Discovering The Physical Traits Of A Parrot

July 2nd, 2010 |

A parrot has a number of different physical features that are special to its breed. Parrot owners will know many of these traits but for those that don’t, let’s have a look at what to look for in a parrot. It will be much easier to recognize a parrot when a person knows these physical traits of a parrot.

Parrots belong to a family called Psittacidae, and are often identified as climbing birds. Within this large, extended family are different branches, including the parrot proper as one branch is referred to: Cockatoos, Macaws, Lories and Parakeets.

One amusing feature of a parrot is the way that it tips its head to the side to look at different things. To watch a parrot do this is quite fascinating.

Each member of the parrot family has a tongue. The tongue is soft, thick and fleshy and it’s really quite mobile. In the parrot, the tongue is actually one of the sensory organs, much like it is for us. The parrot not only tastes with its tongue but also touches and swallows with it. And each member of the parrot family possesses a complex larynx that has three distinct muscles. And this not only helps to distinguish them as parrots but it allows them to “parrot” us humans quite well.

And, of course, each parrot has a beak and make no mistake about it b because you don’t want to get a nip from an angry parrot. Their beaks are large, thick, hard and fairly solid. The beak is also a very valuable tool he uses in climbing and walking.

His eyes are on either side of his head. Because of this he cannot clearly see small objects which are held close to him without turning his head to one side. It’s that inquisitive cock of its head that makes the parrot so delightfully wonderful – and at the same time makes him look so intelligent as if he is querying what he is looking at.

The eyes of a parrot are formed quite differently than ours. The upper and lower lids of his eyes form a single rounded continuous eye lid for his eyeball. You will notice that he seldom winks like you or I do because he doesn’t need to. The parrot possesses the power to contract his pupil at will, independent of the presence of light or dark.

He changes his iris most notably when he is angry or experiencing any other unusual strong emotion. As the bird ages the color of his iris deepens.

The ears of a parrot are small, oval openings which are located right above their eyes. You can’t see them very easily because they are covered by feathers, and they’re placed beyond the border of the cere – or wrinkled skin around the eye.

Generally these colorful birds have short wings but some varieties of the Macaw are the exception to this rule. They have long wings covered with long feathers.

The body of the parrot looks quite bulky and with their short legs they appear to have difficulty in walking around.

Parrot tail feathers differ widely in length, some short and stubby and on other parrots they are long and elegant. Most parrots have 12 tail feathers.

This beautiful creature has short legs with four toes, two facing forwards and two going backwards. But these toes are one of their most important features. The set up of their toes gives them the ability to climb sturdily and steadily. When he walks he has an odd waddle.

Another feature of the parrot’s toes is that he uses then when eating. He uses them much like fingers holding his food firmly with the toes of one of his feet and placing the food in his mouth. The second foot is then used to balance him while eating. The legs are muscular and are covered with strong scales. This helps him to hang on to a perch without much thought and very little effort. Aided by its strong hooked claws he can easily perch on branches and keep his balance.

Knowing all about a parrot’s features makes it much easier to distinguish between a parrot and other bird species.

About the Author

Kaye Dennan has been a parrot owner for over 20 years.Parrot enthusiasts will find much more information on all types of parrots at the following website http://petparrotsecrets.com where they can also sign up to my FREE ‘10 Secrets to Caring for a Pet Parrot’ mini-course.n