Nanday Parakeet
Photo credit: Alex Satsukawa
LoraKim is now in Honduras and Guatemala for the month of October and then off to Guyana for much of November. While she is gone, we will be focusing on her thoughts (and mine) on why parrots are so much more than beautiful (even as we admire their physical beauty!).
Last week just got away from me, so I’m blogging today about both the fourth and fifth parrots on LoraKim’s list of the world’s most beautiful parrots. They are the Nanday Parakeet and the Hyacinth Macaw (a favorite of mine!). Here’s what she has to say about each of these.
The Nanday Parakeet: Many might not consider this bird beautiful, but they take my breath away. I think this is mostly because I lived with one, Exodor, in my home for 24 years and loved him fiercely. Now that I work with them in the wild, they seem so very amazing, mostly because they fuss and chatter seemingly constantly in their social groups, reminding me of the high energy of my beloved Nanday. Also, their matching red boots (red feathers around the ankles) coordinating with their red-encircled cloaca is so very dashing. I got a tattoo of these red feathers on my body in the same place as theirs to honor Exodor and this species (Located on the ankle, not the other location!)
Hyacinth Macaw
Photo credit: Bernard Dupont from France.
This image was originally posted to Flickr by berniedup at https://flickr.com/photos/65695019@N07/28980194255
The Hyacinth Macaw: I am guessing that this largest of all parrots, which is endangered in the wild, will make the top ten of many people. It is so blue, which contrasts with the yellow on the face to make the bird and its size just wrap around your heart. What I find especially beautiful though, is their behavior in the wild. They just move differently from other macaws, such as their regular foraging on the ground. They also seem to interact with their mates with behavior patterns that seem to project human awareness and appears to have a high amount of play and intimacy. Maybe these behaviors are also seen in other macaws, but a wild Hyacinth’s calmness makes it easier for humans to observe them, and to love them.
The List:
Yellow-naped amazon
Scarlet macaw
Yellow-faced parrot
Nanday Parakeet
Hyacinth Macaw
Pacfic Parakeet
Yellow-chevroned Parakeet
Sun Parakeet
Australian Budgerigar
Carolina Parakeet
Heracles inexpectatus