It is not easy to uncover information on parrots and parrot keeping in ancient times but, by formulating numerous search terms, statements and strategies, I discovered some interesting data. Much of it was repetitive and some seemed to be of shaky validity. It is important to note that both parrots and parakeets were classed as “parrots.” Birds with a capacity to talk have been kept as pets going back as far as ancient Egyptian, Greek and Roman cultures.
One source states that Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics seem to depict pet birds, while another source claims that the Ancient Egyptians did not know of parrots and there is no indication of them in hieroglyphics.
Parrots were introduced into Ancient Greece during the time of Alexander the Great. It is said that he brought parrots from India, where they were kept tame, to Europe in 323B.C. Another source reveals that the mynah bird was kept among the aristocracy in Ancient Greece and that it was considered sacred. The Alexandrine Parrot was named after Alexander the Great.
The earliest known reference to a parrot in European literature is dated 397 BC—found in Ctesia’s Indica, wherin he describes a bird who could speak the Indian language—identified as the Plum-headed parakeet.
Aristotle (385-322 BC) described a bird he named Psittacae—this is the origin of the scientific name for the parrot family—Psittacine.
In Ancient Rome, pet parrots were luxuries kept by affluent Romans in cages made of silver, ebony, tortoiseshell and ivory but, sad to say, the Romans also treasured parrots as a delicacy—haute cuisine for banquets presented by the wealthy. Roasted or boiled parrot? Oh, yes. Search for Ancient Roman cookbooks and histories of Roman cooking.
Parrots were greatly valued by such rulers in the Middle Ages as Frederick II (1194-1250). An Umbrella Cockatoo was given to him by the Sultan of Babylon.
In the fourteenth century, Chaucer mentions the parrot’s power to imitate in his Canterbury Tales.
In 1492, Columbus brought back a pair of Cuban Amazons as a gift to Queen Isabella of Spain.
Skipping on ahead in history, parrots became more and more popular as pets. They were brought from America to Europe in great numbers.
One final bit of information: a world map by Gerard Mercator (1569) identified an area called Psitacarum Regio (Region of Parrots). Presumably this area is present day Australia.
A book of interest is: Boehrer, Bruce Thomas. Parrot Culture: Our 2500-Year Long Fascination with the World’s Most Talkative Bird. University of Pennsylvania Press, 2004.

Copyright©2009 Rosemarie Riechel