By Rosemary Low
We see our parrots every day and we probably take for granted their glorious colours, the intricacy of their plumage and, indeed, even of individual feathers. Their range of colours and combination of patterns in various species is truly remarkable, even in the world of birds.
Centuries ago when the first macaws and other parrots reached Europe, we can imagine the amazement of people seeing them for the first time. Probably the most brightly coloured birds that most Europeans saw were the the Goldfinch and the Blue Tit. They are beautiful, but lack the impact of nearly all members of the parrot family.
I want to encourage parrot enthusiasts to look closely at the plumage (the colours, the adornments, the patterns and the textures) and the forms (the elegance and adaptations to different life styles). It is too easy to look at a Crimson-bellied Conure (Pyrrhura perlata) and see no further than the brilliant crimson underparts, distracting one from the intricacies and myriad colours in the rest of the plumage. I was guilty of that in the past. One has to learn to look in a way that reveals that which is unseen to most observers.