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Parrot

Parrots

Rainbow Lorikeets
Scientific classification
Kingdom:Animalia
Phylum:Chordata
Class:Aves
Order:Psittaciformes
Family:Psittacidae
Genera
Agapornis
Alisterus
Amazona, amazon
Anodorhynchus, macaw
Aprosmictus
Ara, macaw
Aratinga
Barnardius
Bolbopsittacus
Bolborhynchus
Brotogeris
Callocephalon
Chalcopsitta
Charmosyna
Conuropsis
Coracopsis
Cyanoliseus
Cyanopsitta, macaw
Cyanoramphus
Cyclopsitta
Deroptyus
Eclectus
Enicognathus
Eos
Eunymphicus
Forpus
Geoffroyus
Geopsittacus
Glossopsitta
Graydidascalus
Gypopsitta
Hapalopsittaca
Lathamus
Leptosittaca
Loriculus
Lorius
Mascarinus
Melopsittacus, Budgerigar
Micropsitta
Myiopsitta, Monk Parakeet
Nandayus
Nannopsittaca
Neophema
Neopsephotus
Neopsittacus
Nestor, kea, kaka
Northiella
Ognorhynchus
Opopsitta
Oreopsittacus
Pezoporus
Phigys
Pionites
Pionopsitta
Pionus
Platycercus
Poicephalus
Polytelis
Prioniturus
Prosopeia
Psephotus
Pseudeos
Psittacella
Psittacula
Psittaculirostris
Psittacus, African Grey Parrot
Psitteuteles
Psittinus
Psittrichas
Purpureicephalus
Pyrrhura
Rhynchopsitta
Strigops
Tanygnathus
Touit
Trichoglossus
Triclaria
Vini

A parrot is any of the many birds belonging to the family Psittacidae. They have a characteristic curved beak shape and generally an erect stance. All parrots are zygodactyl, having the four toes on each foot placed two at the front and two back.

Most 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. 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. However, there remains little doubt that parrots are quite intelligent.

Other kinds of parrot are the several species of macaw, the cockatoos and the Kea.

Birds of the parrot family can be found in most of the warmer parts of the world, including India, South East Asia and West Africa, with one species, now extinct, in the United States (the Carolina Parakeet). By far the greatest number of parrot species, however, come from Australasia, South America and Central America.

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.

ORDER PSITTACIFORMES

Species list