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'''Parrots''' are [[bird]]s that come in a wide variety of bright colors. They are distinguished by having strong curved [[beak]]s and an upright posture. They are also noted for being highly [[intelligent]] for an animal. Their ability to imitate human speech makes them a popular pet, even though a parrot doesn't always completely understand things it says (parrots are intelligent birds and sometimes parrots have a degree of understanding of words they speak).[http://creation.com/parrot-fashion] [[African Gray Parrot]]s are especially notable for their eloquative talents. There are over 350 different species in the parrot family. The largest variety of parrots are macaws, which are native to South and Central America. Any kinds of birds are capable of carrying a very serious, transmittable to people, disease [[Ornithosis]], usually without becoming sick themselves, but of all kinds of birds, infection of people happens most frequently from parrots; then a different name [[psittacosis]] of the same disease is used. That happens rarely, but if it does, the consequences are often grave.
'''Parrots''' are a family of raucous [[bird]]s within the order Psittaciformes, consisting of about 372 species found on all continents except Antarctica, and characterized by a deeply-hooked bill, often gaudy plumage, and a high intelligence. Kept as cage birds for millennia, parrots retain a popularity due to intelligence, playfulness, and an astonishing ability to imitate human speech and many other sounds. It is primarily due to the pet trade that some 90 species are threatened with extinction<ref>http://www.parrotsinternational.org/</ref>.
==Phylogeny==
==Description==
*Family Strigopidae (New Zealand parrots)
Parrots range in size from the small lovebirds at 6 inches to some 36-40 inches for the larger macaw species. The heaviest species, the New Zealand [[kakapo]], weighs in at 9 pounds, nearly three times the weight of the largest macaw.
Parrots have an upright stance when perched; when not flying they move about in the trees using their hooked beak as a climbing aid. On the ground they walk with a rolling gate. Both feet are zygodactyl, i.e. two toes in front, two toes behind, a trait shared with [[owl]]s and [[woodpecker]]s. Parrots further use one foot as a "hand" to hold and bring food to its mouth.
Parrot plumage is also unique in that the brilliant colors are not the result of diet; they are made directly within the feathers by a set of five pigments, or ''psittacofulvins'', a trait found in no other bird species<ref>http://creation.com/parrot-fashion</ref>.
===Phylogeny===
*Family Strigopidae (New Zealand parrots).
::Tribe Nestorini ([[kākā]] and [[kea]])
::Tribe Nestorini ([[kākā]] and [[kea]])
::Tribe Strigopini ([[kakapo]])
::Tribe Strigopini ([[kakapo]])
:Subfamily Calyptorhynchinae (dark cockatoos, [[cockatiel]])
:Subfamily Calyptorhynchinae (dark cockatoos, [[cockatiel]])
:Subfamily Cacatuinae (white cockatoos)
:Subfamily Cacatuinae (white cockatoos)
*Family Psittacidae (true parrots)
*Family Psittacidae (true parrots)
:Subfamily Micropsittinae (pygmy parrots)
:Subfamily Micropsittinae (pygmy parrots)
::Tribe Platycercini ([[rosella]]s)
::Tribe Platycercini ([[rosella]]s)
==References==
<small><references/></small>
== External links ==
== External links ==
*[http://creation.com/parrot-fashion Parrot feathers - a problem for evolutionists]
*[http://creation.com/parrot-fashion Parrot feathers - a problem for evolutionists]
[[Category:Birds]]
[[Category:Birds]]