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More About Parrots ...
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A parrot is any of the many birds belonging to the family Psittacidae. They have a characteristic curved beak shape with the upper mandible having slight mobility in the joint with the skull and a generally erect stance. All parrots are zygodactyl, having the four toes on each foot placed two at the front and two back.
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.
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.
Many 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, describe them, count them, and even answer complex questions such as "How many red squares?" (with over 80% accuracy). 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.
Parrots are commonly kept as companion animals in many countries. Often the wings of such birds are clipped, but many people keep flighted pet parrots, allowing the birds to roam their homes or neighborhoods. Some parrots, including the conures, macaws, cockatoos, cockatiels, and budgerigars are said to make good family pets.
While most birds have a hinged lower mandible (jaw) and a fixed upper mandible, in parrots both the upper and lower mandibles are hinged. This makes them look a bit comical when they yawn. While most birds have three toes pointing forward and one toe pointing rearward, parrots have two forward-facing toes and two rearward-facing twos. This foot structure is termed "zygodactal."
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Taxonmony
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Phylum: Chordata
Class: aves
Order: Psittaciformes
Family: Psittacidae
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Source: Wikipedia Read more about Parrots
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VIDEO CLIPS
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Scarlet Macaw
1.380MB MOV View Movie
Tropical Ecosystems of Costa Rica and Panama (R. Hays Cummins, Miami University)
Scarlet Macaws (Ara macao) fly along the coast in Corcovado National Park.
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African Grey Parrot
Streaming RM View Movie
PBS
A very smart parrot
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Parrot
0.400MB MOV View Movie
PBS
Parrot saying 'I love you'
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Parrot
0.000MB MOV View Movie
Getty Images
Green parrot moving on wooden roller skates
If you don't see the relevant video below, please follow this link and search for 398-110 in the search screen.
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Parrot
0.000MB MOV View Movie
Getty Images
red parrot in tree
If you don't see the relevant video below, please follow this link and search for 323-77 in the search screen.
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Turquoise Fronted Parrot
1.200MB MPG View Movie
A Ultimaar cadenoe.com
Parrots of Brazil video clip
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St Lucia parrot
MOV View Movie
Arkive.org
Nice selection of St Lucia parrot video clips available in various formats
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Orange-bellied parrot
MOV View Movie
Arkive.org
Nice selection of Orange-bellied parrot video clips available in various formats
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Parrot
0.340MB MOV View Movie
FreeStockFootage.com
Red parrot climbing down a pipe
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Orange-bellied Parrot
0.610MB MOV View Movie
Tasmania - Dept. of Primary Industries, Water, and Environment
Orange-bellied Parrot movie
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Gray Parrot
WMV View Movie
Internet Bird Collection
An adult calling. Bird Park Zoo, Iguasu, Peru.
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Cuban Parrot
WMV View Movie
Internet Bird Collection
Two birds perched on a branch, in captivity. Cuba (ssp leucocephala).
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Cuban Parrot
WMV View Movie
Internet Bird Collection
A bird perched on a branch, in captivity. Cuba (ssp leucocephala).
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Mealy Parrot
WMV View Movie
Internet Bird Collection
An individual flying. Junglaven, Río Ventuari, Venezuela (ssp farinosa).
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Parrot
0.030MB MOV View Movie
DVArchive
Colorful parrot on perch, eating, Macaw
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Parrot
1.490MB MOV View Movie
DVArchive
Beautiful green parrot like bird
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Parrot
0.490MB MOV View Movie
DVArchive
Parrot putting face into camera
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Parrot
MOV View Movie
Video Worldbook
Parrot clip
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Parrot
MOV View Movie
Video Worldbook
Parrot clip
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Parrot
View Movie
National Geographic
Parrot Gene Pool
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