POLYCHROME PARROTDISE

 

Polychrome Parrotdise, acrylic on canvas, 2021. 20" X 30"

There are roughly 398 living species of parrot in the world today, inhabiting mostly in tropical and subtropical regions. The greatest diversity of parrots are from the Southern Hemisphere, mostly from South America and Australasia. Many parrots are vividly-colored, and some are multi-colored. Parrots are among the most intelligent birds, and the ability of some species to mimic human speech increases their popularity as pets.

The scarlet macaw (Ara macao) has red, yellow and blue feathers. Its range extends from southeastern Mexico to northern and central South America (including Brazil). It is the national bird of the Central American country of Honduras. Like its relative the blue-and-gold macaw, scarlet macaws are popular birds in aviculture as a result of their striking plumage. The scarlet macaw can live up to 75 or even 90 years in captivity, although a more typical lifespan is 40 to 50 years.

Like the scarlet macaw, the blue-and-gold macaw (Ara ararauna) is another popular parrot in aviculture due to their vibrant color and ability to imitate human speech. It lives in the tropical rainforests of South America. When maturing at between 3 to 6 years of age, the male macaw's feather colors signal readiness for breeding. The brighter and bolder the colors, the better the chance of getting a mate. The blue-and-gold macaw has been noted to blush its bare facial skin and fluff the feathers of its cheeks, head and nape when interacting with humans. This may be an expression of the parrot's emotional state. 

The sulphur-crested cockatoo (Cacatua galerita) is found in Australia, New Guinea and several Indonesian islands. It mostly has white feathers, with a sulphur-yellow crest. Its distinctive loud call is an adaptation in order to navigate their forest habitat. Its high intelligence made it a popular pet in aviculture. Like several other species of parrots kept as pets, this cockatoo has also been observed to display emotions and even imitate actions.

 

The hyacinth macaw (Anodorhynchus hyacinthinus) is one of the largest flying parrots, measuring one meter long from head to tail. It has entirely hyacinth-blue feathers and a vibrant yellow ring around its eyes and underneath the beak. It inhabits the countries of Brazil, Bolivia and Paraguay in South America.

The blue-winged amazon (Amazona gomezgarzai) is a parrot that inhabits the lush rainforests of the Yucatan peninsula in Mexico. Most of its body is covered in green feathers, with blue primary flight feathers on the wings. The presence of red feathers vary by gender - males have red feathers on the head and around the eyes; while the female only has red feathers on the forehead. The blue-winged amazon has a loud voice similar to that of a hawk's, which it may have used to alert other birds.

The cockatiel (Nymphicus hollandicus) is a small cockatoo endemic to Australia. As a pet, cockatiels are second in popularity only to the budgerigar. It is also the smallest member of the cockatoo family. The cockatiel's distinctive crest expresses the animal's emotional state: it is raised when startled or excited, gently oblique in its neutral or relaxed state, and flattened close to the head when the animal is defensive. Cockatiels are also vocal birds, the calls of the male being more varied than that of the female. 

The rainbow lorikeet (Trichoglossus moluccanus) is a multicolored parrot that is native to Australia. Males and females of the species look identical, with little differences, even in feather colors, to distinguish the two genders. It has a blue head; green collar; orange to yellow chest; green wings and back; blue belly and yellow wing bars, making the bird possess almost every color in a rainbow, hence the name.

The African grey parrot (Psittacus erithacus) is a medium-sized parrot inhabiting the tropical rainforests in equatorial Africa. It mostly eats fruits and nuts. In captivity, the African grey parrot is known for its advanced cognitive ability and ability to talk. Several individuals have been recorded for having a vocabulary of hundreds of words, making them advanced users of human language in the animal world.