FISH FACTS - PARROT FISH

by Ross and Terri Whiteside


Queen Parrotfish © David B. Snyder

Parrot Fish get their name from their bright colors and fused “beak-like” teeth.  The strong, fused teeth are used to scrape algae from coral and limestone.  During the ingestion process, a tremendous amount of sand is excreted.  One large parrot fish is capable of generating over a ton of sand per year!  Parrot Fish are responsible for a large amount of sand associated with tropical reefs.  At first scientists thought that the parrot fish were destroying the reef, but later found that parrotfish promote a healthy reef by preventing algae from smothering the reef.
Parrot fish swim primarily by rowing themselves along with their pectoral (side) fins.  Species vary in size from the 5 inch Bluelip Parrot Fish to the 4 foot Rainbow Parrot Fish.  Identification of parrot fish is somewhat difficult because they undergo dramatic changes in shape, color and markings as they go through different phases of maturity.  Parrot Fish go from juvenile phase to initial adult and finally to terminal phase.  Some female species are hermaphroditic and change to males during the terminal phase, while others just mature without changing sex.
After feeding all day, parrot fish separate and look for a place to sleep.  Some species such as the Queen and Princess Parrot Fish exhibit an unusual phenomenon at this time.  They spend about 30 minutes secreting a sticky, mucous cocoon around their bodies.  The cocoon prevents nocturnal predators such as morays and sharks from attacking because they are now unable to smell the parrot fish.
Divers often confuse the Princess Parrot Fish with the Striped Parrotfish.  In the Juvenile phase, both fish have black and white body stripes with a white belly.  The difference is the Striped Parrot Fish also has a yellow smudge on its nose.  In the terminal phase, the fish can be distinguished by observing the tail.  The terminal phase Princess has orange to pink borders on its tail.  The terminal phase Striped Parrot Fish has no orange to pink markings on the borders of its tail but does have orange to pink linear marks between the borders.

Identifying the Princess and Striped Parrot Fish

Juvenile Phase

Princess — Black and white body stripes

Striped — Black and white body stripes
with a yellow smudge on its nose

Terminal Phase

Princess — Borders of tail orange to pink

Striped — Orange to pink linear marks
between borders of the tail

Photo Credits – Joyce and Frank Burek
Fish facts was written in the belief that increased fish knowledge will contribute to improved diver awareness and stewardship in coral reef protection.  Much of the information in this article was learned from "REEF Fish Behavior" by Ned DeLoach and "REEF Fish Identification" by Paul Humann, both available from New World Publications, Inc.

Listed below are some links where you can find pictures and additional information about Parrot Fish: