The influence of substrate size upon pulling and gripping forces in parrots (Psittaciformes: Agapornis roseicollis)

The ability to securely grasp substrates of variable diameter is critical to arboreal animals. Arboreal specialists have emerged across several vertebrate lineages – including mammals, lizards and amphibians – and several attempts have been made to quantify their grasping performance, by measuring either gripping (i.e. forces generated about an object or substrate enclosed within the digits) or pulling (i.e. the ability to resist being removed from a substrate) forces. In this study, we present data on both pulling and gripping performance across a range of substrate diameters (0.5–17.5 mm) within a model parrot species (Agapornis roseicollis). Parrots represent an ancient arboreal lineage, allowing us to compare their abilities with those of arboreal specialists within other tetrapod groups. Data were collected using 3D-printed perches of variable diameter, and forces were registered using either an AMTI low-load force plate (grip force) or a Harvard Apparatus portable strength tester (pull force). Gripping forces peaked at a 5 mm diameter perch, while pulling forces were greatest at a 2.5 mm diameter. All forces strongly diminished above 10 mm size, suggesting grip force is optimized when utilizing small perches, a finding which corresponds to observational studies of preferential perching habits among free-ranging parrots. Relative grasping performance (adjusted for body size) in parrots is roughly equivalent to that of other arboreal specialists from other tetrapod lineages, but low when compared with that of raptorial birds that utilize their feet during aerial prey capture. Further taxonomic sampling is encouraged to contextualize how grasping performance varies in an adaptive evolutionary context.