A BIRD WHICH MIMICS: THE PARROT

Parrots are colourful birds that live in tropical regions. They lead a very social life. It is really
interesting that the parrot shows the generosity of sharing its food with other parrots.

In tropical forests, flocks of parrots fly screaming over the treetops. From the answer another flock gives, they find the location of fruit-bearing trees. Parrots hold their food with their feet and bite it, as if eating a sandwich.

Their favourite food is the sunflower seed, which is something we also enjoy. With the help of their curled tongues, they readily divide the seed shell in two–which is a bit troublesome to crack open –and eat the seed. They lay two to eight eggs per year. During the incubation period (that is, when the embryos are still in the eggs) male and female parrots sit on the eggs in turn. When the young parrots hatch, they are featherless and feed on the digested foods their parents provide them.

The most important feature of parrots is their ability to imitate sounds. They can pronounce words they hear repeatedly. However, they don't comprehend these words; they only repeat the sounds they hear. They can even imitate a doorbell or the ringing of a telephone. Therefore, if you have a parrot at home, you may frequently assume that the doorbell is ringing.