Parrots are a big and popular group of birds.

Parrots of the World is a compelling and up-to-date document and insight into the 400 living species, covering each with a detailed individual entry. It also discusses the biology and lifestyles of the very social parrots in more general terms. This comprehensive new book will appeal to everyone interested in parrots, from either an ornithological or avicultural (raising as a pet) perspective.

Parrots of the World opens with an overview of the bird family, its origins and key discoveries from the fossil record, tracking their development around the world. It also highlights the unexpected fact that new species of parrot are still being found today and that there may be others awaiting discovery.

The text then proceeds to define the characteristics of parrots and their inter-relationships. Their distinctive plumage is discussed of course, but also the unique anatomical features that assist their lifestyles: from brush-like papillae on the tongues of lories and lorikeets that allow them to sweep pollen grains into their mouths, to the impressive power inherent in the bills of large macaws, enabling them to crack the toughest-shelled palm nuts.

Alderton explores parrots' famous powers of mimicry in detail, including research that has been undertaken to test parrots' intelligence, as well as non-vocal communication within the group, pair-bonding and nesting behavior.

A historical overview of the relationships between parrots and people (which date back millennia) completes the opening section and is followed by the major part of the book: a detailed description of all the world's species, divided into Old World and New World parrots. These entries are standardized, with each showing a distribution map and a photo of the described parrot.

Parrots of the Old World

• I Africa: 24 species including lovebirds, gray and black parrots
• II Asia, Australasia, Pacific Islands and New Zealand: 194 species including hanging parrots, rosellas, lories, lorikeets and cockatoos.

Parrots of the New World

• Covering all 179 species, including parrotlets, conures, Amazon parrots and macaws.

This will be the new standard reference on parrots for all interested people.