Fun Meyer's Parrot Facts For Kids

One of the most unique birds out there is the Meyer's Parrot! Is it because of its size? Or is it because of its call?

Maybe it is its habitat? Great guesses, but no. This bird is well known for its unique coloring, a one-of-a-kind bird. It is native to Africa, found all over Sub-Saharan nations such as Chad, Zimbabwe, and others.

Where does it live? It lives perched up on trees, hiding from the harsh sun most of the days, but can be seen flying before dawn, and immediately after dusk. They do not fly well at night and will spend this time roosting in their nests.

They are some of the most social birds around, they love everyone! They love their fellow birds, other animals and birds, and humans, too!

This bird is a popular pet option for many pet owners in Africa and abroad, who are enchanted by its friendly nature, playful personality, and ease of maintenance. This is why it is completely legal to breed these colorful birds, and you can have one for yourself too if you know where to look.

If you love reading about these birds, then you can not miss these amazon parrot and parrot animal facts.

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Meyer's Parrot Interesting Facts

What type of animal is Meyer's parrot?

The Meyer's parrot (Poicephalus meyeri) is a type of bird.

What class of animal does Meyer's parrot belong to?

The Meyer's parrot (Poicephalus meyeri) belongs to the bird class, Aves.

How many Meyer's parrots are there in the world?

Due to lack of research, there are no fixed numbers of Meyer's parrots (Poicephalus meyeri ) known.  However, these yellow-green birds are slowly but surely seeing a population decline due to lack of things to eat (such as seed), and more.

Where does Meyer's parrot live?

In the wild, Meyer's parrots (Poicephalus meyeri) are found in either deserts or woodlands. Meyer's parrots live in deserted woodlands, close to agricultural lands, and in general, anywhere where they can find food.

Due to the close interaction of these parrots with humans, they often are taken in as a pet for their yellow-green colors, and their energetic tendencies to play.

What is Meyer's parrot's habitat?

The Meyer's parrot natural habitat is in Sub-Sharan Africa, such as Ethiopia, Zimbabwe, Chad, and other native African nations. These countries are the best possible climate and condition for these birds to survive and thrive in, though these days, they also live in human homes across the world.

Who do Meyer's parrots live with?

Meyer's parrots usually travel in pairs and small groups. However, since they live in food-scarce areas, it is not uncommon to see large groups of Meyer's parrots flocking at a food source or water body. This is especially true during breeding seasons, when these birds are all collectively looking for places with fruits, seed, and other edible things.

How long does Meyer's parrot live?

The Meyer's parrot lifespan can be up to 35 years in captivity. Their lifespan declines in the wild due to a lack of fresh, healthy food in their diet.

There are also a lot of other contributing factors, such as availability of water, temperature of the area, other species in their habitat, and more. All of these factors cause fluctuations in their life cycle, and can cause them to perish early.

How do they reproduce?

Meyer's Parrots reproduce all year round and make their nest in tree cavities. Males and females are largely monogamous, and the female will lay about 3-4 eggs in a single clutch. These eggs are found in a nest which is usually on a perch of a tree, close to native fruits and other things for them to eat.

What is their conservation status?

Due to their involvement in the legal pet trade, as well as significant habitat, the Meyers Parrot is classified by the IUCN Red List as "Least Concern." Even though their habitat is slowly decreasing due to human intervention, they are hardy birds who are able to survive despite this.

Meyer's Parrot Fun Facts

What do Meyer's parrots look like?

These lovely parrots are stocky and fairly short in height. Their back and wings are a mix of dark brown, gray, and splotches of yellow.

Their head is a solid dark gray in shade, and the male is usually larger of the two different genders of birds. The underside of these parrots is an iridescent green, also splotched with brown. These birds have a short, curved beak, and strong legs with a dark-colored rump.

How cute are they?

This brown parrot is the cutest pet bird you could possibly run into! They are small, adorable, with their turquoise and darker coloring make them stand out. These parrots can also be admired in a cage, where they are often kept as a pet bird or for breeding purposes to increase the population of this bird.

How do they communicate?

The Meyers parrot is not a very communicative species and relies on small trills, clicks, coos, and hoots to communicate amongst themselves while on perch. Their nonverbal communication includes shaking their wings, pecking insistently, turning away, fluttering, and more.

