What are some words for parrot in countries that speak Spanish?

[kolkapetal]

My understanding is that people often use different words to say the same thing in different Spanish speaking countries.

So how do you say "parrot" if you are in:

Spain?
Countries in Latin America?

[poli]

I have heard loro. Guacamayo also, but that's a special parrot. Words change from country to country for lots of reasons. Some reasons: Native American words from a particular country reign(palta/aguacate). African words often are used (candia/quimbombó). Sometimes words that are too impolite to mention became local words.

[pjt33]

Gabriel García Marquez's colonel* comments to his wife that he must look like a papagayo with his hair sticking up. A similar regional variation (audibly identical if you're a yeísta) is papagallo.


* El coronel no tiene quien le escriba

[Rusty]

I heard 'loro' or 'perico' in Central America.

[JPablo]

From the following list, the bold ones are the ones I heard some time. (The most common ones in bold blue.)

Cancán, cata, catalnica, catana, catarinita, catey, catita, caturra, choroy, cotorra, cotorrera, guacamaya, guacamayo, guara, guaro, loro, maracaná, mariquita, papagayo, paraba, paraguay, perico, periquito, tricahue, tui, viudita, zapoyolito.

[chileno]

Dejaste fuera cacatúa...

[Perikles]

Originally Posted by chileno

Dejaste fuera cacatúa...

But not all parrots are cockatoos

Parrots, also known as psittacines are birds of the roughly 372 species in 86 genera that make up the order Psittaciformes, found in most tropical and subtropical regions. The order is subdivided into three superfamilies: the Psittacoidea ('true' parrots), the Cacatuoidea (cockatoos) and the Strigopoidea (New Zealand parrots).

(Wiki)

[ROBINDESBOIS]

Originally Posted by JPablo

From the following list, the bold ones are the ones I heard some time. (The most common ones in bold blue.)

Cancán, cata, catalnica, catana, catarinita, catey, catita, caturra, choroy, cotorra, cotorrera, guacamaya, guacamayo, guara, guaro, loro, maracaná, mariquita, papagayo, paraba, paraguay, perico, periquito, tricahue, tui, viudita, zapoyolito.

I agree.

[chileno]

Si ese fuera el caso, un papagayo no es un loro tampoco...

[JPablo]

Mmmm... no sé, no sé... Chileno...

El DRAE da:

loro 1. m. Papagayo, ave, y más particularmente el que tiene el plumaje con fondo rojo.

[chileno]

Bueno, guacamayo entonces...........

[AngelicaDeAlquezar]

Originally Posted by kolkapetal

My understanding is that people often use different words to say the same thing in different Spanish speaking countries.

So how do you say "parrot" if you are in:

Spain?
Countries in Latin America?

Well, they are not "the same thing"; their obvious differences are in colours and sizes.

Still, in Mexico, when we talk about Amazon parrots, as they are all mostly green and medium sized, we do not differenciate the species, but depending on the region we use at least three different words for them: "perico", "loro" and "cotorro"/"cotorra".
We also tend to use "loro" for the ones that are not from here, like eclectus or African ones (lately sold in pet stores), which in size are similar to Amazons.
For smaller ones, "periquito" will be the most common word.

The words "papagayo" and "guacamaya"/"guacamayo" tend to designate the same kind of bird: the biggest ones, mostly colourful or green with big tails and huge beaks.

"Cacatúa" is used for any of those birds with an erectile crest, either big or small (like cockatiels).