Dead Parrot sketch Dead Parrot sketch The "Dead Parrot Sketch", alternatively and originally known as the "Pet Shop Sketch" or "Parrot Sketch", is a sketch from "Monty Python's Flying Circus". It was written by John Cleese and Graham Chapman and initially performed in the show's first series, in the eighth episode ("Full Frontal Nudity", which first aired 7 December 1969). The sketch portrays a conflict between disgruntled customer Mr Praline (played by Cleese) and a shopkeeper (Michael Palin), who argue whether or not a recently purchased "Norwegian Blue" parrot is dead. It pokes fun at the many euphemisms for death used in British
Brown-necked parrot Brown-necked parrot The brown-necked parrot ("Poicephalus fuscicollis"), sometimes known in aviculture as the uncape parrot, is a large "Poicephalus" parrot species endemic to Africa consisting of the savanna-dwelling brown-necked parrot ("P. fuscicollis fuscicollis") and grey-headed parrot ("P. f. suahelicus") subspecies. It formerly included the Cape parrot (now "Poicephalus robustus") as a subspecies before the Cape parrot was re-classified as a distinct species. German naturalist Heinrich Kuhl described the brown-necked parrot in his 1819 work "Conspectus Psittacorum". Although unsure of its country of origin, he felt it was definitely a distinct species and related to the Cape parrot. The species name