HundredsofbirdsarechirpingatUmgeniRiverBirdPark.Listen.A blue‑frontedAmazonparrotissingingscales.Itlearnedhowfromitsprior owner.
ThezooandbreedingcenterisinDurban,SouthAfrica.Here,manyoftheparrotsarerescues.Theirownerswereunpreparedtotakecareofthem.Parrotsareneedybirds.Theyalsolivealongtime.Somelivetobe 80.
Parrotsaresmart.Theycanbondwiththeirowners.Nowonderthey’resuchpopularpet birds.
MajorMitchell's cockatoo
ParrotsatRisk
Parrotsmaybepopular.Yettheyfacealotofdangers.Deforestationandhabitatlossaremajorthreats.Peopletakeupspaceandneedresources.Peoplecutdownrain foresttrees,wheremanyparrotslive,forbuilding materials.
Warmingtrendscan alsochangehabitats.Achangingclimatecanaffectfoodsources.Itcanalsodisruptbreedingcycles.Also,pollutioncankillparrots.Butthegreatestriskofallisfrompeoplewantingparrotsas pets.
Someparrotsarebredincaptivity.IntheUnitedStates,mostpetparrotsarecaptivebred.InLatinAmerica,mostaretakenfromthe wild.
Thisblue‑throatedmacawiscritically endangered.
ParrotDiversity
Parrotspeciesliveinrangesonfivecontinents.TheAmazon,NewGuinea,andAustraliahavethegreatest variety.
NorthAmerica
SouthAmerica
Africa
Europe
Asia
Australia
AmazonBasin
New Guinea
Africangrayparrotrange
numberofparrot species
fewer
more
DIDYOUKNOW:
Palmcockatoos,likethisone,onlylayoneeggeverytwo years.
ParrotPopularity
Howdowildparrotsendupaspets?Crimegroupsmakebillionsofdollarstraffickinganimalparts,forexample.Theseincludeelephanttusksandrhinohorns.Nowtheyhaveaddedparrotstotheirlist.Onekindofparrothasbeenknownto fetch $30,000.
Today,allbut threeofthe350 parrotspeciesareprotected.TheConventiononInternationalTradeinEndangeredSpecies,orCITES,fightsillegalwildlifetrade.All179 membernationshavethesamegoalin mind.
TheillegalsaleofparrotsisworstinLatinAmericaandtheCaribbean.Herethelawsagainstitarenot strict.
Still,themostdesirableparrotcomesfromAfrica.ItiscalledtheAfricangray.Thisparrotisthebesttalkerofthemall.Morethanamillionhavebeenexportedlegallyfromcountrieswheretheylive.Yet,hundredsofthousandsmorehavebeentakenillegallyfrom rain forests.
Africangray parrots
Lawslimitingbirdtradehaveclosedmanymarkets.Still,thousandsofgraysarecaughtinthe wild.
In2016,CITESmadeabigdecision.ItaddedtheAfricangraytoalistofanimalsthreatenedwithextinction.Tosellthebird,breedersmustprovethebirdwasraisedincaptivityand not caughtinthe wild.
ThisAlexandrineparakeetlookslikeitiswearinga mask.
