It can be difficult to identify one of the hundreds of parrots in the world.You know what to look for when you know the common parrot types.To narrow down your bird's identity, make a few observations about its appearance and behavior.If you've seen a parrot in the wild but aren't sure what it is, look at an identification guide for parrots in your region.You can get leads by doing an online search or talking to a bird specialist.
Step 1: Pick out macaws by their bright colors and large size.
Most macaws are characterized by their large body size and colorful plumage.The macaw can grow up to 100 cm in length.These parrots are native to the Americas.If you see a huge parrot with a loud voice and feathers that are bright blue, red, yellow, green, or a combination of those, you might have seen a macaw.The blue-and-yellow macaw is a popular pet parrot.These parrots are characterized by their black beaks, yellow chest feathers, and vibrant blue backs and wings.They usually have white areas on their faces with rows of black feathers around their eyes.The scarlet macaw is one of the types of macaw.
Step 2: To find a bird, look for a crest.
The crests of feathers on the heads of cockatoos make them different from other parrots in that they can show their emotions.These birds are native to Australia, Indonesia, and the Philippines and are popular in the pet trade.Look for parrots that have white, black, pink, yellow, or red feathers on top of their heads.The majority of parrots are green, but this color is not found among the smaller cockatiels.Medium to large-sized parrots are the majority.The sulfur-crested cockatoo is one of the most popular types of pet cockatoos.
Step 3: Look for a big personality and small size.
If you see a small parrot with a pointed tail, it could be a conure.You can recognize these birds by their playful behavior, such as hanging upside down or bouncing.They are native to South and Central America.There are various colors of conures, including green, blue, yellow, grey, and black.The green-cheek conure is mostly green with black and grey on its head, tail, and wings.
Step 4: Llorikeets have bright colors.
Small to medium-sized parrots with some of the most colorful plumage in the parrot family are called lorikeets.Look for beaks with bright colors in shades of red, green, blue, or yellow.These birds have tongues that are brush-tipped and they are eating flowers.The parrots are native to Australia, Polynesia, and southeast Asia.The rainbow lory is one of the most popular lorikeets.These birds have red-orange beaks, blue and black faces, and red chests.They have green and yellow feathers on their legs and backs.
Step 5: To identify Amazon parrots, use green coloring and a large size.
South American birds are popular pets.They are large, reaching up to 41 cm in length, and you can see them by their green coloring and their blunt tail feathers.There are splashes of red or yellow around the head or wings.The double yellow-headed Amazon is one of the most popular types of Amazon parrots.
Step 6: African greys have a red tail.
African grey parrots have a distinctive coloring.If you're looking for a large parrot with silver-grey plumage, you should look for it up to 13 inches (33 cm) long.Many of the parrots have red tails.There is a mask around the eyes and a powerful black beak.These parrots are native to West and Central Africa, but they are very popular in the worldwide pet trade due to their beauty, intelligence, and exceptional speaking ability.
Step 7: Black wing markings can be seen to identify budgies.
Budgerigars are native to Australia.They may be better known as budgies or parakeets.Budgies can be as small as 8 inches (20 cm) in length and mostly yellow, green, or blue.There are black stripes and bars on the back and wings of the bird.Budgies are one of the most popular pets.They are excellent mimics and can be taught to speak.
Step 8: Take a look at the parrot's color.
The bright colors of most parrots can be used to identify individual species.Take a look at the parrot's feathers, eyes, and beak and see if it is mostly one color or multiple colors.The colors are distributed on the parrot's body as well.If you see a parrot with a black beak, silver-grey body, bright red tail, and white patch around its eyes, it's probably an African grey parrot.Most parrots are green, but they also come in a rainbow of other colors thanks to their unique genes.
Step 9: Look at the parrot's size.
There are a variety of sizes of parrots.Birds in the parrot family can range in length from 3.5 to 100 cm.You can narrow down the identity of a parrot by getting a sense of where it falls on the spectrum.Lovebirds, budgerigars, parrotlets, and some types of parakeets are smaller species.Medium-sized species include cockatiels, monk parakeets, caiques, pionus parrots and lorikeets.Large parrots include Amazon parrots, African greys, hawk-headed parrots and some cockatoos.The giants of the parrot world are the palm cockatoos and macaws.
Step 10: Look for crests and other distinguishing features.
Some parrots have crests, frills, or other distinctive features such as a particular beak or tail shape.Take note of any characteristics of the parrot.The distinctive crests on the heads of cockatoos and cockatiels can be raised or lowered at will.When they are excited or distressed, hawk-headed parrots can expand their frill or fan of feathers around their heads.Budgies have distinctive flat beaks and are often topped with a colorful cere.
Step 11: Determine the parrot's behavior.
There are differences between the parrots.If you have a chance to observe aspects of the parrot's behavior such as where it lives, how it nest, and what it eats, this may help you narrow down your identification.Most parrots prefer to spend their time in the trees, but some species are ground dwellers.The night parrot, the Antipodes Island parakeet, and the kakapo are included.Some parrots have unique vocalizations.When they are excited or scared, the pionus parrots make a wheezing or snorting noise.
Step 12: Where did you see the parrot?
Around the globe, parrots live in tropical and subtropical regions.The monk parakeets have made their homes in the tropics.If you know the parrot species in your area, you can narrow down its identity.You can narrow it down to parrots in North, Central, and South America and the Caribbean Islands Africa and its surrounding islands Australia Melanesia and New Zealand Asia.If you see a parrot in San Diego, you may want to look for parrots of California instead of just North American parrots.
Step 13: There is a book about parrots that live in your area.
You can check out a regional bird or parrot guide at your favorite bookstore.The books include descriptions of each parrot's appearance, habitat, behavior, and other useful identifying features.Look for a general bird or wildlife guide if you can't find a guide about parrots.
Step 14: There are parrots that live in your area.
The internet can be used to identify parrots by region.If you want to find parrots in your area, look for websites that list parrot species by region.For a list of parrot species by region, check out the AvianWeb Parrot Species Index: http://www.beautyofbirds.com/parrotspecies.htm.The California Parrot Project Identification Guide is a region-specific website.
Step 15: The appearance of the parrot can be described with certain words.
Descriptive terms in addition to regional ones can be used to narrow down your search results.Find the parrot's size and color, and include other identifying features, such as crests.If you do a search like "parrot with red head yellow body blue wings New Zealand", you will find information about the eastern rosella.
Step 16: Ask an ornithologist about the bird you saw.
If you can't find what you're looking for on the internet, you might ask a bird specialist at a local university or wildlife center.Give them a description of the bird.Information such as where you spotted the bird, what it looked like, and how it was doing should be included.If you saw some parrots in Chicago, you might say, "I was walking down 53rd Street and I saw a bunch of small, green parrots walking around on the grass."The description would help the ornithologist identify the birds you saw as monk parakeets.