The image of a pirate with a parrot sitting on his shoulder is firmly rooted in the minds of most people thanks to romantic literature and modern works of mass culture. At the same time, having brainwashed, many people can rightly question this image in relation to real pirates and privateers of the New Time. In the end, it would be much more logical to keep the cat from the rats on the ship! So what was actually the case with the parrots?
In fact, the image of a pirate with a parrot on his shoulder is an artistic fiction that is firmly rooted in the popular mind thanks to the brilliant work of Robert Louis Stevenson "Treasure Island". The local character, the one-legged pirate Long John Silver, carried a parrot named Captain Flint on his shoulder. Thanks to its popularity, Treasure Island has formed the lion's share of clichés and stereotypes about the pirate fraternity. Despite all the brilliance of the work, it is still a romanticization of reality in its most neglected form.
Contrary to popular belief, pirates did more than robbery. The raider business was not only dangerous, but also extremely volatile, in which a lot depended on luck or corruption of officials on land, which not every robber could afford. Therefore, pirates were also actively involved in trade (including slaves), kidnapping and smuggling. The dashing fraternity traded, including a variety of exotic animals, which were especially appreciated by representatives of the wealthy estates in the Old World.
Parrots and little monkeys were one of the main items of pirate exports. Due to the rarity and complexity of delivery, these animals cost a lot of money in modern times. In terms of modern money, one parrot could cost from several hundred American dollars to many thousands (the situation, however, has not changed much). The cheapest parrot in Europe cost about 3 months' salary (salary) of a sailor in the British Royal Navy. Thus, all the monkeys and parrots that were present on pirate ships, as a rule, were nothing more than goods for wealthy gentlemen who were greedy for curiosities.
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If you want to know even more interesting things, then you should read about cocked hats: how tricorns appeared, and why they were abruptly abandoned.
A source: https://novate.ru/blogs/270621/59549/
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