As a rule, the parrots are brightly colored birds, being often, like other forest-frequenting creatures, green; there are some species, however, which are not brilliantly colored. There is occasionally a difference of color in the two sexes, which is best marked in species belonging to the genus Eclectus; in these the prevailing color of the female is red, and of the male green.
Their power of imitating human speech is very remarkable, and equalled by no other animal. The great age to which parrots will live has often been exaggerated, but it is at any rate certain that some species will survive for fifty years in confinement. They are highly regarded by natives of central America as household pets, where they are also used for food and the feathers for ornaments. The best talking birds lack the brilliancy of plumage possessed by many other parrots. Their chief use among civilized peoples is as an ornamental bird and household pet.
Peacock
Peacock (Pavo) is allied to pheasants and other game-birds, and includes at least two species—the Indian and Singhalese (P. cristatus), and the Malayan (P. muticus), inhabiting Java, Borneo, and similar regions. The birds roost in trees, and eat omnivorously—worms, insects, small snakes, seeds, etc. At the pairing season rival males display the well-known beauty of their tail-coverts before their desired mates, and strut about after the fashion of many game-birds. The usual cry is a shrill “p-a-o” and strange noises are made by rattling the quills. The females lay, according to the climatic conditions, from April to October; the eggs, of a brownish color, are numerous (eight to ten), and are laid without a nest in some concealed spot. At first both sexes are alike in plumage, but after a year or so the males gradually acquire their gorgeous feathers, which are perfected about the third year. The Javan peafowl is said to be even handsomer than the familiar species. The flesh and eggs are of good quality though inferior to the domestic fowl, though they are still extensively bred in southeastern Asia for food. The range of the peacock in domestication has been greatly extended in modern times, but its use is restricted to ornamental purposes. The splendor of its plumage is unequaled by any other large bird.
Pigeon
Pigeon (Columba livia), including some three hundred species, is distributed in nearly all parts of the world. Most of the domesticated varieties are derived from the rock dove. The mountain witch of Jamaica is one of the most beautiful of birds. The largest member of the group was the dodo, a native of the islands in the Indian ocean, which became extinct [260] before 1700, partly because it lacked the power of flight. It was somewhat larger than a turkey, with the same external appearance.
In America, as in Europe there are enormous numbers of breeders who devote themselves to what are known as “fancy pigeons,” by which term are meant those bred for their special points or characteristics. Of these there is a great and ever-increasing variety, many of which have several distinct colors.
The most important of the domestic pigeons are the common pigeon, the trumpeter, the ruff pigeon, the Jacobin, the Turkish pigeon, the carrier pigeon, which, on account of its great power of remembering localities, is used for carrying messages; the pouter, the tumbler, the turbit, the fantail, and the oriental pigeon. The young pigeons are highly esteemed for their delicate flavor.
The Turtle Dove (Turtur auritus) is frequently kept in captivity, as it is the smallest and prettiest of all the family of pigeons.