Parrot: Difference between revisions - Wikipedia

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'''Parrots''', also known as '''psittacines''' {{IPAc-en|ˈ|s|ɪ|t|ə|s|aɪ|n|z}},<ref>{{cite web |title=Psittacine |work=American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition |publisher=Houghton Mifflin Company |year=2000 |url=http://www.bartleby.com/61/21/P0632100.html |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070827104100/http://www.bartleby.com/61/21/P0632100.html |archivedate=2007-08-27 |accessdate=2007-09-09}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Psittacine |work=Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary |publisher=Merriam-Webster, Inc |url=http://www.merriam-webster.com/ |accessdate=2007-09-09}}</ref> are [[bird]]s of the roughly 393 [[species]] in 92 [[genus (biology)|genera]] that make up the [[order (biology)|order]] '''Psittaciformes''', found in most [[tropics|tropical]] and [[subtropics|subtropical]] regions. The order is subdivided into three superfamilies: the [[true parrot|Psittacoidea]] ("true" parrots), the [[Cockatoo|Cacatuoidea]] (cockatoos), and the [[New Zealand parrot|Strigopoidea]] (New Zealand parrots). Parrots have a generally [[pantropical]] distribution with several species inhabiting [[temperateness|temperate]] regions in the [[Southern Hemisphere]], as well. The greatest [[biodiversity|diversity]] of parrots is in [[South America]] and [[Australasia]].

Characteristic features of parrots include a strong, curved [[beak|bill]], an upright stance, strong legs, and clawed [[Dactyly#In birds|zygodactyl]] feet. Many parrots are vividly coloured, and some are multi-coloured. Most parrots exhibit little or no [[Sexual dimorphism#Birds|sexual dimorphism]] in the visual spectrum. They form the most variably sized bird order in terms of length.

The most important components of most parrots' diets are seeds, nuts, fruit, buds, and other plant material. A few species sometimes eat animals and [[carrion]], while the [[lories and lorikeets]] are specialised for feeding on [[flower|floral]] [[nectar]] and soft fruits. Almost all parrots nest in [[tree hollow]]s (or [[nest box]]es in captivity), and lay white [[bird egg|eggs]] from which hatch [[altricial]] (helpless) young.