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TANGENTS

Parrots

BY IHTISHAM KABIR
The parrot family of birds is a prolific group which includes over 390 species. The family includes parakeets, lorikeets, lovebirds, cockatoos, cockatiels, macaws, amazons, galahs and many others. Some of the most beautiful birds of the world are parrots.
Parrots are found in warm climates all over the world, with the most variety in Australia and South and Central America. Although parrots around the world vary greatly in appearance, colour and habits, they share some common traits. For example, they all have curved beaks. Like woodpeckers, they are zygodactyls, meaning their feet have four toes, two pointing forward and two backward. This enables them to efficiently traverse trunks and branches. They usually nest in tree hollows. Most parrots eat fruits, flowers, nuts, seeds. Some also eat small insects. Some species mate for life and display mutual affection in charming ways.
In Bangladesh we have seven species of parrots. Of these, the commonest is the Ring-necked Parakeet which is seen all over the country, including the parks and trees of Dhaka. The others are Plum-headed, Blossom-headed, Red-breasted, Grey-headed, Vernal Hanging and Alexandrine Parrots.
Perhaps the most delightful is the Vernal Hanging Parrot. Small and nimble, I have seen it hang in impossible angles and positions from branches where it eats fruits, seeds and even bark. A fast flyer, this bright green bird's rump turns from green to red when it reaches adulthood. I have seen it - as well as most of our other parrots - at Satchori National Park in Habiganj.
Outside Bangladesh, I have seen parrots in Australia, Madagascar, Brazil and Italy. The most colourful was the Rainbow Lorikeet, a common bird of Australia. The island continent boasts a stunning variety of parrots, from the tiny, exquisite Double-eyed Fig Parrot to the large Red-tailed Black Parrot to the white Sulphur-crested Cockatoo.
In Madagascar I confused an improbably black Vasa Parrot as it hung upside down from a branch deep inside Andasibe National Forest. It had been eyeing a hanging fruit and had contorted to within beak's reach of its target. Just as it was about to pluck the fruit, it saw me and froze. Then it went back and forth, looking at me and looking at the fruit, for at least a minute, after which I left the scene so it could eat in peace.
In Brazil I saw spectacularly large parrots in the form of Hyacinth and Red-and-Green Macaws. The former, which can grow over a meter from head to tail, is the longest parrot in the world. It is endangered and protected in Brazil. Macaws fly slower than our smaller parrots, so it is easier for photographers to catch them in flight.
There are introduced parrots in many parts of the world. The Ringnecked Parrot is found in Europe and the United States, having built colonies after escaping from captivity. In the Botanical Garden of Rome, I was astonished to find a large flock of Monk Parrots which are natives of South America. Most parrots adapt well to humans. Their bright colour and ability to mimic the human voice make them popular pets.
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