Parrotman Asks About Parrots Trivia Quiz

Answer: 400

There are approximately 398 known species of Psittacopasserae. They are split into three main families: the Psittacopasserae (true parrots), Cacatuoidea (cockatoos) and Strigopoidea (New Zealand parrots; kea, kaka and kakapo).

Answer: Norway

Despite what "Monty Python's Flying Circus" would have you believe, there is no such genus of parrot as the Norwegian Blue. Many species of parrot are native to Central and South America, especially Amazons and Macaws. Smaller parrots, such as lorikeets, are common to Southeast Asia, including Indonesia. Parrots found in Cameroon include the Gray parrot, Meyer's parrot and Niam-Niam parrot.

Answer: True

Sadly, this is all too true. Parrots are at a higher risk of extinction than any other comparable bird group. Among the most endangered species of parrots are the Orange-bellied parrot of Australia, the Kakapo in New Zealand, the Phillipine cockatoo, and the Cape Parrot which is found in southern Africa. In the western hemisphere, endangered parrots include the Puerto Rico Amazon, Lear's macaw and Spix's macaw from Brazil and the Yellow-eared conure, native to Colombia and Ecuador.

Much of the trade in wild birds has been curtailed by the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), a 1975 treaty which regulates trade in products from endangered species. The Appendix for CITES lists 24 species of parrot as endangered.

Answer: seeds, fruits and nuts

Most species of parrots are vegetarians, living off seeds, nuts, fruit and other types of plants. The bills of parrots have specifically evolved to be especially strong to crack open the shells of nuts, to get to the food inside. Some New Zealand parrots have been known to attack animals and other birds, as well as burrow for grubs.

Answer: 50 percent

Due to their ability to "speak", parrots are highly sought after as pets and are subject to more exploitation than any other type of birds. About 50 million parrots (roughly half) live in captivity, the vast majority as pets.

Humans have kept parrots as pets for at least two millennia, as Roman historian Pliny the Elder notes humans owning parrots.

Answer: Hyacinth macaw

The Hyacinth macaw can be as tall as one meter (39 inches). The Anodorhynchus hyacinthinus is bright blue, with yellow markings around its eyes and face. The macaw has enormous, 39 to 42 centimeter, wings. The Hyacinth is found largely in the Amazon River basin of Brazil, and has adapted so that its strong jaws can crack coconuts and brazil nuts. Hyacinth macaws were extremely popular in the bird trade in the 1980s, and their population in the wild has dramatically diminished, so you should try a different species as a pet.

While the palm cockatoo is the largest of the cockatoo species, they average 55-60 centimeters in length. The Electus parrot is native to Oceania and averages 35 centimeters in length. The glossy black cockatoo, which is native to eastern Australia, averages 46 to 50 centimeters in length.

Answer: True

Remarkably, there are actually dozens of feral parrot species living in the United States. A birdwatcher count between 2002 and 2016 found as many as 56 different species of parrots. Both New York City and Los Angeles have populations of feral parrots.

There were two native parrot species in the US: the Carolina parakeet (Conuropsis carolinensis), which went extinct in 1918 and the thick-billed parrot (Rhynchopsitta pachyrhyncha), which is now found primarily in Mexico, but might be seen in Texas and Arizona.

Answer: zygodactyl

Zygodactyl means "two toes forward and two pointing back." Their zygodactyl toes allow parrots to hold on firmly to branches.

Artiodactyl refers to creatures with an even number of toes, such as hippos, giraffes and cows. Zygomorphic is a term from botany referring to plants with bilateral symmetry. A pterodactyl was a dinosaur from the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods, the forerunner of modern birds.

Answer: Parrots are largely imitative, with little real intelligence

Parrots are actually among the most intelligent of all birds, with neural networks similar to those of primates. Some parrots have demonstrated the ability to memorize and understand hundreds of words, as well as perform mathematics.

Yes, some parrots can live into their 80s, and there have been some cases of parrots over 90. Cookie, a Major Mitchell's cockatoo at the Brookfield Zoo in Chicago, died at the age of 82 in 2016.

Parrot feathers contain Psittacofulvins, a bacteria resistant pigment that results in the red, blue and green coloring in many species of parrots. Parrots can naturally protect themselves from bacteria attacks.

Yes, a group of parrots is a pandemonium, an excellent description for a talkative group of creatures. Company can also be used to describe a flock of parrots.

Answer: May 31

World Parrot Day, a holiday organized by the World Parrot Trust, a British based conservation organization, is May 31. They encourage people to celebrate by visiting local zoos to look at parrots and donate to organizations that protect wild birds.

January 8 is National Eagle Day in the United States. March 20 is both Buzzard Day and World Sparrow Day. September 4 is National Hummingbird Day.