Sunday, October 09, 2005
Squawking Parrot
The parrots at the zoo are very colorful. This one was a little too loud and gave me a headache.
Did you know...
Parrot is the common name for members of the order Psittaciformes, comprising 315 species of colorful birds, pantropical in distribution, including the parakeet . Parrots have large heads and short necks, strong feet with two toes in front and two in back (facilitating climbing and grasping), and strong, thick bills, with the larger hooked upper mandible hinged to the bones of the head. They are arboreal, feeding on seeds and fruits—except the kea ( Nestor notabilis ) of New Zealand, which is a scavenger in winter. Although they belong to a different order, parrots have certain affinities to pigeons and cuckoos; like them, they feed their young by regurgitation, and they have swellings (ceres) at the base of the nostrils. Usually their voices are harsh, but the thick, fleshy tongue and special voice apparatus permit a wide range of articulations, and some species can be taught to imitate the human voice.
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