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EARTH
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The Cretaceous Parrot
is still a hotly debated subject within the world of palaeontology. A fossil
only 1.5cm long was found in the
From the picture
below it's understandable why Vasa parrots are considered very different from
other extant
parrots. The bald, yellow headed Vasa on the left is in fact the
female, who has shed her feathers during the mating season. However,
the male
(right in picture), has an even more unique characteristic, unlike the
majority
of all other species of birds this parrot exhibits external genitalia
during
the mating season. A hemipenis is created by the male by
inverting the cloacae,
why this technique is necessary is has wide speculation has the only
other
birds to possess similar morphology are normally aquatic birds such as
geese
and ducks. There is some speculation that these parrots represent a
separate group or sub group outside Psittacidae due to numerous
differences in characteristics, but yet again little research has
be undertaken to explore this.
Some
palaeontologist agree with the view that Lorrikets represent their own
family and should be excluded from the famil Psittacidae. With their
unuseual slender bill and there biogeographical range there is a
good case for them to be placed within their own family Loriinae.