Distribution and habitat[edit]

Most parrot species are tropical but a few species, like this austral parakeet,
range deeply into temperate zones
See also: List of Psittaciformes by population
Parrots are found on all tropical and subtropical continents and regions includi
ng Australia and Oceania, South Asia, Southeast Asia, Central America, South Ame
rica and Africa. Some Caribbean and Pacific islands are home to endemic species.
By far the greatest number of parrot species come from Australasia and South Am
erica. The lories and lorikeets range from Sulawesi and the Philippines in the n
orth to Australia and across the Pacific as far as French Polynesia, with the gr
eatest diversity being found in and around New Guinea. The subfamily Arinae enco
mpasses all the Neotropical parrots, including the amazons, macaws and conures,
and ranges from northern Mexico and the Bahamas to Tierra del Fuego in the south
ern tip of South America. The pygmy parrots, tribe Micropsittini, form a small g
enus restricted to New Guinea. The superfamily Strigopoidea contains three livin
g species of aberrant parrots from New Zealand. The broad-tailed parrots, subfam
ily Platycercinae, are restricted to Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific isla
nds as far eastwards as Fiji. The true parrot superfamily, Psittacoidea, include
s a range of species from Australia and New Guinea to South Asia and Africa. The
centre of cockatoo biodiversity is Australia and New Guinea, although some spec
ies reach the Solomon Islands (and one formerly occurred in New Caledonia),[25]
Wallacea and the Philippines.
Several parrots inhabit the cool, temperate regions of South America and New Zea
land. One, the Carolina parakeet, lived in temperate North America, but was hunt
ed to extinction in the early 20th century. Many parrots have been introduced to
areas with temperate climates, and have established stable populations in parts
of the United States (including New York City),[26] the United Kingdom,[27] Bel
gium[28] and Spain,[29][30] as well as in Greece.[31][32]
Few parrots are wholly sedentary or fully migratory. Most fall somewhere between
the two extremes, making poorly understood regional movements, with some adopti
ng an entirely nomadic lifestyle.[33]
Behaviour[edit]
There are numerous challenges in studying wild parrots, as they are difficult to
catch and once caught they are difficult to mark. Most wild bird studies rely o
n banding or wing tagging, but parrots chew off such attachments.[33] Parrots al
so tend to range widely and consequently there are many gaps in knowledge of the
ir behaviour. Some parrots have a strong, direct flight. Most species spend much
of their time perched or climbing in tree canopies. They often use their bills
for climbing by gripping or hooking on branches and other supports. On the groun
d parrots often walk with a rolling gait.