Parrot feathers - a problem for evolutionists] | *[http://creation.com/parrot-fashion Parrot feathers - a problem for evolutionists] | ||
[[Category:Birds]] | [[Category:Birds]] | ||
Revision as of 01:22, October 15, 2013
| Parrot | |
|---|---|
| |
| Red-browed Amazon parrot (Amazona rhodocorytha) | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom Information | |
| Domain | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom | Animalia |
| Subkingdom | Bilateria |
| Branch | Deuterostomia |
| Phylum Information | |
| Phylum | Chordata |
| Sub-phylum | Vertebrata |
| Infraphylum | Gnathostomata |
| Class Information | |
| Superclass | Tetrapoda |
| Class | Aves |
| Sub-class | Neornithes |
| Infra-class | Neoaves |
| Order Information | |
| Superorder | Psittacimorphae |
| Order | Psittaciformes |
| Family Information | |
| Families | Cacatuidae Psittacidae Strigopidae |
| Population statistics | |
Parrots are a family of raucous birds within the order Psittaciformes, consisting of about 372 species found on all continents except Antarctica, and characterized by a deeply-hooked bill, often gaudy plumage, and a high intelligence. Kept as cage birds for millennia, parrots retain a popularity due to intelligence, playfulness, and an astonishing ability to imitate human speech and many other sounds. It is primarily due to the pet trade that some 90 species are threatened with extinction[1].
Description
Parrots range in size from the small lovebirds at 6 inches to some 36-40 inches for the larger macaw species. The heaviest species, the New Zealand kakapo, weighs in at 9 pounds, nearly three times the weight of the largest macaw.
Parrots have an upright stance when perched; when not flying they move about in the trees using their hooked beak as a climbing aid. On the ground they walk with a rolling gate. Both feet are zygodactyl, i.e. two toes in front, two toes behind, a trait shared with owls and woodpeckers. Parrots further use one foot as a "hand" to hold and bring food to its mouth.
Parrot plumage is also unique in that the brilliant colors are not the result of diet; they are made directly within the feathers by a set of five pigments, or psittacofulvins, a trait found in no other bird species[2].
Phylogeny
- Family Strigopidae (New Zealand parrots).
- Family Cacatuidae (cockatoos)
- Subfamily Microglossinae (palm cockatoo)
- Subfamily Calyptorhynchinae (dark cockatoos, cockatiel)
- Subfamily Cacatuinae (white cockatoos)
- Family Psittacidae (true parrots)
- Subfamily Micropsittinae (pygmy parrots)
- Tribe Micropsittini
- Subfamily Loriinae (lories and lorikeets)
- Subfamily Psittacinae (tropical parrots and parakeets)
- Tribe Arini (amazons, conures, macaws)
- Tribe Cyclopsittacini (fig parrots)
- Tribe Polytelini (west Australian parrots)
- Tribe Psittrichadini (Pesquet's Parrot)
- Tribe Psittacini (African parrots)
- Tribe Psittaculini (Asian parrots and parakeets)
- Subfamily Platycercinae (broad-tailed parrots)
- Tribe Melopsittacini (budgerigar)
- Tribe Neophemini (Australian broad-tailed parrots, Bourke's parrot)
- Tribe Pezoporini (ground parrots)
- Tribe Platycercini (rosellas)