There are a huge number of representatives of parrots. This order includes more than 330 species of very beautiful, bright, colorful birds. There are two families: cockatoos and parrots. The latter includes 5 subfamilies: true parrots, owl parrots, loris, woodpecker parrots, nestors. Parrots vary in size from species to species. Their body length ranges from 9.5 cm to 1 m. Bright colors predominate in the plumage. The beak is powerful and strong. With its help, the parrot not only obtains food, but also moves along the branches. Their diet includes mainly plant foods, nectar, pollen, and sometimes insects and larvae.
Genus Lovebirds
Masked lovebird
Rosy-cheeked lovebird
Black-cheeked lovebird
Character and behavior
The white-crested alba cockatoo is a trusting and affectionate parrot. He begs for attention, follows his owner everywhere and loves to be hugged or gently stroked. Without communication and affection, the alba begins to wither, like a flower without moisture.
Despite its friendly nature, the white cockatoo can become aggressive. The parrot demonstrates its dissatisfaction with the help of outstretched wings and straightened crest. During short outbursts of anger, the alba cockatoo can be dangerous. When enraged, it can bite and cause serious injury.
The white cockatoo communicates with loud cries, and if the parrot is not trained, it will scream whenever it pleases. Alba also has the ability to onomatopoeize and can remember words.
Rosella family
Red rosella
Tasmanian rosella
Common rosella
Pale-headed rosella
Habitat and lifestyle
This species is naturally found in Australia, New Guinea, southeast Asia and the Moluccas archipelago in Indonesia. Alba live in mangrove forests, swampy areas and river banks at an altitude of 300-900 m above sea level.
White cockatoos are sedentary birds, but when food is scarce they migrate and raid farmland. White-crested parrots spend most of their time on tree branches. Albas do not like to fly and prefer to move by jumping. Also, thanks to their tenacious claws and powerful beak, they are excellent at climbing trunks.
White cockatoos gather in flocks of up to 50 individuals. They support their relatives in every possible way and even warn them of danger.
White-crested parrots reach sexual maturity by 3 years, and the mating season lasts from December to March. Cockatoos create strong couples and are very worried if their chosen one dies. With the onset of the mating season, the established pair leaves the flock.
Birds prepare a nest for future chicks - they line the inside with dry grass, thin twigs and wood dust. Both parents hatch the eggs, and after 30 days tiny, blind parrots hatch from them. The period of feeding the chick lasts quite a long time. Parents take care of the young even after they learn to fly.
Interesting! Due to the fact that the chicks live with their parents for a long time, white cockatoos raise only 1 brood per year.
Genus Ringed parrot
Himalayan ringed parrot
Plum-headed Ring-necked Parrot
Chinese ringed parrot
Rose-breasted Parakeet
Alexandrian ring-necked parrot
Indian ring-necked parrot
Appearance and dimensions
White Alba cockatoos are large, proportionally built birds. They reach a length of 60 cm, a third of which is on the tail. The weight of adult parrots varies between 450-600 g.
According to the generally accepted description, white Alba cockatoos have the following characteristics:
- The head is decorated with a long, curved crest, which when spread out looks like a fan, and when closed it lies on the back.
- The eyes are dark with blue periorbital rings.
- The beak is large, gray, pincer-shaped. The lower part is like a ladle, the upper part is long and narrow.
- The tail is wide, short, spade-shaped.
- The feathers are large, lush, silky. Painted milky. The outer part of the wings is white. The inner one has a coral, yellow, pink or lemon tint and matches the tone of the plumage of the straightened crest.
Interesting! Indonesians call cockatoos "kakatua", which translated into Russian means "biters". It is possible that this name was assigned to the parrot because of its powerful pincer-like beak, with which the bird easily chops hard large nuts and breaks tree branches.
Genus Amazon parrots
White-fronted Amazon
Jamaican Amazon
Cuban Amazon
Holiday Amazon
Yellow-fronted Amazon
Blue-fronted Amazon
Features of keeping at home
White cockatoos need attention and special living conditions. At first, Alba are wary, but later become tame and trusting.
For a comfortable existence, white-crested parrots need a spacious dome-shaped cage, the parameters of which reach 120x90x120 cm, or an aviary measuring 6x2x2 m. The walls of the bird's home should be made of horizontal and vertical metal rods with a diameter of 4 mm, the distance between which does not exceed 2.5 cm.
The bottom of the cage or enclosure is covered with any moisture-absorbing material such as sawdust. Inside the home for a white cockatoo, the following must be placed:
- wooden sleeping house measuring 40x100x40 cm;
- several multi-level perches with a diameter of up to 28 cm and a length of up to 23 cm;
- bathing container;
- branches of eucalyptus or fruit trees;
- large stones on which the alba can sit;
- 3 heavy feeders;
- ropes, bamboo rings, ladders and various toys.
The white cockatoo's home needs to be kept clean. Bird feeders and drinkers are washed daily. Perches, ladders and toys are cleaned as needed. The litter is completely replaced twice a week. And the cells are disinfected once every 7 days.
An adult white-crested alba parrot needs a varied and nutritious diet. It is recommended to include in the poultry diet:
- canary and sunflower seeds;
- boiled eggs;
- millet, oats and wheat;
- grain mixtures for parrots;
- fruits and berries (apples, rowan berries, grapes and pineapple);
- greens (turnip tops, lettuce and dandelion).
It is recommended to give crushed shells, sepia and chalk to white cockatoos as mineral supplements.
Important! White-crested parrots should not be given alcoholic beverages, avocados, salt, sugar, coffee, chocolate, parsley, fried and dairy products.
