#dmm2k17

Now I’m no expert on Neornithes, and I’m not going to bother listing what I voted for in every category (not that I can remember), however I would like to take just a moment of your time to recommend a very special parrot to you all:

SHADOW THE PARROT

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Or ‘Pesquet’s parrot’ as it’s known to its middle-class, suburban parents.*

Just look at it

OW THE EDGE

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Not only does it have jet black and blood red feathers, but it’s got a naked face (also black, of course) and a bill that’s so long and hooked it looks like a miniature vulture.*

You have to try to be this goddamn edgy of an animal. Especially when you’re a parrot.

*teleports (without flying) behind you* Nothing personnel, kid

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And it doesn’t stop there, this thing is so freaking extra that it’s been designated an entire subfamily for its one singular genus with only one species. 

If parrots wore trenchcoats, this is what it would be like.

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Does the Pesquet’s parrot know no limit to the edge?

Yes, yes it does.

Despite appearances, this parrot is a specialised fruit-eater, particularly fond of figs, along with flowers and nectar. See? It was sweet on the inside all along!

You know that trope where the dark, brooding gothic character is paired up with the bright, upeat, peppy (usually blonde) character? This is it except it’s parrots.

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To round off with some general information, it’s relatively large for a parrot with a length of ~46 cm (whatever that means)—despite several attempts, I could not come up with any results for its wingspan, go figure. The species is only known from the hill and montane rainforests of New Guinea, and in part to its rarity, an in part to its sick feathers, it is overhunted and currently listed as vulnerable by the IUCN.

I’m running out of edgy-jokes and fun facts about it, so I’ll finish here and say to totally go and vote for Shadow the Parrot as this year’s parrot for DMM2017. 

((*Pesquet’s parrots also sometimes go by the name “Vulturine parrot”, however there’s already another species of parrot called this.

This species gets its name because while they start off like your typical small, green parrot as juveniles, they shed all the feathers on their head as adults, leaving them with a naked, black head.

The closely related bald parrot is similarly bald, however this species has bare orange skin on its head which I swear down looks just like all those old garishly colourful Archaeopteryx with inexplicably bald heads.