| True parrots | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Blue-and-yellow macaws at Campo Grande, Brazil | |
Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Psittaciformes |
| Superfamily: | Psittacoidea Illiger, 1811 |
| Families | |
Thetrue parrots are about 350 species of hook-billed, mostlyherbivorousbirds forming the superfamilyPsittacoidea, one of the three superfamilies in thebiological orderPsittaciformes (parrots).[Notes 1] True parrots are widespread, with species inMexico,Central andSouth America,sub-Saharan Africa,India,Southeast Asia,Australia, and eastwards across thePacific Ocean as far asPolynesia. The true parrots include many of the familiar parrots includingmacaws,conures,lorikeets,eclectus,Amazon parrots,grey parrot, andbudgerigar. Most true parrots are colourful and flighted, with a few notable exceptions.[Notes 2]
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True parrots have abeak with a characteristic curved shape, thejaw with a mobility slightly higher than where it connects with the skull, and a generally upright position. They also have a large cranial capacity and are one of the most intelligent bird groups. They are good fliers and skillful climbers on branches of trees.
Some species canimitate the human voice and other sounds, although they do not have vocal cords, instead possessing a vocal organ at the base of thetrachea known as thesyrinx.[1]
Like most parrots, the Psittacidae are primarily seed eaters. Some variation is seen in the diet of individual species, with fruits, nuts, leaves, and even insects and other animal prey being taken on occasion by some species.[2] The lorikeets are predominantlynectar feeders;[3] many other parrots drink nectar, as well.[4] Most Psittacidae are cavity-nesting birds which form monogamous pair bonds.
It is believed that the breakup of the final remnants of Gondwana, whenSouth America drifted away fromAntarctica andAustralia at the end of the Eocene, kickstarted the separate radiations of psittacids in South America and psittaculids inAustralasia.[5]
The true parrots are distributed throughout the tropical and subtropical regions of the world, mostly in theSouthern Hemisphere, covering many differenthabitats, from the humid tropicalforests todeserts inAustralia,India,Southeast Asia,sub-Saharan Africa,Central andSouth America, and two species, one extinct (theCarolina parakeet), formerly in the United States. However, the larger populations are native toAustralasia,South America, andCentral America.
Many species are classified asthreatened by theInternational Union for Conservation of Nature (seeIUCN Red List of birds), as well as national and nongovernmental organizations. Trade in birds and other wild animals is governed by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). Nearly all parrots are listed on CITES appendices, trade limited or prohibited.Trapping wild parrots for thepet trade,hunting,habitat loss, andcompetition frominvasive species have diminished wild populations, with parrots being subjected to more exploitation than any other group of birds.[6] Of the animals removed from the wild to be sold, very few survive during capture and transport, and those that do often die from poor conditions of captivity, poor diet, and stress. Measures taken to conserve the habitats of some high-profilecharismatic species have also protected many of the less charismatic species living in the sameecosystems.[7]
About 18 species of parrots have gone extinct since 1500 (seeList of extinct birds#Psittaciformes), nearly all in superfamily Psittacoidea.
| Phylogeny and relationships of Psittacoidea[8] |
The parrot family Psittacidae (along with the family Cacatuidae comprising the order Psittaciformes) was traditionally considered to contain twosubfamilies, thePsittacinae (typical parrots and allies) and the Loriinae (lories and lorikeets).[9] However, the tree of the parrot family now has been reorganized under the superfamily Psittacoidea: family Psittacidae has been split into three families, tribes Strigopini and Nestorini split out and placed under superfamily Strigopoidea and a new monotypic superfamily Cacatuoidea created containing family Cacatuidae.[8]
The following classification is based on the most recent proposal, which in turn is based on all the relevant recent findings.[8][10][11][12][13][14][15]
FamilyPsittacidae, New World and African parrots
FamilyPsittrichasiidae, Indian Ocean island parrots
FamilyPsittaculidae, Asian and Australasian parrots, and lovebirds
