Fig parrot

Description

Fig parrots are small, stocky, arboreal parrots with short, wedge-shaped tails. They possess proportionately large, broad bills and smooth tongues. Sexual dimorphism is typically pronounced, with the exception of Coxen's fig parrot (Cyclopsitta diopthalma coxeni). Those in the genus Cyclopsitta are generally smaller than those in Psittaculirostris.

Their preferred habitats are the tropical and subtropical rainforests, though they can also be found foraging in the surrounding biomes. They can usually be seen flying swiftly in straight lines, well above the tree canopy.

Their diets consist mainly of fruit, particularly their namesake figs. They may supplement these with a variety of other fruits and berries, along with nectar, pollen, insects, and larvae. Fig parrots appear to be capable of detecting the fig syconia that have been implanted with growing fig wasps, and targeting these for their extra nutritional content. They remember particular fruit trees, and return to them repeatedly over months and years.