Parrots, also known as psittacines, are a group of birds characterized by their upright posture, zygodactyl toes and remarkably strong hooked beaks. They have an incredible memory, highly developed intelligence and an ability to mimic human speech making them captivating individuals.
There are more than 350 known species of parrots found living in a wide variety of terrains. Although some exceptional parrots survive in environments at high altitudes in snowy regions, they are mainly found in the tropical regions of Central and South America, India, Southeast Asia, Africa, Australia, New Guinea, New Zealand and the South Pacific. Unfortunately they are considered one of the most endangered groups of birds with more than a quarter of the world’s parrot species threatened with extinction.
African Lion Safari has been home to several parrot species since 1980 and successfully bred its first Military macaws in 1985. Since then the park has concentrated its efforts on some of the larger species of parrots and has successfully bred Militaries, Blue and Gold, Green-winged and Scarlet Macaws. These offspring are second and third generation. Today the collection focuses on some of the larger parrot species housing several Macaws, notably the endangered Buffon’s (Great Green) Macaw and critically endangered Blue-throated Macaw.
African Lion Safari’s main objective is to continue to maintain a collection of diverse psittacines that can be bred and trained for education and display purposes.
