Africa houses 22 species of so-called Old world parrots. At present the Cape parrots and the
African Grey parrots are on the endangered list largely due to excessive trapping for the pet trade
Black masked lovebirds are found mainly in Zambia and Zimbabwe. They are said to be at
least 10000 in number. They are woodlands and forests dwellers., They survive on a diet of
seed,grasses,, vegetables and berries,
Senegal parrots are found Senegal, Guinea, and Nigeria. They are found in wooded areas and
forests. They survive on a diet of seeds and buds mainly
Red belied parrots are found in Somalia ,Ethiopia and Tanzania. They eat seeds and fruit mainly
black cheeked lovebirds
senegal parrot
red-belied parrot
Australia houses most of the Cockatoos and Lories and Lorikeets. About half of yje Australian Cockatoos are on
the endangered species list.
King parrots are found in mainland Australia. and NE Australia .They number about 50000 at present. They live
in forests and woodlands mainly and eat fruit ,seed .nuts and berries
Palm cockatoos are found in New Guinea , and Australia, They
number about 3000, and live in the rain forest . They eat mainly seeds
nuts and fruits
Blue eyed cockatoos are found in New Britain, E Papua
New Guinea.They are about 10000 in number. They live in forests and lowlands.They eat nuts,seed, berries,fruit.
The Red and blue Lory can be found in Indonesia living in forests . They eat pollen, fruit and insects mainly
Rainbow Lorikeets are found in New guinea and Australia. They are said to number 5 million, They live in the
lowlands, forests and survive on nectar mainly
blue eyed cockatoo
red and blue lory
Mexico and South and Central America house 148 species of the so-called New World parrots. Many of the
larger Macaws are on the endangered species list at present
Amazonian Parrotlets are found in the: Western Amazon River basin, Peru and Bolivia. They live in the lowlands
and survive on seeds and fruits
Blue throated macaws are found in Bolivia,
They are few in number, only 120 individuals now
live in the wild.They live in savannas and
lowlands . They eat seeds, leaves and fruit
Hispaniolan amazons are found in the
Dominican Republic the Greater Antilles, and the
West Indies. They are 10000 in number. They eat seeds, bananas and citrus
Red shouldered macaws are found in Venezuela, Brazil and Bolivia, They live in savannas, lowlands,
swamplands. and bushes. They eat mainly nuts, fruit ,berries, and flowers
king parrot
palm cockatoo
amazonian parrotlets
hispaniolan amazon
sun conure
blue lorikeets
red shouldered macaw
blue throated macaws
vernal hanging parakeet
rainbow lorikeet
Sun conures are found in Brazil and Surinam. They live in forests and palm
groves. They eat berries, nuts, flower, and pods
The blue Lorikeet is found on Society Island. They number 10000 and
survive on nectar mainly
the Vernal hanging parakeet can be found in India., Bangladesh, China,
Indochina and Thailand.. They are over 1 million in number and survive on
nectar, fruit and seeds


Parrots are forest dwellers for the most part. In the wild they gather in large noisy flocks..The parrot species is definitely in decline. Of the 350 or so existing
species,, 130 are on the list of endangered bird species. The main threats facing the parrot species being loss of habitat, hunting and unfortunately for some
species wild parrot trade. In some regions of the world, parrots are persecuted as crop pests, hunted for food and their feathers. It is not legal to trade
endangered species. The rights of parrots are being protected worldwide. Trade of wild caught parrots is regulated and allowed only under certain
circumstances now in countries participating in CITES. Many conservation groups are actively involved in the conservation of wild parrot populations, the largest
among these being The World Parrot Trust..
range
range
range
There are undoubtedly many organizations concerned with the welfare of parrots and other wild animals. One of their functions is to assess the status of parrots in the wild and
that is by no means an easy task. The things needed to ensure the continuance of parrot species in the wild seem simple enough. Parrots need to inhabit regions where the
climate is favourable to them. In addition they need stable and abundant food supplies and wide enough foraging and nesting ranges. Ideally there should be few, is any,
predators in that range. Or at the very least they should be able to nest in their areas of choice away from would-be predators.
In the tropical and subtropical forests they inhabit there is an abundant and stable food supply for parrots. As a rule, parrots will feed on seeds, nuts, buds, berries, leaves, fruits etc...
Some parrots however are extremely fussy about the type of seeds they will eat. Case in point, the Glossy Black Cockatoo will eat the very hard seeds of the sheoak trees exclusively.
Others , like the Lear;s and Hyacinth Macaws will feed on certain palm tree nuts almost exclusively. In fact, these nuts make up to 90% of their dietary intake so it is safe to say that they
favour these nuts overwhelmingly. Would these parrots be able to adapt to other food sources if their survival depended on it? Or should conservation activities be focused on the
maintenance of their preferred and, perhaps only, food source. The loss of habitat to agricultural development has also increased the number of parrots who feed on crops at certain
times of the year, and this in turn has caused many a farmer to perceive these parrots as crop pests. In fact, some parrots are persecuted, poisoned and shot
Different parrots use different parts of the forests. In these forests the trees are plentiful. However, again some parrots are very fussy about the trees they will use. And large parrots
require big trees with large nesting holes. Thus and the number of trees in a forest in not a sufficient indicator that the ideal conditions are being met that would ensure the survival of
a species. The types of trees and their sizes matters greatly, especially for the larger parrots. Parrots are unable to dig holes in trees. These nesting holes required for their breeding
efforts must pre-exist.
The density of a parrot population in their chosen areas of the forest is also important. The parrots must have ample opportunity to socialize and breed. Parrots are very slow breeders for
the most part. In addition they are strictly monogamous and mate for life. A parrot who loses his companion will spend the rest of his life without a mate, and given the longevity of parrots
that can be a very long time. So the density of parrots is an important factor but the number of actual breeding pairs is a very important indicator of the future survival of a species.
Parrots face other threats some such as hurricanes, forests fires that often destroy their nests, and the invasion of certain species. In some parts of the world, parrots are threatened by
the invasion of black rats, in some other parts they are being threated by feral cats, and feral bees who will occupy their nesting holes in the trees. And then there is alsp the various
diseases particular to parrots and needless to say wild parrots do not get medical care.
Last but not least , there is the ever present capture of parrots for the pet trade. It is the case that many parrots are captured and destined for export to other countries where these wild
animals will likely become household pets. Many of these parrots are smuggled across borders but many do not make it to their intended destination. In fact, it is estimated that half will die
before they reach their intended destinations. But many parrots are also captured from by locals who simply want them as pets, and some will see their baby chicks poached for local aviary
activities For some parrot species, the danger is not so much that they will become extinct but rather that their captive population will far exceed their wild population. But in the case of the
Spix Macaws,with only 7 birds in captivity and 1 bird in the wild, they are facing both these dangers