In 1832 Edward Lear, afterwards well known as a humorist, brought out his Illustrations of the Family of Psittacidae, a volume which deserves especial notice from the extreme fidelity to nature and the great artistic skill with which the figures were executed.
The climbers comprise a large number of species, some of which, like those of the parrot (Psittacidae) and woodpecker (Picus), are particularly noticeable in every wooded region of the country.
Summarily expressed, Garrod's scheme was to divide the parrots into two families, Palaeornithidae and Psittacidae, assigning to the former three subfamilies, Palaeornithinae, Cacatuinae and Stringopinae, and to the latter four, Arinae, Pyrrhurinae, Platycercinae and Chrysotinae.
About 80 genera with more than 500 species are recognized, divided into the family Psittacidae with the subfamilies Stringopinae, Psittacinae and Cacatuinae, and the family Trichoglossidae with the subfamilies Cyclopsittacinae, Loriinae and Nestorinae.