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Not to be confused with his purple counterpart, Quawks the Parrot.
Squawks the Parrot
Squawks(DKCR) (HD)
Squawks the Parrot's artwork from the game Donkey Kong Country Returns for Wii.


Family Quawks the Parrot,
Tawks the Parrot
Species Parrot
Homeland Donkey Kong Island


Allies Kong Family
Enemies Kremling Krew,
Screech
Game(s) Donkey Kong Country,
Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest,
Donkey Kong Land 2,
Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!,
Donkey Kong Land III,
Donkey Kong 64,
Donkey Kong Barrel Blast,
Donkey Kong Country Returns,
Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D,
Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze
First Appearance Donkey Kong Country (for SFC/SNES) (1994)
Latest Appearance Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze (for Switch) (2018)

Squawks the Parrot is an animal buddy who helps the Kongs through the Donkey Kong series. He first appeared in the game Donkey Kong Country.

History[]

DKCsquawks

Artwork of Squawks, holding a lantern to help the Kongs, from the game Donkey Kong Country.

Donkey Kong Country[]

In the original Donkey Kong Country game, Squawks only appears in the Gorilla Glacier stage Torchlight Trouble. Once released from his crate, Squawks will follow Donkey and Diddy Kong through the pitch-black cavern. Armed with a bright lantern, Squawks lights up the surrounding area, allowing the Kongs to see ahead and traverse the dark stage. In the same stage of the Game Boy Advance version of Donkey Kong Country, Squawks is not released from an animal crate. The parrot just appears at the beginning of the stage.

Donkey Kong Country 2 and Donkey Kong Land 2[]

During the events of Donkey Kong Country 2 and Donkey Kong Land 2, Squawks has grown up. In both games, Squawks can be directly controlled (unlike his previous appearance). He can fly in the air by flapping his wings and attack enemies by shooting eggs from his beak. The eggs are capable of harming most of the regular enemies, except red Zingers. In the GBA version of Donkey Kong Country 2, Squawks can spew eggs slightly quicker.

He is first found in the stage Squawks's Shaft, which is named after him. In some stages of Donkey Kong Country 2, Squawks is released from a crate. Squawks will then carry his primate allies through the stage, until reaching a No Animal Sign. In Donkey Kong Land 2 and other stages of Donkey Kong Country 2, the heroes will directly transform into Squawks by using his Animal Barrel. Additionally, it is interesting to note that Squawks will not fly away when hit by an enemy. Instead, one of the Kongs will drop from his claws when he is carrying them. Squawks remains playable as long as a second Kong remains safe. As such, Squawks controls the same regardless of whether he is released from a crate or the Kongs are transformed into him. However, when carrying the heroes in Donkey Kong Country 2, Squawks flies much slower than when the primates transform into Squawks, as the parrot is obviously slowed down by the Kongs' weight.

Squawks is also the first animal buddy to take part in a boss battle. In Donkey Kong Country 2 and Donkey Kong Land 2, Squawks has to fight the leader of the Zingers himself, King Zing. In the Krazy Kremland boss stage King Zing Sting, the primates turn into Squawks to fight against the massive bee.

In Donkey Kong Country 2 and Donkey Kong Land 2, during the second half of the stage Screech's Sprint of The Flying Krock world, the Kongs must transform into Squawks and race against Screech, an evil-looking parrot. In order to win the race, the player must maneuver Squawks around dangerous brambles and many Zingers. By losing the race, Squawks will be defeated at the spot, and the player will lose an extra life.

In Donkey Kong Country 2, Squawks has multiple purple counterparts named Quawks the Parrots. They only appear in the stage Parrot Chute Panic of the Gloomy Gulch world. Unlike Squawks, Quawks cannot spit eggs out of their mouths or fly upwards. These purple parrots' ability in this game is only to help the Kongs to descend at certain speed and traverse the stage while avoiding enemies.

Donkey Kong Country 3 and Donkey Kong Land III[]

Squawks remains unchanged in the games Donkey Kong Country 3 and Donkey Kong Land III, respectively. Quawks also reappears in Donkey Kong Country 3 as a single uncommon animal buddy who possesses most of Squawks' abilities, including the ability to fly upwards. The only difference is that Quawks cannot spit out eggs, but he can lift up barrels with his talons and drop them, as opposed to Squawks.

In Donkey Kong Country 3 and Donkey Kong Land III, Squawks' eggs can harm all regular enemies, except Bazukas, Koins, Koindozers, Kopters, Kuchukas, Minkeys, Nids and red Buzzes. Like in Donkey Kong Country 2, the GBA version of Donkey Kong Country 3 has Squawks able to spew eggs at a slightly quicker pace.

