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Why do parrots waste so much of the food we give them?
Those of us who keep parrots know that they waste an awful lot of their food. More ends up on the floor than remains in their dish or is actually swallowed. But is this just because we feed them too much, and they simply pick out their favourite items? It would seem not: wild parrots are just as bad. I once watched a Green-winged Macaw (Ara chloroptera) feeding in a tree above my head in Brazil, and a considerable amount of uneaten fruits and nuts ended up on the ground at my feet -
Recent research from Spanish workers, summarised in Forbes, suggests some reasons why parrots feed in this way - Why do parrots waste most of what you feed them?