Parrots | Psittacidae

Papegaaien | Loros

This family comprises the parrots of the Americas and Africa; all the region's native parrots belong to it. The main group is the amazons, stocky and largely green, with a short square-cut tail. Nine endemic species live in the Greater and Lesser Antilles: one on Cuba, the Bahamas and the Cayman Islands, one on Hispaniola, one on Puerto Rico, two on Jamaica and two on Dominica, and one each on Saint Lucia and Saint Vincent; these island species often have small populations. There are also slender parakeets with a long pointed tail, such as Cuban and Hispaniolan Parakeets. Trinidad has South American species, including macaws and parrotlets. Escaped species, such as Monk Parakeet, have also become established on Puerto Rico and other islands. Most breed in tree cavities; on Abaco Cuban Amazon nests in holes in limestone, and Monk Parakeet builds a communal stick nest.