The Psittaciformes is a medium sized order of birds of similar and distinctive shape. Everybody knows what a parrot looks like. The order contains 360 species in 80 genera all of which are contained within a single family, the Psittacidae.
Parrots are a very popular group of birds.
Their colourful patterns and cute mannerisms, including picking things up with their feet and climbing with their bills, endears them to us all. The budgerigar is one of the most popular pets in the world and several other species of parrot enjoy popularity because of their ability to mimic human speech. In fact, a number of species of parrot are endangered in the wild because of excessive trapping for the pet trade. Ultimately, though they make wonderful long-lived pets, parrots like all birds are best seen flying wild. The smallest is probably the Buff-faced Pygmy Parrot, Micropsitta pusio from Papua New Guinea.