[Illustration: AMAZONIAN PARROT.]
The Parrots have large, strong, round beaks, with the upper part hooked
and sharp at the tip, and the under part rather deeply hollowed. The
tongue is thick, fleshy and movable, and the feet are perfected to such
a degree that they really become hands, able to seize, hold and retain
small objects. Their toes are supplied with strong and hooked claws,
which make these birds pre-eminently climbers. The Parrots walk with
difficulty, and with such trouble that they rarely descend to the ground
in their native homes, and only under pressing circumstances. Besides,
they find all the necessaries of their existence on trees. They are not
more favored with regard to their flight; and we can understand that it
should be so; for, living in thick woods, they only require to make
trifling changes of place, such as from one tree to another. However,
some species, especially the smaller, are capable of a prolonged and
effective use of their wings. According to Levaillant, some even
migrate, and travel hundreds of miles every year; but this is unusual.
In general, Parrots remain in the localities where they are reared.
Sociable in their dispositions, they assemble in more or less numerous
bands, and make the forests re-echo with their loud cries. To some
species it is such an imperative necessity to be near each other and
live in common, that they have received from Naturalists the name of
“inseparables.” They deposit their eggs in the hollows of trees and in
the crevices of rocks. The young birds are quite naked when hatched; it
is not till the end of three months that they are completely covered
with feathers. The parent birds wait upon them with the greatest care,
and become threatening when approached too closely by intruders.
Parrots prefer the fruits of the palm, banana, and guava trees. They may
be seen perched upon one foot, using the other to bear the food to their
beaks, and retain it there till eaten. After they have extracted the
kernel they free it from its envelope, and swallow it in particles. They
often visit plantations, and cause great devastation. In a domestic
state they eat seeds, grain, bread, and even raw or cooked meat, and it
is with pleasure that they receive bones to pick; they are also very
partial to sugar. It is well known that bitter almonds and parsley act
upon them as violent poisons. They drink and bathe frequently; in summer
they show the greatest desire for plunging and splashing in water.
They climb in a peculiar manner, which has none of the abruptness
displayed by other Birds of the same order. This they accomplish with
slow and irregular movements, helped by their beak and feet. Like almost
all birds of tropical regions, these Birds are adorned with most
beautiful colors, green and red being the most prominent, with
occasional markings of yellow and even blue; and some kinds of Parrots
have very handsomely developed tails.
The Parrots are the favorites of the human family because of their
remarkable talent of imitation. They retain and repeat words which they
have heard by chance, or sentences which they have been taught, and also
imitate the cries of different animals, and the sounds of musical
instruments, etc. The species most remarkable for their talking and
imitating are the Grey Parrot or Jaco, a native of Africa, and the Green
Parrot from the West Indies and tropical America.
The Macaws—the largest of the Parrots—are recognized by their bare
cheeks and long tapering tails. They inhabit South America and are
arrayed in the most brilliant colors. The principal species are the Ara
or Blue and Yellow Macaw.
The Parrakeets are much smaller than the Macaws, and like them, have
long tapering tails, but their cheeks are feathered. What are known as
the “Love-birds” are the rarest and smallest of this group. They make
their home in America and Southern Africa.
What are known as the “Parrots proper” are distinguished from other
groups of the same family by their short, square tails. They have
feathered cheeks like the Parrakeets, and are between these and the
Macaws in size. They are appreciated on account of their memory and
their habit of repeating what they hear without any special teaching.
These Parrots are divided into several groups, and species according to
their size and color. Among them we find the Grey Parrot or Jaco, a
native of the West coast of Africa, the Festive Green Parrot, and the
Amazonian Parrot, which is remarkable for its power of imitating, and
the richness of its green plumage.