The psittacines are a midsize club of about 360 species, ranging in size from the pygmy parrots of New Guinea, which are smaller than house sparrows, to the bulky, flightless kakapos of New Zealand, which can weigh up to nine pounds.
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The word comes from the psittacinae (Latin psittacinus, for parrot, from Greek psittakos). Psittaculture is a word that has been used in the aviculture community since the early 1970s, to denote people who specialize in keeping, breeding and conserving psittacines species, also on preserving psittacines habitat and public awareness campaigns to save wild parrots. It is one branch of the science of aviculture. A "psittaculturist" (parrot breeder) is a person who specializes in keeping, breeding and conserving psittacines species, also on preserving psittacines habitat and public awareness campaigns of the threats to the ongoing existence of parrots worldwide.
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In an attempt to regularise the names of mutations across all psittacines, it has been proposed by Inte Onsman that the name Bronze Fallow be adopted for this mutation.
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Psittacines Iv1 and iv3 had gastrointestinal signs and birds ic1 and iv5 had neurologic signs. One cockatiel infected ic had gastrointestinal and neurologic signs. In one psittacine given ABV intracerebrally, clinical signs developed on the 33rd, 37th, and 41st dpi, with, respectively, non-specific signs, such as apathy; undigested feed (seeds) in feces; and epileptic seizures. In two psittacines infected iv, the gastrointestinal signs were apparent on day 116 or 126 post infection.
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Although this ban might be successful in deterring some of the organized trade in Psittacines, the illegal parrot trade is still a major problem today. Psittacines are poached from the wild by opportunistic peasants who use the animals they sell as a primary or secondary source of income. This poaching is difficult to trace or regulate because it is widespread and performed without any sort of record-keeping. The captured parrots are often sold to middlemen called itinerant fences who travel to different locations to purchase parrots from villagers and later sell them to open air markets located in more densely populated areas.
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The parrot subfamily Psittaculinae consists of three tribes, the Polytelini with three genera, the Psittaculini or Asian psittacines, and the pygmy parrots of the Micropsittini tribe.Joseph L., Alicia Toon, Erin E. Schirtzinger, Timothy F. Wright, Richard Schodde, A revised nomenclature and classification for family-group taxa of parrots (Psittaciformes) (PDF) , in Zootaxa, vol. 3205, 2012, pp. 26–40.
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In an attempt to regularise the names of mutations across all psittacines, it has been proposed by Inte Onsman that the name Pale Fallow be adopted for this mutation. The name Dun Fallow has also been proposed, and Terry Martin suggests Beige Fallow or Grey-Brown Fallow. But in Budgerigar circles the variety is commonly known as the English Fallow, and is the name retained here.
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Many feeding in Melbourne, Australia Long-billed corellas are now popular as pets in many parts of Australia, although they were formerly uncommon, and their captive population has stabilised in the last decade. This may be due to their ability to mimic words and whole sentences to near perfection. The long-billed corella has been labeled the best "talker" of the Australian cockatoos, and possibly of all native Psittacines.
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Belize Bird Rescue (BBR) is an avian rescue and rehabilitation centre in Belize. It is a non-governmental and non-profit organization, and is Belize's only multi-species avian rescue and rehabilitation centre. It operates wholly within Belize under license and support from the Government of Belize Forest Department. The main focus of the organisation is the rehabilitation for release of wild-caught psittacines (parrots) liberated from the illegal local pet trade.
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Sun conure demonstrating parrots' puzzle-solving skills Some grey parrots have shown an ability to associate words with their meanings and form simple sentences. Along with crows, ravens, and jays (family Corvidae), parrots are considered the most intelligent of birds. The brain-to- body size ratio of psittacines and corvines is comparable to that of higher primates. Instead of using the cerebral cortex like mammals, birds use the mediorostral HVC for cognition.
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The regulation of the parrot trade in Mexico has proven to be a problematic process. Until 2003, the parrot trade was authorized on a species by species basis. The number of species that could be legally trapped and sold had steadily declined since 1979, and in 2003 the Mexican government banned the trade of all Psittacines. However, in 2006 permits were once again issued for the capture and trade of select species.
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A 2006 report by Cantu et al. report demonstrated that the illegal trade of Psittacines actually increased when trapping was authorized by government agencies. This was because illegal activity was much more easily concealed under the auspices of legal trade. The report suggested that the Mexican government stop issuing trapping authorizations for all species of parrots and macaws, and so a ban on the Psittacine trade was placed into effect in October 2008.
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Parrots, also known as psittacines (), are the 402 species of birds that make up the order Psittaciformes, found in most tropical and subtropical regions, of which 387 are extant. The order is subdivided into three superfamilies: the Psittacoidea ("true" parrots), the Cacatuoidea (cockatoos), and the Strigopoidea (New Zealand parrots). Parrots have a generally pantropical distribution with several species inhabiting temperate regions in the Southern Hemisphere as well. The greatest diversity of parrots is in South America and Australasia.
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A more comprehensive and concrete suggestion, also by Pires and Clarke, is to promote and invest in ecotourist lodges that partner with local communities in order to conserve Psittacine populations by using them to attract tourists who stimulate the local economy. If these lodges were effective in providing adequate support to surrounding communities, it is foreseeable that the parrot trade in those areas would decrease as opportunistic trappers realize the value of psittacines as a natural resource.
