Parrot of the international market: hundreds of thousands of these were parrots. No national laws protect feral parrot populations in the U.S. Mexico has a licensing system for capturing and selling native birds. Parrots have featured in human writings, story, art, humor, religion, and music for thousands of years. From Aesop's fable "The parrot and the cat" and the Roman poet Ovid's "The Dead Parrot" to Monty Python's "Dead Parrot sketch", parrots have existed in the consciousness of many cultures. Recent books about parrots in human culture include "Parrot Culture". In ancient times and current, parrot feathers have been used in
Parrot Buddhist iconography, a parrot is sometimes depicted hovering on the upper right side Guan Yin clasping a pearl or prayer beads in its beak. Parrots are used as symbols of nations and nationalism. A parrot is found on the flag of Dominica and two parrots on their coat of arms. The St. Vincent parrot is the national bird of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, a Caribbean nation. Sayings about parrots colour the modern English language. The verb "parrot" in the dictionary means "to repeat by rote". Also clichés such as the British expression "sick as a parrot" are given; although