A Parrot Overview Trivia Quiz

Answer: The crest

Cockatoos boast a beautiful, moveable crest on top of the head. Macaws, Amazons and African Greys (etc.) do not.

All parrots have strong, curved beaks; the larger parrots can crack nuts with them-- and fingers! Inside the beak is a blunt tongue. Parrots often "taste" new things, opening and closing their beak over the strange object and touching it with their tongue. Some parrots also do this to people they like or are curious about.

Parrots also have zygodactyl feet; they have two toes in the front and two toes in the back. Their feet are very flexible and deft; they often hold their food with one foot while they eat it. They can also hold onto branches with their feet while spinning around like acrobats. Parrots can be left- or right-footed.

Answer: The upper beak

The upper beak is called the maxilla, while the lower beak is referred to as the mandible. Parrots' beaks are very strong and sharp. In addition, eating and biting annoying creatures (people) aren't the only things their beaks are good for. Parrots are known to use their beak to pull themselves upward from perch to perch.

The large flight feathers are called remiges (the plural form of "remex"). Many parrot owners who attempt to clip their parrots' wings on their own end up cutting the blood feathers. Blood feathers are new feathers that will bleed when clipped.

Collectively, tail feathers are called rectrices (singular: rectrix).

Answer: Umbrella

Little Corellas are nearly impossible to sex visually. DNA testing is recommended.

Gang-gangs are dimorphic (can be sexed visually). Among other obvious differences, the male has a red head and the female doesn't.

Sometimes Goffins can be sexed based on eye color. The males often have dark brown eyes and the females often have light brown eyes. Sound ambiguous? It is. DNA testing is recommended.

Answer: Yellow

Hyacinth macaws are, with the exception of the rings around their eyes, a stunning shade of indigo. Their eye rings are brilliant yellow and their beaks are black.

Answer: Chest color

Blue and gold macaws are mostly blue with a yellow chest; Catalina macaws are mostly blue and green with an orange chest. They're about the same size. The Catalina macaw is actually a hybrid of the blue and gold macaw and the scarlet macaw.

Make no mistake about it, all macaws can bite VERY hard. A pretty good rule of thumb is to avoid parrot bites altogether.

Answer: Cockatoos are dusty

Cockatoos, along with African Greys (etc.), produce copious amounts of feather dust. Comparatively, macaws aren't very dusty at all. Just as some people are allergic to cats, some people are allergic to feather dust.

All parrots are messy eaters. They drop food by accident and on purpose. They throw food for fun and some parrots will even throw food at people they dislike (they pick up on the squeals of displeasure emitted by their chosen targets).

Most parrots love to bathe. Cockatoos, for example, are native to the wetter areas of Australia and tend to enjoy showering (if no warm rain is available). Many parrots, macaws included, like to bathe in pools or tubs. The water helps the parrots keep their feathers shiny and beautiful.

Parrots like to wreck stuff. Period. That's how most parrots play with the toys we give to them: They tear them to pieces. Of course there are a few exceptions, but the average parrot (cockatoo, macaw, or otherwise) will shred paper, pulverize fabric and gnaw on wood. They do this to stave off boredom, so parrot owners are advised to provide toys for their birds to destroy. The larger macaws actually have stronger beaks than cockatoos do, so they can do a bit more damage.

Answer: Indonesia

Goffin's cockatoos are native to the Tanimbar Islands of Indonesia. They're seriously endangered in the wild, mainly due to the destruction of their natural habitat and the proliferation of poachers. Goffin's cockatoos are CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species) Appendix 1 listed.

Answer: The crop

The crop is the sac in the lower end of the neck. It's used for storing undigested food, so it's a bit larger after the bird has eaten. Many new parrot owners are alarmed when they notice the crop for the first time; it can look suspiciously like a tumor.

Answer: It's the largest macaw

Like all parrots, hyacinth macaws have zygodactyl toes. They have black beaks and they are found only in Brazil. Because of their beauty and intelligence, hyacinth macaws are in high demand. Their habitat, the Amazon Jungle, is slowly disappearing and poachers have almost decimated the species. There are an estimated 3000 hyacinth macaws still flying free.

Answer: They form a lifelong monogamous bond with their chosen mate

Many parrots in the wild, including African Greys and macaws, mate for life. In captivity, most birds never meet "the one".

Macaws can only be sexed reliably using DNA testing, but African Greys are dimorphic. The males are generally larger, broader and darker than the females. However, DNA testing is still advisable.