PARROT, Prillacus, a Littman genus of birds, now the family of the order scarisare$, or climbers (q.v.), comprehending a vast number of species, natives of almost all tropical and subtropical regions; a few species extending further north and south, in America, in New Zealand, and in Van Diemen's land, even to the neighborhood of lake Michigan in North America, and to Terra del Fengo in South America. They are !thistly birds of splendid plumage; they vary very much in size, from the great macaw, more than three feet in length„ tail included, to the little love-birds, not larger than spar rows. They arc mostly gregarious, and are often seen in vast flocks, getter:illy inhabiting forests, and making their nests in trees, feeding chiefly on fruits and seeds, partly also on leaves and buds; but some of them dwelling in open plains, feeding on the seeds of grasses and other plants of humble growth, bulbs and succulent parts of vegetables. and living mostly on the ground. The voices of the parrot tribe are generally harsh and dis cordant, although some of the smaller kinds have not unpleasant voices; but many of the larger have a remarkable power of imitating human speech, and in domestication become capable of articulating not only words but sentences. They exhibit a greater degree of intelligence than is usual in birds, with a monkey-like restlessness and love of trick; and although docile and affectionate, are generally of capricious irritable temper. They Nava a short, stout, hard beak, rounded on all sides, and enveloped at the base in a membrane in which the nostrils are pierced; the upper mandible generally much longer than the lower, much curved, and sharp pointed. The tongue is almost always very large, thick. round, and fleshy; the muscles which move the mandibles are more numerous and powerful than in most other birds. They raake use of the powerful hooked bill as well 119 of the feet in climbing trees; and employ their feet as hands for holding their food. nail bringing it up to the mouth. Their feet differ from those of all other climbers, in being covered with small tubercle-like scales instead of plates. Some have short and sumo have long tails. Most of them have short wings. Their intestines are very long and slender, and without coca.
The psitlaciace are easily distinguished from all other birds; but their division into dia duct subordinate groups has not been found so easy. Whilst the nano; parrot popularly
includes all, except that it is seldom given to some of the smallest species, some are known by the•names macaw, cockatoo, parrakeet, lory, love-bird, etc. See these heads. But some of these names are very vaguely applied. And although the parrot family is regarded as consisting of a number of very natural groups, the characters and limits of these groups have not vet been very well defined.
The name parrot, in its most restricted sense, is sometimes applied only to those species which have the upper mandible very distinctly toothed, the lower mandible longer than it is high: and the tail short, and square or rounded; but this use is rather ornithological than popular, the most restricted popular use equally including long-tailed species, such as the Caroline parrots, which are ornithologically ranked with the macaws. —The CAROLINE PARROT (conurus Carolinensis) is the species of which the northern range extends far beyond all others of its tribe to the shores of lake Michigan; although 1T the increase of cultivation, ar.:1 the war waged against these birds for their depreda tions on orchards and corn-ricks, their numbers have been greatly diminished in regions where they were once plentiful. Its whole length is about 14 in., of which about one ludf is occupied by the tail; the general color is green, shaded with blue, and diversified with orange, the wing primaries almost black, it is gregarious, prefers to roost in the holes of hollow trees, and in such situations also the females lay their eggs. It seems to love salt, frequenting salt licks like pigeons. It is easily tamed, but does not acquire the power of articulation.—Of the short-tailed parrots, one of the best-known is the GRAY PARROT (psittacus erythaeus), a avqt African species, about the size of a small pigeon, of an ash-gray color. with a crimson tail. It is famous for its docility, its power of articulation and of imitating noises of all kinds, its loquacity, and its mischievousness.
It is very often brought to Europe, and often lives ton great age in confinement. Indi viduals have been known to attain the age of nearly 100 years.—The GREEN PARROTS (ehrysotie), natives of the tropical parts of South America, are also among the short-tailed parrots most frequently seen in Britain.