Zygodactyl:
Parrots have handedness, or rather footedness. They are zygodactyl, which means they have two toes facing forwards and two facing backwards. Most birds have three going forwards and one backwards. The orientation of the toes makes parrots good at climbing and picking things up and holding them. They often pick up a large piece of food and hold it in one foot while eating it a piece at a time. Most are left-footed. Whichever foot a bird uses is almost always the same. My cockatoo is left-footed. [“The Last Word,” response by Linda Dow to a question regarding handedness in animals, NewScientist (4 April 2020)]
