Parrots Are at the Top

Parrots Are at the Top of the Species Chain

We parrots are sometimes underestimated by our ignorant caretakers, humans. Many times we are overlooked as simple pets; that our very existence depends on the resourcefulness of the human race. However, this view is entirely wrong. We, as parrots, are intelligent, resourceful, dangerous, and most importantly, at the top of the species chain.

All bird species predate humans, and all mammals for that matter, by millions of years. Sometimes humans forget that our ancestors walked the earth with the dinosaurs. Most humans, who like to think they own us as pets, forget that our origins trace back around seventy million years. In fact, many human scientists don't even know for sure when or how our first ancestor came about, and they call us inferior. Now, these ancestors to all bird species became more and more developed as the years rolled on. Around fifty million years ago is when our species, Psittaciformes to be more specific, began appearing in the ancient lands of what mankind now refers to as "Europe." We continued to develop, and around twenty million years ago our ancestors were almost identical to what we are today. Humans call these our "modern ancestors."

So now that we have proven our superiority in longevity, what else makes us the top species? Well, first of all we have a superior body build which reduces the need for man-made tools in order to survive. While humans have little strength and natural weapons or tools to help them survive, we are built by nature to innately have everything we need from birth. We have strong curved beaks which act as several tools for our survival. We use our beaks to break open food, as natural weapons for defense and offense, as well as to formulate our methods of communication. Humans weren't born with knives for fingers, but we were genetically inclined to survive without such tools. Our beaks are definitely our most important survival tool, for they act as defense as well as a method of satisfying our hunger in the harsh terrain of the jungle and elsewhere. Along with our genetically superior beaks, we also have strong longs with sharp claws on our feet. These also serve as natural tools, and can be used as weapons along with tools to break open food sources. These claws also help us maintain balance when perched high up in the trees, where the view is amazing and we are far above any dangerous predators.

That last point leads me into the discussion of our greatest natural asset, our wings. Our wings are much better than having fingers, for they allow us to soar above the dangerous flat lands while enjoying the view of the gods. For centuries, humans have envied our ability to fly; therefore, jealousy may be one of the main reasons they are so quick to label us as inferior. However, our wings allow us to travel to places they can only dream of, and also allow us to escape land-locked predators in an instant. Why do humans clip our wings when we are in captivity? Are they jealous much?

We also have a far superior diet than our human counterparts. Instead of filling ourselves up with unhealthy hamburgers and fries, we eat a diet strictly of natural food sources. Our favorite dishes include nuts, berries, seeds, and plants. Some of us even like to dine on insects and small animals, but leave out the processed meats humans call food.

It is our beaks that allow us to gorge ourselves on the most coveted fruits and seeds in the forests. Without our sharp beaks and strong claws, we would definitely not be able to open the most delicious nuts and berries either. We also like to dine on the sweet taste of flowers and nectar, whenever available. Once again, it is our beaks which come in handy when searching for such tasty treats. One huge mistake humans tend to make is the idea that we actually love the birdseed they like to feed us while in captivity. I mean, yes it is tasty, but what happened to variety? We get such an interesting assortment of food choices in the wild, can't humans be a little more resourceful than feeding us the same seeds day after day?

Another trait which makes obviously superior to other species are the beautiful and vivid colors which adorn our feathers. We have such a wide range of color patterns and collages, who couldn't help to be jealous of our beauty? Green in one of the most abundant feather color in our palate; however, we also boast vivid reds and luscious blues to our color palate as well. These colors serve as identifying marks, incentives for the lady parrots, as well as camouflage to help us blend into the surrounding flora and fauna in the jungle. Humans would be silly not to want to boast the luscious colors of our feathers.

Now, I want to explore the roots of our behavior for clarification. We do not simply babble "Polly wants a cracker," and look pretty in our cages. We are extremely complex and intelligent birds, with a wide breadth of behavioral traits, which are largely ignored by humans. We love to make our homes in tree holes and other warm protective places. We do not like to sleep on a stick in an open cage! We don't have vast territories, like some mammals like to do. Other than our nests, the jungle is open for grabs, limiting squabbles between ourselves. One thing we do share with our human counterparts for the most part, however, is our tendency towards monogamy. We like to find our one love and stay with that bird for life. We depend on each other for survival and reproduction. Our chicks are very vulnerable for quite some time, so it takes the love and devotion of both parents to successfully raise and brood our future generations. While the mother incubates our eggs, it is the duty of the father to tend and care for her. He will feed and nourish her until it is his time to watch over the chicks, and then she will do the same for him.

Our intelligence is what separates us from other birds and truly makes us the top species. Not only can we mimic human speech, but some human scientists have finally caught on to the fact that some of us can come with simple sentences on our own as well. We have a larger brain to body ratio than even monkeys and chimps! We can also impress our human counterparts with our ability to solve puzzles and use tools to solve other kinds of problems. This is the main separation between us and other animal species found with us in the jungles and forest across the globe.