One of the facts about parrots that most people know is that they are a kind of bird that can talk. Actually, the parrot is imitating the sound that human beings are making. They do not use words like people do to share feelings. They simply imitate what they hear.

 

There are many kinds of birds that mimic the sounds that they hear. These birds may copy the sounds of other things such as birds or the call of frogs.  Here is a list of a few birds that can mimic the sounds that they hear:

 

• Mockingbirds
• Catbirds
• Thrashers
• Marsh warblers
• Blue jays
• starlings

 

Training your Parrot

 

A fact about parrots is that they have to be trained to talk at a very young age. The parrot will learn best if it is kept away from other birds. They do not learn human speech easily. In order to train your parrot to talk, the words must be repeated over and over again. When you speak the words, you must speak them slowly and clearly. To reward your parrot for learning a new word successfully, you should stroke the bird gently. Whenever the bird has mastered a word or phrase, it will never forget what it has learned.

 

The Meaning of Words to a Parrot

 

Another fact about parrots is that the parrot is one of the most intelligent birds. Furthermore, although a parrot can be moody and mischievous, they make excellent pets. They are very affectionate and want to please their owners. They are easy to tame and will breed in captivity. These qualities have a lot to do with their talking abilities.

 

Although the parrot will use words, they do not have any real meaning to a parrot. If a parrot says “hello,” he is simply mimicking a sound that he has been taught. He does not really understand the meaning of the word hello.

 

There have been scientists who have tried to teach a parrot to associate words with meaning. For example, a scientist tried to teach a parrot to associate food with being hungry. However, the bird could not learn this concept.

 

In contrast, there are occasions when birds can show that words mean more than sounds to them. For example, a parakeet can learn to do tricks on command. However, the bird does not really know the meaning of the word; he has just been conditioned to do the tricks for a reward. It is not believed that birds have human like thoughts.

 

The Parrot Family

 

Wild parrots can be found in many regions. Below is a list of some places you might see wild parrots:

 

• South America
• Central America
• Africa-South of the Sahara
• IndianaUniversitySoutheast Asia
• The Islands of the Pacific
• Australia
• New Zealand

 

Another interesting fact about parrots is that the parrot family includes parakeets, budgerigars, lovebirds, Lories and lorikeets, concurs, macaws, cockatoos, and cockatiels. The parrot family is made up of 300 different species. They can come in various sizes from 12 centimeters (from bail to tail) to 40 inches long. Another fact about parrots is that a medium sized parrot will more likely be able to talk better than a smaller parrot.

 

All parrots look similar. They all have heavy bodies and short legs. They have big heads and strong beaks. Most parrots are green, with markings that may be white, red, blue or yellow.

 

Parrots are the best climbers among birds. They will use their bills to pull themselves up a tree. Furthermore, the way two of their toes point backwards and the point forward, gives them an excellent grip on the tree.

 

How Parrots Mate

 

Once a parrot has mated, it will stay with its partner for life. Most parrots lay their eggs in a hole high up in a tree. Others may make their nests in burrows on the ground. The smaller parrots may lay their eggs in termite nests. The eggs will hatch in three weeks.

 

Small parrots can lay as many as 10 eggs at a time. Most of the bigger birds lay from 3-5 eggs. The parents take turns sitting on the nest. However, the mother sits most of the time while the father parrot brings food to the nest. Both parents take turns feeding the baby parrots.

 

When the baby parrots grow up and leave the nest, the parents will stay together, if something happens to a parrot’s mate, they will seek a new mate.

 

In summary, the parrot is a pretty amazing bird. They are not only very intelligent, but also, beautiful birds. They make wonderful pets and will be a longtime companion for the bird lover.