Parrots and mammals share similar characteristics, leading to confusion over their scientific classification.
Parrots aren’t mammals but birds of the aves class and the order Psittaciformes.
However, parrots are also vertebrates with bones and a spine, sharing this characteristic with mammals, leading people to believe that parrots are mammals, not birds.
There are numerous parrot species, and they don’t all belong to the same family.
Are Parrots Considered Animals or Birds?
Parrots’ classification determines that they’re in the aves class. Live Science explains that parrots are members of the order Psittaciformes and the family Psittacidae.
They’re sometimes called Psittacines. The order includes 398 bird species and 92 genera, including cockatiels, parakeets, and macaws.
Birds must have a curved beak (sometimes called hookbills) to be classified as a parrot. They must also have zygodactyl feet consisting of 4 toes on each foot, 2 of which point forward and two backward.
Other key characteristics of parrots include the following:
- The uropygial gland (the preen gland) is a two-lobed gland found on the upper side of the tail and is used for grooming.
- Laterally placed eyes, which means the eyes are on either side of the parrot’s head.
- Feathers on the body, which are usually bright and colorful.
Within the Psittaciformes order are 3 parrot superfamilies: Psittacoidea, Cacatuoidea, and Strigopoidea. Here are the differences between them:
Psittacoidea
Psittacoidea is a parrot superfamily commonly known as the “true parrot.”
There are around 350 species of parrots classified under this family. When you imagine a parrot, you’ll have an image of a true parrot.
True parrots can be found in Australia, India, Southeast Asia, Mexico, South America, and eastwards across the Pacific Ocean. Notable parrot species include:
- Amazon parrots.
- Macaws.
- African grey parrots.
- Conures.
- Eclectus.
- Lorikeets.
- Budgerigars.
Hook-billed beaks and colorful feathers define true parrots. Also, most species are herbivores. Psittacoidea parrots usually form monogamous pair bonds, and some mate for life.
They’re highly intelligent animals and possess a large cranial capacity. They’re also expert fliers and climbers, preferring to nest high in tree cavities.
Cacatuoidea
The Cacatuoidea is another parrot family consisting of 21 cockatoo parrot species. They’re mainly found across Australasia, including the Philippines, Wallacea, New Guinea, Australia, and the Solomon Islands.
Prominent crests and curved bills characterize cockatoos. They aren’t as colorful as true parrots and appear white, grey, or black. Instead, color is found in specks or patches on the chest, tail, or cheeks.
Cockatoos are a large parrot species, although the cockatiel is small compared to the rest of the family.
Strigopoidea
The Strigopoidea is a superfamily of New Zealand parrots.
It consists of 3 parrot gena, including the Nestor, Strigops, and Nelepsittacus. All species are from New Zealand and can be found on Norfolk Island, Phillip Island, and Chatham Island.
Unfortunately, the family has reduced in number over the years.
Human activity played a large part as settlers introduced invasive species, like pigs and possums, into the parrot’s habitats. The animals eat parrot eggs found on the ground, resulting in their decline.
Parrots in the Strigopoidea family don’t share common characteristics. Some have curved beaks, while others don’t. Similarly, some parrots are colorful, whereas others are plain.
Difference Between Mammals and Birds
We’ve established that parrots aren’t mammals, but it’s useful to understand how to tell birds and mammals apart.
Mammals
Mammals are a group of vertebrae animals with mammary glands, which females use to produce milk for their young. They also have fur or hair.
A mammal’s lower jaw connects directly to the skull. In contrast, parrots have a separate bone called a quadrate, with which the jaw articulates.
Mammals also have three tiny bones that transmit sound waves across the middle ear.
Mammals give birth to live young and don’t lay eggs.
Birds
Birds lay fertilized eggs that hatch. Parrots nurse their young, regurgitating food from their crops.
Instead of teeth, parrots have hooked beaks. Their digestive systems also work differently from mammals, as they can’t chew their food, so they swallow it whole.
Food is stored in the crop until the parrot needs it for sustenance. Once it enters the two-chambered stomach, food is pulverized and softened to move it through the body.
In mammals, a muscular diaphragm keeps the lungs and heart separate from the abdominal cavity, and only the left aortic arch persists.
In birds, the right arch persists, and they’re covered in feathers, not fur or hair.
Similarities Between Birds and Mammals
While parrots are more closely linked to reptiles and even dinosaurs, they do share some common traits with mammals, which are described below:
Bones and Organs
The connecting link between birds and mammals is they’re both vertebrates.
This means they have backbones and skeletal systems comprised of bone. A parrot’s skeleton is lighter and hollower, allowing it to take flight and stay in the air.
The fact that mammals and birds are vertebrates is why parrots are often mistaken for mammals. Similarly, parrots have a four-chambered heart like mammals do.
The National Science Foundation describes how the heart is similar between mammals and birds because it ensures the separation of low-pressure circulation to the lungs and high-pressure pumping into the rest of the body.
Behavior
Parrots are self-aware, so they groom themselves and keep themselves clean. Not only do they groom, but they preen several times a day.
Many parrots pair for life, forming a strong bond with another parrot, only breeding with their chosen partner. However, not all parrots are monogamous.
Similarly, parrots look after their young, protecting them from predators and other dangers. They actively take on the parental role, teaching their young how to forage and care for themselves.
Parrots also show affection to humans. As captive birds, they love interacting with their owners and cuddling up to those they trust. They’ll also attempt to preen their owners once the bond is built.
Brain Function
According to New Scientist, parrots are clever birds capable of complex cognition. The genes that assist with brain development are similar to those of humans.
Parrots don’t have a neocortex, which is what mammals have to distinguish between right and wrong. However, they have an enlarged brain circuit to compensate.
So, parrots have the brain function to be trained by their owners. They play games and solve simple puzzles, undertaking cognitive tasks that the most intelligent mammals can do.
They can also communicate their desires, add, count, and subtract, and they understand the concept of zero. It’s suggested that a parrot’s cognitive abilities are only inferior to primates and humans.
Do Birds Sleep Like Mammals?
Birds and parrots sleep, but not like mammals, as they go through the non-rapid eye moment and rapid eye moment stages of sleep. But unlike mammals, a parrot’s sleep cycles are shorter.
Parrots also sleep with half of their brain awake. Known as unihemispheric slow-wave sleep, birds can watch out for predators while they’re most vulnerable.
They can control how awake their brain is by opening or closing their eyes.
Parrots sleep in various positions, stand upright on one leg, or hang upside down. As parrots sleep, their down feathers keep them warm by fluffing up and covering their bodies.
Did Mammals Evolve from Birds?
It’s believed that birds first appeared in the fossil record 100 million years ago during the Cretaceous period, while mammals first appeared 225 million years ago during the Jurassic period.
Both birds and mammals evolved from amniotes, a clade of tetrapod vertebrates. Amniotes include synapsids (mammals) and sauropsids (reptiles and birds).
It’s easy to confuse mammals, reptiles, and birds. However, once you know the finer details of their classification, it’s clear how parrots fall into the bird category.
