Colorful birds have always been the standard of live rainforest art, whether it's in the Amazon of S. America, The mountainous jungles of S.E. Asia, the deepest pockets of Africa or any tropical forest of the world. Parrots make up about 330 different species of these birds.

Color, Attitude and Intelligence

The most widely known of these species are the Macaws, Cockatoos, Lories and Parakeets. The sizes of parrots vary greatly from 3" (the buff faced pygmy Parrot) to about 40" (the Hyacinth Macaw) a large part of the Macaws length comes from its long tail. Parrots all have curved, hooked bills that they will often use to help themselves climb from branch to branch. In most Parrots the tongue is thick and muscular and is a helpful tool used to manipulate seeds, which, along with fruit, are a main part of their diet. One exception here is the Lory, Lories are brightly colored species from Australia and the south Pacific Islands. The tongue of the Lory is much sleeker with a brush like tip to help them feed on nectar, Pollen and soft fruits. They range in size from 6 to 16 inches with the smallest of these birds are known as lorikeets.

The Macaw is a group of strong billed, long tailed Parrots found in the American Tropics. There are 17 species of Macaw that can be found between Mexico all the way to the temperate forests of South America and the Islands of the Caribbean. The Hyacinth Macaw of Brazil and Bolivia is the largest Parrot in the world. The Scarlet Macaw is one of many Parrots on the endangered species list even though its habitat is great reaching from Mexico well into the tropical S.American forest. The Scarlet Macaw is a canopy dweller and can fly at speeds up to 35mph often flying in pairs or flocks. Like most Parrots both parents are involved in the raising of their offspring and will often mate for life living up to 70 years.

The African Gray Parrot is a very talkative, intelligent and sensitive bird. It may be the best talker of all birds, easily learning hundreds of words and sounds. They are native to western and central Africa. The African Gray is about 13-20 inches in length with a wing span of 18-20 inches, easily recognizable with gray feathers, red tail feathers and white patches around the eyes. The African gray has a life span of 50-65 years.