Parrot (Pirate patch)
B parrot 
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|---|---|
| Difficulty | 4 |
| Attacks | |
| Base level | 2 |
| Base experience | 22 |
| Speed | 20 |
| Base AC | 6 |
| Base MR | 0 |
| Alignment | 0 (neutral) |
| Frequency (by normal means) | 2 (Quite rare) |
| Genocidable | Yes |
| Weight | 40 |
| Nutritional value | 20 |
| Size | Small |
| Resistances | none |
| Resistances conveyed | none |
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A parrot:
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- This article is about the monster in the Pirate patch and SpliceHack. For the monster in other variants, see parrot.
A parrot, B, is a type of monster that appears in both versions of the Pirate patch. The parrot also appears in SpliceHack, where its traits are completely unaltered.
The parrot is a small herbivorous bird that is capable of flight, can be seen via infravision, and has a tendency to wander while moving. Most of the parrot's attributes are identical to those of the raven, save for its diet and attacks.
A parrot has a bite attack and a claw attack.
Generation
Randomly generated parrots are always created hostile.
Pirates have a 1⁄2 chance of starting the game with a tame parrot as their default pet in both of the original patches and in SpliceHack.
In the second Pirate patch by ChrisANG, four parrots are randomly placed on the upper filler level of the Pirate quest at level creation.
Parrots appear among the random B that are part of the first quest monster class for Wizards in both of the original patches and in SpliceHack, and make up 24⁄175 of the monsters randomly generated on the Wizard quest.
Strategy
Parrots are not especially strong, but their high movement speed of 20 can make hostile ones annoyances for early heroes. A pet parrot is typically of little use to a Pirate beyond the early stages, especially as it cannot grow up and heroes do not have a means to domestically tame more—they are usually more of a novelty than anything, but a hero that manages to keep a starting parrot long enough can try to polymorph it into something stronger.
Origin
Parrots (Psittaciformes), also known as "psittacines", are birds with a strong curved beak, an upright stance and clawed feet—. They are classified in four families that contain roughly 410 species in 101 genera, found mostly in tropical and subtropical regions: Psittaculidae (Old World parrots), Psittacidae (African and New World parrots), Cacatuidae (cockatoos), and Strigopidae (New Zealand parrots). Parrots have a generally pantropical distribution, with several species inhabiting temperate regions as well; the greatest diversity of parrots is in South America and Australasia.
Parrots are among the most intelligent birds alongside others such as ravens, crows, jays, and magpies, and the ability of some parrot species to learn and imitate human speech enhances their popularity as pets. They form the most variably-sized bird order in terms of length, and many are vividly coloured with some also being multi-colored. Most parrots' diets are composed primarily of seeds, nuts, fruit, buds, and other plant material; lories and lorikeets are specialised for feeding on floral nectar and soft fruits, while more than a few species of parrots sometimes eat grubs, insects, carrion, or even other birds. Almost all parrots nest in tree hollows (or nest boxes in captivity), and lay white eggs that hatch into helpless young. Parrots are the only creatures to display true tripedalism, walking with a rolling gait and using their necks and beaks as limbs when climbing.
Due to trapping, hunting, habitat loss, and competition from invasive species, one-third of all parrot species are threatened by extinction, with a higher aggregate extinction risk than any other comparable bird group. As of 2021, about 50 million parrots (half of all parrots) live in captivity, with the vast majority of these living as pets in people's homes—measures taken to conserve the habitats of some high-profile charismatic species have also protected many of the less charismatic species living in the same ecosystems.
Fictional depictions of pirates in media frequently depict captains and other higher-ranking pirates with pet parrots that often loudly repeat things they've overhead, or else talk of their own accord. One likely basis for this trope is the 1883 novel Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson, which features "Captain Flint" as the talking parrot companion of Long John Silver: she is named for a notorious deceased pirate captain, and her habitual refrain is "Pieces of eight! Pieces of eight!"
Encyclopedia entry
The following entry only appears in SpliceHack:
Polly desires a compressed edible concoction of wheat!
