Parrotsarebirdsoftheroughly372speciesin86generathatmaybefoundinmosttropicalandsubtropicalregions.
Characteristicfeaturesofparrotsincludeastrong,curvedbill,anuprightstance,stronglegs,andclawedzygodactylfeet.Manyparrotsarevividlycoloured,andsomearemulti-coloured.
Parrots,areamongthemostintelligentbirds,andtheabilityofsomespeciestoimitatehumanvoicesenhancestheirpopularityaspets.
(Themostimportantcomponentsofmostparrots'dietsareseeds,nuts,fruit,budsandotherplantmaterial.Afewspeciessometimeseatanimalsandcarrion,whiletheloriesandlorikeetsarespecialisedforfeedingonfloralnectarandsoftfruits.Almostallparrotsnestintreehollows(ornestboxesincaptivity),andlaywhiteeggsfromwhichhatchaltricial(helpless)young.)