Why Are They So Amazing? Facts About Parrots

When you think about birds, most people think of the ones that they see flying around or on the ground searching for worms. There has always been a fascination with birds since the beginning of time. They have the ability to take off and fly to anywhere they want to, which is definitely a talent that many of us wish that we had. As the fascination grew, we turned our attention to the exotic birds and brought them in to our homes.

Today when you walk into most pet stores you will find a whole section devoted to these beautiful feathered friends that we all adore so much. It is great to watch the little children enjoy these amazing birds as they stare at them in awe. Much can be said about us adults too. I still to this day cannot walk into a pet store and not immediately head to the bird room.

With about 350 different species of parrot that we are aware of, you can only imagine how many different sizes and colors that these striking birds display. They mostly comes Central America and South America. Some common parrots that most of us have seen or heard of are Macaws, Lovebirds, Parakeets (budgies), Cockatiels, African Grey and Amazons to name a few. All parrots have four toes and curved beaks. The beaks of the parrots are also described as hook bills. This aids in eating because they eat nuts which need to be cracked and this beak is designed to do just that.

Next to the sheer beauty of these birds, the main attraction that we all have to them is their incredible abilities. These birds are extremely intelligent and that just simply amazes us enthusiasts. The one thing that draws us to them mostly besides their sheer beauty is their ability to talk or mimic sounds and human speech. Not all parrots can talk, but most of them will whistle and learn to mimic sounds such as the telephone ring or the beep of the microwave oven when your food is done heating and so on. Some of the parrots that have some ability to mimic human words are the Amazon Parrots, Cockatoos, Senegals and the African Greys. The African Grey is probably the best at speaking to us. Not only do they mimic us clearly but they are the best at actually mimicking in the same voice as the person they are copying. That just amazes me when I hear my African Grey sounding just like me. I think that parrots will always find a new way to amaze and entertain us.