How big is Meyer's parrot?

This subspecies of African parrots is not a very big bird, coming to around 22 cm in height. This makes it almost the same size as the Eastern Bluebird, a subspecies of bluebirds in the United States. The length of each subspecies varies depending on their breeding, their diet, where they are native to, and other factors.

How fast can Meyer's parrot fly?

Due to a lack of research, there is no fixed speed that has been determined for this species of parrot. However, the wings of the Meyers parrots species are large and enable them to fly from their perch and nest to look for fruits and other items to complement their diet.

How much does Meyer's parrot weigh?

The Meyer's Parrot weight can go up to 4 oz at maximum. Depending on the amount of fresh, healthy food in their diet, they can weigh more (particularly the male.) This light weight is perfect to enable them to cut through the air, and help them glide even in little updrafts.

What are their male and female names of the species?

There is no particular name for the adult males and adult females of this parrot species. However, you do not have to know their names to be able to differentiate them! The male will always be a little bigger than the female, with an enlarged wing span, bigger eyes, and more brightly colored.

What would you call a baby Meyer's parrot?

There is no fixed name for the young of this species. But you can call them chicks, or baby birds!  When they are born, they are less than the size of an adult male's thumb. How is that for small?

What do they eat?

The Meyers parrots eat fruit, nuts, seeds, berries as well as cultivated crops and vegetables in the wild. In captivity, however, breeders regulate their diet to include fresh, healthy food such as vegetables- which are full of nutritional supplements.

Are they smart?

Yes, the Meyers parrot is a very intelligent bird. Though it is not intelligent enough to unlock cage doors and escape, it is still smart enough to be trained well, even to the degree where they can pronounce words.

These words can be mono or bi-syllabic in nature, and though they are not as smart as other birds in the species, they do have a big brains in their head!

Would they make a good pet?

Yes, this brown parrot, with the appropriate training, can make the perfect pets for a family or for someone looking for a small, quiet bird. The Meyer's parrot temperment is playful, affectionate, energetic, intelligent, and very friendly.

The Meyer's parrot behavior and personality make it one of the best birds to have around in a family provided they are trained well. Though they are not prone to health issues, a routine visit to the vet for you Meyer's parrot health will be beneficial for your pets.

Though you can try training these affectionate, quiet, and playful birds yourself, breeders also offer certain subspecies as pets that are already trained in proper behavior. These brown marked birds love to play in their cage, will butt their head against new toys in their cage, and can be trained to speak coherent words.

Did you know...

There is a lot of Meyer's parrot mutation around. These parrots can be found in colors such as yellow, turquoise, blue, brown, orange, green, and more.

Though these birds are very rare, they are often lured out by breeders with seed and toys and bred to have more such mutated birds around. Such birds sell for very high prices in markets, with many people wanting to own a uniquely colored bird.

Having your own Meyer's parrot

Owning Meyer's parrot (pet birds) can be a very expensive affair. Reputed breeders place Meyer's parrot price for pet birds at 500 USD to 1000 USD.

After this, you can expect to shell out hundreds of dollars more on a cage and other pet bird equipment.

It is the ideal pet to have for one person, or a family with little time for maintenance. One must invest in a lot of toys, since they are very playful, and will be able to amuse themselves for hours at an end with these toys.

They can be trained with relative ease, too. These birds can be smart if motivated with enough seed and toys.

The important things to keep in mind with this bird are being consistent, and using positive reinforcement instead of punishment. Once trained, they can also be let out of their cage to play with toys and engage with their owners, though this should be done rarely.

Why is it called Meyer's parrot?

These African birds were first discovered by Philipp Jakob Cretzschmar in the late 1820s. When he named them, he commemorated Bernhard Meyer, a popular german ornithologist. And that is how these parrots came to have their popular name.

And what a muse, too! Bernhard Meyer has been one of the most popular ornithologists of the 21st century, accredited with the discovery of several species of animals and birds. It only makes sense that one such bird is named after him, keeping his name and legacy alive!

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other birds including Caspian tern, or least sandpiper.

You can even occupy yourself at home by drawing one on our Meyer's Parrot coloring pages.

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