African & New World Parrots

The Psittacidae family, widely known as true parrots, includes around 167 species divided between the Afrotropical Old World parrots (Psittacinae) and the Neotropical New World parrots (Arinae), with a few species having gone extinct recently. These globally recognized birds inhabit tropical and subtropical regions across the world, including South and Central America, Africa, Southeast Asia, and others, with historical presence even in the United States. Psittacidae likely originated during the early Paleogene period, over 66 million years ago, with their diversification occurring after continental shifts. Renowned polymath Constantine Samuel Rafinesque first introduced the family in 1815, and recent molecular studies have further refined their taxonomy, recognizing Old World and New World parrots as sister clades within the Psittacinae subfamily. The family is remarkably diverse, including notable birds such as the grey parrot, macaws, parakeets, and Amazon parrots, all belonging to various genera, illustrating the broad and intricate evolutionary web of the parrot family.