They have bright feathers of red, green, yellow, blue, black and white. There are over 300 different species of parrots. 

        Each species can be identified by the colors of their feathers. 

     The three main species are parakeets, lories or lorikeets and cockatoos.                                                                                            

Parakeets

       One Species of parrots is the parakeet.  Wild parakeets are green with yellow heads.  They have black spots on their necks.  Even though parakeets have bright colored feathers they can very easily hide in trees and bushes. 

        Parakeets blend in with the wild because they can sometimes be mistaken for leaves.

        Parakeets also help other parakeets find food in the wild.  They signal to each other with loud squawking noises.  Wild parakeets cannot learn to speak or mimic.  However their piercing sounds are their way of communicating with each other.  Wild parakeets eat many fruits and vegetables that they can find in their environment.  They also eat many worms and insects.  

       Parakeets make wonderful pets.  The reason they make such great pets is because you can train them to do many things.  They can be trained to play on tiny seesaws, and even ride a miniature bike.  Pet parakeets can also be trained to talk.  Parakeets listen to what you are saying and have an excellent memory.  Within a short amount of time your pet parakeet will repeat your exact words. 

     Parakeets eat and drink many things but to keep them healthy they should be fed fruits and vegetables.  Parakeets like their fruits and vegetables to be cut up for them.  This allows them to feed themselves with their strong beaks and feet.   You can buy seeds in the pet store with all the vitamins they need right in the seeds. 

Parakeets are fun loving entertaining pets that will soon grow to be your good friend.  

       This can be dangerous because their owner can roll over and crush them.  Cockatoos loved to be held and cared for.

        They do funny things to get attention.  Many times they will dump their food all over so their owner will notice them. This can be hard for many owners because it takes a lot of time and patience. 

      Some cockatoo facts:

• They can grow up to a foot and a half long. 

• Cockatoos can live a very long time.  Some cockatoos live for fifty years!

• They are the only bird that has a powder underneath their feathers.  This powder is called a down powder.

• When a cockatoo is getting a lot of attention they snap their bill together.  This shows they are happy.

        Cockatoos are very smart and can be taught to talk just like parakeets.  They have a much higher pitched voice.  You can hear some cockatoos blocks away.  If you have one as a pet this might upset your neighbors.  When they make this high pitched sound they are trying to talk in their own language and receive attention from their owner.

       Lories are parrots that come from far away.  They are not as common in our country.  They are found near the South Pacific Ocean, halfway across the world. 

         Many people who own lories and care for them as pets live on the islands near the rainforests.  Lories are very expensive to buy because they are hard to find in our country.

     Lories have beautiful colored feathers.  They are all of the colors of the rainbow. Their colors are very bright. Their feathers have a glow to them.  This makes their feathers very shiny.  

           Lories have different tongues then most parrots.  Lories have fuzzy tongues almost like a brush.  The reason they have fuzzy tongues is because it helps them collect pollen from flowers.  Their beaks are narrow and very pointy.  Their tongues and beaks allow them to feed themselves. 

       Lories enjoy spending time with each other.  They are never alone.  They stick together like good friends.  They are very playful.  They enjoy doing tricks and need attention just like cockatoos. 

       Lories may hang up side down in their cages, nibble on their owner’s ear or fetch balls. They learn how to do tricks very quickly.  They are smart birds. 

      Lories can have very loud voices, especially the bigger ones.  They are the loudest in the morning right after sunrise, and in the evening right after sunset.  They love ringing noises like the telephone.  Lories cannot speak as clearly as the parakeet but they are able to remember and repeat words.