Foods of California's wild parrots

[SunUp]

I found this site to be very interesting, especially the study documenting what the wild parrots of California eat, and thrive on. What I find really interesting is the diet seems to be mostly fruits, seeds, flowers, and some bark and leaves. Watch the slide show on the bottom of the page...it shows photos of the parrots with 68 different food items.
Diverse Foods of California

 

[Monica]

If parrots eat a lot of fruits out in the wild, and in captivity it's recommended for fruit to be a small portion of *most* parrots diets... you have to wonder. Are they getting all the nutrition they require from a captive diet? Are fruits that they naturally eat out in the wild any more nutritious than the fruits that you find in your grocery store?

When you consider the fact that many foods are genetically modified (GMO's) so they are more resistant to disease as well as being eaten by pests... and other foods are grown for specific traits.... you really have to wonder. An orange is a perfect example. Wild oranges are green, not orange. I've never had a green orange before... I hear they taste great!

File:Wild orange India Tamil word 3.2.JPG - Wikimedia Commons
File:Wild oranges Tamilword3.JPG - Wikimedia Commons

Wild parrots can often survive here in the USA since we have imported a lot of exotic plants as well. It's interesting to note what the wild parrots are eating here, including avocados.

 

[Laurul Feather Cat]

It is one reason why I insist on feeding at least 25% pellets as part of their diet. There is absolutely no way I could hope to provide all the different nutrients a parrot would find for itself in the wild, but the scientifically formulated pelleted diet gives me at least a chance of making sure my birds receive an optimal diet. Quanity and quality of diet is the cornerstone to having a healthy parrot; it runs and develops the immune system and provides a healthy and well formed body when the bird is young and gives the bird the building blocks it needs to repair its body as it ages.

With my limited financial resources I couldn't hope to get hold of all those natural foods for my birds; yet watching what these birds eat in the wild will give researchers clues and info into what to provide for optimum nutrition for our pet birds.