I would like to preface this by saying that I'm not sure if this question belongs here, but I thought historians would be best suited to help me out.

In popular media (this question actually came because I was watching a Tom & Jerry movie) whenever we see a pirate we see a parrot on their shoulder. I've never questioned the legitimacy of the pairing but now that I'm older I have to wonder if it's legit, and where it comes from. Does anyone have any clue?