Parrots look like simple pets in Minecraft, but you can do more than just see them in the sky. They mimic nearby mob sounds, they react to music, and they can perch on your shoulders while you travel.

If you want a parrot companion, you must tame one. You bring the right seeds, you feed the bird until it trusts you, and you learn a few rules that keep it safe. This guide covers what parrots do, how taming works, and what you can and cannot do after you tame one!

What do parrots do in Minecraft?

Parrots are passive mobs that live in jungle biomes of Minecraft. They fly, land, and gather near other mobs, which makes them easy to notice once you spot movement in the trees.

Their signature trait is sound mimicry. A parrot can imitate the idle sounds of nearby hostile mobs and some neutral mobs, and it uses a detection range of about 20 blocks. You can hear a familiar sound at a higher pitch, even when you do not see the mob yet.

Parrots also interact with music. When you play a music disc in a jukebox, parrots “dance,” including in some cases while they sit on your shoulder.

If you are currently in a jungle biome to tame a parrot, check our piece on the best jungle houses in Minecraft, which could possibly spark an idea in your head to start a new house in the area!

How to tame a parrot in Minecraft

You only meet parrots in jungle-type biomes, so plan your route first. Once you find one, taming starts with preparation and then simple repetition.

List of needed seeds to tame a parrot

You need to feed the parrot some seeds. Minecraft accepts these seed items for taming:

• Wheat seeds
• Melon seeds
• Pumpkin seeds
• Beetroot seeds
• Torchflower seeds

Pack more than you think you need. Each feeding attempt runs on chance, so the same parrot can take a few seeds or many seeds.

Step-by-step taming

1. Put the seeds in your hand.
2. Walk up to the parrot and interact to feed it one seed.
3. Repeat until you see hearts. That moment confirms the tame.

After taming, interact with the parrot to toggle sit and stand. A standing parrot follows you and can teleport to keep up when you move away.

Rules you must know before you leave the jungle

• Do not give a parrot a cookie. In Java Edition, the cookie kills it right away. In Bedrock Edition, the cookie applies fatal poison.
• Use a lead when you want tight control in dense terrain. A shoulder ride feels convenient, but it can end at the wrong time.

Advantages of taming parrots in Minecraft

A tamed parrot follows you on foot and can ride on your shoulder, so you can bring it across long routes without constant manual handling.

Parrots also add awareness during exploration. Their mimic sounds can alert you to nearby threats before you turn a corner or dig into a space. You still need vision and caution, but you gain an extra layer of audio warning.

How many seeds do you need to tame a parrot in Minecraft?

Minecraft uses a 1/10 taming chance per seed. That means 10 seeds often does the job on average, but you can still hit unlucky streaks. If you want a practical buffer, carry 20–30 seeds so you can finish the tame in one visit.

How do you get a parrot to ride on your shoulder in Minecraft?

First, tame the parrot and make sure it stands, not sits. Then walk through the parrot while it stands on the ground. The parrot jumps onto your shoulder. You can carry one parrot on each shoulder, and parrots prefer your left shoulder first when it stays free.

If you want the parrot off your shoulder, you can trigger a dismount through normal play. Common triggers include taking damage, stepping into water, sleeping in a bed, or dropping off a ledge.

Can you fly Elytra with a parrot?

Yes, you can start Elytra flight while a parrot sits on your shoulder, but you should expect frequent dismounts during real travel. Minecraft forces parrots to dismount when you take damage, when you touch water, or when you drop off ledges and land changes do not meet the shoulder rules.

If you want to protect your parrot, avoid water skims and chaotic landings. When you plan long flights, use a lead and safe landing spots instead of relying on shoulder carry.

How to feed parrots in Minecraft

Parrots eat the same seeds you use for taming: wheat, melon, pumpkin, beetroot, or torchflower seeds. You feed them by holding seeds and interacting with the parrot.

Keep one rule in mind. Cookies still count as a usable item, but they kill the parrot in Java or cause fatal poison in Bedrock. Remove cookies from your hotbar when you handle parrots.

How to breed parrots

Minecraft does not support parrot breeding in vanilla gameplay. Seeds do not start love mode, and you do not get baby parrots from two tamed adults.

If you want more parrots, you have three clean options:

• Tame more parrots in jungle biomes
• Use spawn eggs in Creative mode
• Use a modded setup that adds breeding rules (if your server allows it)