Is there any historical fact behind the cliche that carribean pirates held parrots as pets?

“Under the Black Flag” by David Cordingly has a section about pirates and parrots.

He traces the modern association of parrots with pirates back to Treasure Island. This association was reinforced by Arthur Ransome in Swallows and Amazons during the early 20th century. But as for real pirates, he states, “It was common for seamen who traveled in the tropics to bring back birds and animals as souvenirs of their travels. Parrots were particularly popular because they were colorful, could be taught to speak, and they were easier to look after on board ship than monkeys and other wild animals. They also commanded a good price in the bird markets which were such a feature of eighteenth-century London.”

The book also states that parrots were sometimes used to bribe officials, such as when pirate Clinton Atkinson gave parrots to the deputies of the vice admiral of Dorset in 1583. They were also used to bribe more ‘common’ folk, such as when, “...pirate captain Stephen Haynes gave two parrots to a servant of Sir Christopher Halton in 1582, and gave another two parrots to the Lord Admiral’s cook.” Note that at this time the common punishment for a captured pirate was death, often by hanging, so bribes such as these (but not necessarily involving parrots) were often made to avoid capture.

Finally, it references William Dampier’s description of parrots on his second voyage to South America, “Their colour was yellow and red... and they would prate very prettily and there was scarce a man but what sent aboard one or two of them. So that with provisions, chests, hen-coops, and parrot-cages, our ships were full of lumber, with which we intended to sail.” Here we see that William and his men were in many ways fascinated with the parrots and, it is suggested, brought them aboard both due to this fascination and due to a desire to sell them as exotics.

Nothing is said of them being kept strictly as pets, except that they were transported to be sold or gifted.

Sources:

David Cordingly, Under the Black Flag, 2006 Random House Trade Paperback Edition, p. 9-10

Primary Sources:

The Post-Man, issues of 21 to 24 September (London, 1717)

Dampier, Volume II, p. 223