White Alba cockatoos are attractive exotic birds with a powerful beak, milky plumage and a large crown-shaped crest. Affectionate and trusting parrots are easy to tame and can reproduce human speech.
Rod Aratingi
Golden aratinga
Nandaya
Golden-capped aratinga
Aratinga-yandaya
Philippine cockatoo
Representative of the cockatoo species. Lives in the Philippine Islands. Prefers to live in the hollows of tall trees. Has a white color. The body length reaches 32 centimeters, and the weight reaches 300 grams. Has a high life expectancy - up to 50 years. Despite this, it is not of particular interest to most amateurs, since it is incapable of learning to talk.
What you need to know before bringing such a bird home
The decision to purchase one of the largest breeds in the world must be carefully weighed without any spontaneity. This is not a cat or a guinea pig, the maintenance and care of which is much easier.
Negative points of large birds:
- a lot of noise;
- require increased attention;
- they gnaw, as well as destroy everything that comes under their beak;
- painful bites if the pet is dissatisfied;
- often cause severe allergic reactions.
Another important point is longevity. When buying a large parrot, you should take into account that it will become a member of the family for at least 30 years, and some individuals reach the 100-year mark. While the life expectancy of the same cats and dogs is 10-15 years.
Corella
Parrots are very popular among amateurs due to their unpretentiousness and ability to learn speech. In natural conditions they live in Australia. Their main color is dark gray. The cheeks, forehead and crest are yellow. It is the crest with its long feathers that distinguishes the beauty of the cockatiel among other parrots. Their weight reaches 100 grams and their length is 33 centimeters.
Cockatiels are characterized by mutations. Therefore, many birds have a color different from the main one. Pearl cockatiels look especially attractive.
Coral
Pearl, otherwise pearl cockatiels are characterized by an attractive pattern on the wings and back. It is formed due to light spots. It is these spots of different sizes that form a bizarre composition, so beloved by many connoisseurs of parrots.
Kea
Kea mountain parrots live in New Zealand. These are the only members of the family capable of reproducing and living at an altitude of 1500 meters or more. In wild conditions they often strive to live near people, whom they are often not at all afraid of. They are extremely inquisitive. In captivity, they are very well tamed and quickly get used to humans.
How many species of parrots are there in the world? More than 300. The article reflects information about only some of them. When choosing a feathered pet, you should study in more detail information about its biological species and recommendations for keeping it at home. If the lover follows the rules, the pet will turn into a devoted friend and will decorate the house for a long time.
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All typesTypes of parrots for home keeping
Yellow-headed Amazon
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The Yellow-headed Amazon (lat. Amazona oratrix) is a very beautiful green-yellow parrot. Found in moist forests and tall deciduous forests of Mexico, Belize, Guatemala and northwestern Honduras. These colorful birds have a body length of 37 to 41 cm. They are classified as endangered. There are about 6 thousand of them left in the wild.
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Macaw
According to many, these are not only the largest (up to 95 centimeters in height) but also the most beautiful parrots in the world. They live in South America. Their colors are stunningly bright and consist of red, yellow, green and blue tones. At home, they are very rare, because:
- They are very expensive.
- They require spacious cages and enclosures.
- They have a complex character.
Nestor
This species of parrot is an ancient inhabitant of New Zealand. Nestor is strongly built and comparable in size to a crow.
One of the subspecies - kaka - is an inhabitant of mountain forests. These parrots have a lively and sociable character and make a lot of noise. The kaka tongue is well developed and adapted for extracting nectar from tree flowers. These birds love to eat berries, seeds and larvae of harmful insects. The parrot extracts the latter from under the bark of trees, plucking out affected areas of wood.
Another representative of the nestor species is the kea parrot. Such birds live in high mountains. They feed mainly on berries of various trees, honey, roots and insects. It is believed that kea can attack flocks of sheep and pluck small pieces of meat from the backs of the animals.
Lorikeets
The habitat of numerous representatives of this genus is Australia and the islands of Oceania. There are 7 types. Of these, collectors liked the colorful lorikeets the most. They are characterized by bright, multi-colored colors. This is due to the fact that parrots feed on the nectar of flowers and with such colors it is easier for them to camouflage themselves from enemies.
At home, the piercing, creaky cries of these parrots sometimes cause inconvenience. There is only one way out of the situation - to teach your pet to speak as soon as possible. A lorikeet can remember up to 70 words.
They love to fly. They feel bad in cramped conditions. Therefore, the cage must be spacious. But the best solution would be to equip an enclosure.
Jaco
Which type of parrot is the most talkative? Without a doubt, it's hot. Another name for it is gray parrot. Ornithologists distinguish two subspecies of these birds: the red-tailed gray and the brown-tailed gray. The first lives in Central Africa, Togo, Kenya and Northern Angola. The length of its body can reach 35 centimeters. Such a bird weighs on average 400 grams. The wing length is about 24 centimeters. The plumage of this parrot is colored in ash-gray shades. Its chest, head and neck are usually slightly darker or lighter than the base tone. The tail and back of the back are colored red.
The Brown-tailed Gray is found in Southern Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone. This subspecies is smaller in size compared to the red-tailed one. The body length of such a parrot can reach 34 centimeters. This bird weighs on average 350 grams. The wing length is about 21 centimeters. The tail plumage is painted in dark burgundy colors.
The gray parrot is able to remember and reproduce up to 150 words or even phrases. Such a bird can have a meaningful conversation with its owner. In addition, Grays can skillfully imitate various sounds, for example, the trill of a telephone call or an alarm clock. Gray parrots also have the ability to distinguish shapes and colors.
