Birds Guide

Parrotlets
Pacific Parrotlet
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia   Phylum: Chordata   Class: Aves   Order: Psittaciformes   Family: Psittacidae
Genera
Forpus Touit Nannopsittaca

Parrotlets are a species of the smallest, New World parrots, comprised of three genera. One of these genera: Forpus is growing in popularity within the world of aviculture, raising interest in the group as a whole.

General

Parrotlets are distinguished from parakeets in that despite their small size, they have a thick build and a broad tail, much like the lovebird species of East Africa and fig parrot and pygmy parrot species of Australasia. At 4˝–5 inches long, they are the second smallest kind of parrot in the world.

These miniature parrots in the wild travel in flocks which, depending on the species can range from as low as four to over 100 birds. Most either species travel in flocks of about 5–12 or of about 10–40.

Speech/Learning

They can learn more than 10–15 words and can "whistle" songs well. They have about the same speaking and whistling capabilities of a cockatiel. They are also very good learners for commands such as "step up", "kiss-kiss", "step down", and other small commands. Some parrotlets can learn advanced tricks, but not advanced as a macaw or an african grey.

Aviculture

The most commonly kept parrotlet in aviculture is by far the Pacific Parrotlet, which now has several color mutations. The Mexican, Spectacled, and Yellow-Faced are also fairly common pets. Their popularity as pets has grown due to their small size and large personalities. Parrotlets are commonly known as playful birds that enjoy the chewing as much as their larger Amazon Parrot counterparts. However, their largest quirk lies in the fact that they don't grow as bored as other species of parrots. Parrotlets keep themselves more than occupied when left alone for several hours, so long as they are provided with an array of chewable and destructable toys to play with. However, when their keepers get home, they often greet them with lovely chirps and whistles to let them know they want attention....

Genera

Forpus

Forpus, the most well known genus of parrotlet, includes all species of parrotlet commonly kept as pets including the Pacific Parrotlet, Mexican Parrotlet, and the Spectacled Parrotlet.

Touit

The Touit Parrotlets are a genus of parrotlets found in The Venezuela-Guyana area, Northern Andes, and Bahia. Only three of the seven species have ever been brought into aviculture, with all three failing to keep them alive, or breed them.

Nannopsittaca

There are only two species in the Genus Nannopsittaca, of which only one—Nannopsittaca panychlora, the Tepui Parrot—has been successfully kept in captivity.

Parrotlet Links

• Talk Parrotlets is a website for parrotlet owners to talk about their parrotlets. Includes an interactive forum and a parrotlet gallery.