Exotic Birds

Parrots – A Celebration of Colour, Culture & Conservation

Parrots are among the most beloved bird species in the world, admired by people of all ages for their beauty, charm, and intelligence. Frequently featured in folklore, literature, poetry, and traditional arts, parrots have long symbolized love, creativity, and vivid expression. Known for their bright plumage, curved beaks, and zygodactyl feet (two toes forward and two backward), parrots form a diverse order of more than 350 species, including macaws, Amazons, lorikeets, cockatoos, parakeets, and lovebirds.

Found largely in tropical regions—especially Australia, Central America, and South America—parrots thrive on a varied diet of fruits, flowers, nuts, seeds, and insects. Their impressive ability to mimic sounds, including human speech, and their colorful personalities make many parrot species popular pets.

The Department of Posts celebrates this vibrant avian group through the release of a set of six commemorative stamps, each featuring an exotic and often endangered parrot species from around the world.

1. Blue-throated Macaw (Ara glaucogularis)

A Jewel of Bolivia

• Endemic to central Bolivia, the Blue-throated Macaw survives in limited numbers within the lowland savanna forests.
• With only 350–400 individuals remaining, it is listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List and under CITES Appendix I.
• Its brilliant appearance—turquoise-blue upperparts and golden-yellow underparts—is complemented by a unique facial pattern of 5–6 blue feather lines, making each bird individually identifiable.
• Distinguished from the Blue-and-Yellow Macaw by its blue throat and crown, this species is among the rarest parrots in the world.

2. Sun Conure (Aratinga solstitialis)

The Flame of the Tropics

• A medium-sized parrot from northeastern South America, the Sun Conure is celebrated for its brilliant yellow, orange, and green plumage.
• Highly social and vocal, it lives in flocks across savannas, forest edges, and tropical woodlands up to 1200 m.
• Though popular in aviculture, wild populations are declining due to habitat destruction and trapping, leading to its Endangered status.
• Juveniles are mostly green, attaining the species’ characteristic fiery hues as they mature.

3. Yellow-headed Amazon (Amazona oratrix)

The Brilliant Mimic

• Native to Mexico and northern Central America, the Yellow-headed Amazon inhabits mangroves and riparian forests.
• Globally admired for its exceptional speech-mimicking ability, it has long been a cherished pet species.
• Excessive trapping has reduced its wild population from 50,000 to nearly 7,000 in just two decades.
• A bright green body, golden-yellow head, and red wing patches make it instantly recognizable.
• Classified as Endangered and listed in CITES Appendix I.