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African grey parrots are highly intelligent and are considered by many to be one of the most intelligent species of psittacines. Many individuals have been shown to perform at the cognitive level of a four- to six-year-old human child in some tasks. A number of studies have been conducted with African Greys, indicating a slew of higher level cognitive abilities. Experiments have shown that grey parrots can learn number sequences and can learn to associate human voices with the faces of the humans who create them.
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BBR was founded in 2004 and is located in the capital city of Belmopan. Its founding directors realised a need to assist the Belize Forest Department in providing a rehabilitation centre for confiscated or surrendered avian wildlife during the enforcement of the wildlife laws. The basis of the organisation was to care for and rehabilitate wild-caught psittacines, but became a multi-species rescue centre over the years out of necessity. The organisation was incorporated as a registered non-profit company in Belize in 2014, and received non-governmental organisation status in 2015.
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Cormorants used by fishermen in Southeast Asia may be able to count Bird intelligence has been studied through several attributes and abilities. Many of these studies have been on birds such as quail, domestic fowl, and pigeons kept under captive conditions. It has, however, been noted that field studies have been limited, unlike those of the apes. Birds in the crow family (corvids) as well as parrots (psittacines) have been shown to live socially, have long developmental periods, and possess large forebrains, all of which have been hypothesized to allow for greater cognitive abilities.
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Parrots, also known as psittacines , are birds of the roughly 393 species in 92 genera comprising the order Psittaciformes, found mostly in tropical and subtropical regions. The order is subdivided into three superfamilies: the Psittacoidea ("true" parrots), the Cacatuoidea (cockatoos), and the Strigopoidea (New Zealand parrots). One-third of all parrot species are threatened by extinction, with higher aggregate extinction risk (IUCN Red List Index) than any other comparable bird group. Parrots have a generally pantropical distribution with several species inhabiting temperate regions in the Southern Hemisphere, as well.
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Although captive bred birds are usually more expensive due to the costs of being raised in captivity, Americans looking for exotic pets are generally able to afford these higher prices. The sale of captive bred parrots has largely overtaken that of illegal exotics in the U.S. A common misconception is that animal trafficking in Mexico today is fueled by demand from the United States similar to that of the drug trade. However, it has been determined that internal trade of Psittacines within Mexico is now actually far more detrimental and widespread than international smuggling.
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The visual and auditory senses are well developed in most species, though the tactile and olfactory senses are well realized only in a few groups. Birds communicate using visual signals as well as through the use of calls and song. The testing of intelligence in birds is therefore usually based on studying responses to sensory stimuli. The corvids (ravens, crows, jays, magpies, etc.) and psittacines (parrots, macaws, and cockatoos) are often considered the most intelligent birds, and among the most intelligent animals in general; pigeons, finches, domestic fowl, and birds of prey have also been common subjects of intelligence studies.
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Instead, it seems that birds use a different part of their brain, the medio-rostral neostriatum/hyperstriatum ventrale (see also nidopallium), as the seat of their intelligence, and the brain-to-body size ratio of psittacines (parrots) and corvines (birds of the crow family) is actually comparable to that of higher primates. Studies with captive birds have given insight into which birds are the most intelligent. While parrots have the distinction of being able to mimic human speech, studies with the grey parrot have shown that some are able to associate words with their meanings and form simple sentences (see Alex). Parrots and the corvid family of crows, ravens, and jays are considered the most intelligent of birds.
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In September 1982 Mexico banned the commercial export of Psittacines, but because demand still existed in the United States, trade across the border continued illegally. Throughout the 1980s the majority of birds captured in Mexico were smuggled across the U.S. border to be sold as exotic pets. Beginning in the 1990s two major factors prompted the decrease of the flow of these birds into the U.S. First, the passage of the Wild Bird Conservation Act in the United States in 1992 led to a dramatic increase in the regulation of exotic birds entering the United States, naturally followed by a decrease in trade. Second, the Wild Bird Conservation Act authorized the creation of captive breeding centers in the United States.
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The practice of hand-feeding young psittacines, including lovebirds, outside of a medical emergency has been outlawed in the Netherlands since 1 July 2014 and lovebird chicks should stay with their parents until they can eat independently, at minimum 55 days after hatching. However, single birds require frequent attention to stay happy, and if the owner has limited time to spend daily with a single lovebird, it is preferable to give the lovebird a companion of the same species, or a companion of another parrot species known to get along well with lovebirds. It is important to use wide cages as large as possible. Few lovebirds talk, but many will not: there is a chance they may learn to mimic human sounds if taught to do so at a young age.
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Although some trade in Psittacines was legal between 2006 and 2008, the absence of law enforcement for wildlife crimes meant that even trade in authorized species was usually perpetrated illegally. Before 2008, many parrots were captured and sold by bird trapper and salesman unions. These unions were often registered with the state, and agreed to terms that attempted to protect parrot populations in return for official trapping authorizations. Although these stipulations aimed to protect Psittacine populations, they proved to be largely ineffective in practice. For instance, federal law mandated that capture of authorized parrot species had to be performed inside UMA’s, or Wildlife Conservation, Management, and Sustainable Utilization Units, which are areas of land registered with the federal Office of wildlife regulated under a specific species management plan.
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