Why are newly hatched parrot chicks dependent on their parents?

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Illustration of a rock parakeet (Pyrrhura rupicola) perched on a branch, showing green plumage with scalloped markings, a patch of red on the wing, and a dark beak. — Psittaciform Black-capped parakeet (*Pyrrhura rupicola*).

Newly hatched parrot chicks are dependent on their parents because they are altricial, meaning they are born in a helpless state and require complete parental care to survive.1

Unlike some other bird species whose young are precocial—hatching with downy feathers and the ability to move or feed shortly after birth—parrot chicks hatch either bare or with very sparse down. Because they are nidicolous, they remain in the nest for an extended period after hatching. During this time, they rely entirely on their parents, who typically feed them by regurgitation. This intensive period of parental care often continues for several weeks, even after the young have left the nest.21