The parrot family of birds (Psittacidae), characterized by stout, hooked bills, is commonly referred to as "seed eaters". However, field studies have revealed a great diversity in their food habits in the wild, including fruits, plants, bark, insects, and yes, seeds. Parrots don't eat just seeds.
So, What Are Parrots Eating in the Wild?
Let's check out four field studies:
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Eastern and Pale-headed Rosella(Platycerus eximius)
Cannon, C.E., The diet of Eastern and Pale-headed Rosellas |
White-tailed Black Cockatoo(Calyptorhynchus funereus)
Saunders, D.A., Food and movements of the short-billed form of the White-tailed Black Cockatoo. |
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Budgerigar(Melopsittacus undulatus)
Wyndham, E., Environment and food of the budgerigar Melopsittacus udulatus. |
Bahama Parrot(Amazona leucocephala bahamensis)
Snyder, N.F.R., King, W.B. & Kepler, C.B., Biology and conservation of the Bahama Parrot. |
Rosellas from Queensland, Australia, forage on a variety of plants, including 
White-tailed Black Cockatoos in two areas of Western Australia forage on 
Budgerigars in inland Mideastern Australia forage on 
In a broad study of Bahama Parrots, these endangered parrots were observed feeding on That's a lot of food diversity!
✅Grasses, forbs, trees, and flowers
✅Insects and larvae
✅Alfalfa, grain sorghum, oats (cultivated)
✅Fruits, bark, and seeds (when no other vegetation was available)
✅Cones, stems, and wild tamarind
Diet choice is largely governed by availability. This seems obvious, but when given an undegraded habitat, parrots chose a wide variety of foods to meet their nutritional requirements.
In instances where farmland was nearby or no other vegetation was available, the parrots ate seeds. In the study of Rosellas, oats and sorghum grain were among the foods eaten.
Parrots in the wild derive their nutrition from a variety of different foods, not just seeds.
Yet, when it comes to pet parrots, cultivated seed mix dominates the marketplace despite the differences in feeding habits and nutritional wisdom of wild birds. Although we cannot replicate the menu created by birds in the wild, we can create a nutritionally complete diet for parrots that meets the requirements of birds, far exceeding the nutrient deficiencies of commercial seed mixes.
Scenic Bird Food is a complete formulated diet that meets the nutritional requirements of pet birds.
Scenic pellets were created in 1985 to address the nutrient deficiencies found in cultivated seed mixes, including lysine, vitamins A, D, E, and K, as well as B12, calcium, zinc, sodium, iron, selenium, and many other essential nutrients. These seed mixes commonly contain seeds such as corn, sunflower, safflower, pumpkin, and squash, as well as wheat, peanuts, millet, oat groats, and buckwheat; however, other seeds may also be present.
Scenic is a feeding protocol-based diet! Fruits, vegetables, and yes, even seeds are allowed occasionally.
When fed according to our feeding protocol, Scenic forms the complete nutritional base for your pet bird. This allows for fun and variety in your bird's diet! That is why an occasional treat of seeds or nuts is okay.
Don't get the diet backwards! Scenic pellets form the foundation of a complete parrot diet.
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