Did pirates really have parrots as pets?

We all know that pirates, in real life, were probably not quite the same as they are portrayed in stories, and that piracy itself is probably as old as prostitution. It was not solely reserved to the fellows who made it known during the golden age of piracy. Julius Caesar was captured by pirates, there were Chinese pirates years before, and there are still some today, although now they have machine guns and assault rifles.

They stole, they smuggled, there are myths and there are truths. But I want to know about the parrots. Where did this idea come from? Was there a famous pirate that had a parrot as a pet? I assume that if they were known for having exotic animals like parrots and monkeys on board, it was to sell them or smuggle them in places where there were no such animals. But wouldn’t the animal, away from its environment, eventually die? Or wouldn’t the crew get sick from bites, parasites and whatnot?

You’d think the only pets sailors would want would be cats, so they could kill any rat that may be on board, rats that get into food supplies and such. Or perhaps not, as cats marking their territory might be hazardous to food or water?

So where do these parrots come from? Why would pirates want them? Help me clarify this. Thanks, later.