Donkey Kong 64[]

Strangely, Squawks returns to a smaller size in the game Donkey Kong 64. By exhibiting the capacity of speaking full sentences for the first time, it is Squawks who informs Donkey Kong about King K. Rool's return, how Donkey's banana hoard was stolen and the other Kongs were kidnapped by the Kremling Krew. In this game, Squawks fulfills a variety of roles. He acts as a guide and provide information to the heroes, he carries Tiny Kong in his claws if the young Kong shrunk herself, and he carries a lantern in dark caves (just like in the original Donkey Kong Country game).

Donkey Kong Barrel Blast[]

Squawks appears as an item in the racing game Donkey Kong Barrel Blast.

Donkey Kong Country Returns and Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D[]

Squawks also appears as an item in the games Donkey Kong Country Returns and Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D. He can only be purchased from the Cranky Kong's Shop for fifteen Banana Coins or five coins in the New Mode of the Nintendo 3DS game version. After the player selecting a level, Squawks must be equipped from the Inventory menu for him to be used inside it. He does not carry the Kongs or attacks the enemies as in the previous games, but instead Squawks sits on a little branch at the lower left corner of the screen and become agitated when Donkey and Diddy Kong are near a Puzzle Piece or entrance to a Bonus Room. As closer as the primates get to the collectable or Bonus Room, more agitated the parrot will become, and he will start to squawk. Squawks will no longer to react to Puzzle Pieces inside or outside Bonus Rooms already collected by the player. And even if the player loses an extra life, the parrot will still be present until the heroes leaving the current level. In the New Mode of Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D and the multiplayer mode of both games, only a single Squawks can be equipped at the time. However, the parrot can also be equipped in levels where there are no Puzzle Pieces, such as boss levels, wasting his use for nothing. Squawks cannot be equipped in the Time Attack mode and Mirror Mode of both games.

In the overworld map of Donkey Kong Island of both games, Squawks also appears as the selection marker for worlds.

Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze[]

In Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, Squawks fulfills the same item role as in the two previous games, Donkey Kong Country Returns and Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D: to indicate when the primates are close by a Puzzle Piece or entrance of Bonus Room inside levels. Additionally, the parrot will even celebrate upon the primates collecting a Puzzle Piece. Squawks is now only purchased from the Funky Kong's Fly 'N' Buy shop for ten Banana Coins. The bird cannot be equipped during the Time Attack mode and Hard Mode of the same game.

Other[]

Donkey Kong Country comic[]

DKC CN2

Squawks meeting the Kongs as seen in the Donkey Kong Country comic.

Squawks appears in the second part of the Club Nintendo comic Donkey Kong Country as an ally of Donkey and Diddy Kong. He is given to them by Candy Kong at her Save Point, and he brings them to a cave. Inside, the two heroes get attacked by a Kritter. With the help of Squawks, who uses his lantern to project Donkey's shadow onto the wall, the primates scare the enemy away. After this event, Diddy and Donkey Kong leave Squawks and proceed.

Donkey Kong in: Banana Day 24[]

In Donkey Kong in: Banana Day 24, a comic published in the same magazine previously mentioned, Squawks is seen conducting an "automatic parrot wake-up service" to get the Kongs off their palms in the morning. He uses a microphone and speakers to tell a joke. Diddy calls Squawks a "dumb parrot" and claims that he is telling the same joke every morning.

Stages[]

Donkey Kong Country[]

Donkey Kong Country 2 and Donkey Kong Land 2[]

Donkey Kong Country 3[]

Donkey Kong Land III[]

Gallery[]

Artwork[]

Sprites[]

Screenshots[]

Trivia[]

  • Squawks has the most non-cameo appearances of all the Animal Buddies in the Donkey Kong series (however, Rambi has the most playable appearances). Squawks is also the only animal buddy who fulfills multiple tasks throughout the series.
  • Squawks is also the only Animal Buddy to appear in every Donkey Kong Country title, as well as Donkey Kong 64.
  • In the game Donkey Kong Country 2, Glimmer the Anglerfish has a function similar to the one of Squawks in iluminating the path for the Kongs.
  • In the games Donkey Kong Country Returns and Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D, after visiting the Cranky Kong's Shop, Cranky will randomly say one of the following quotes about Squawks:
    • By the player highlighting the parrot and waiting for Cranky to say something about him eventually:
      • "Take this guy off my hands. He's making a real mess of the place."
      • "If you're having trouble finding secrets, Squawks is your man! Err... bird!"
      • "Of course, I would have no need for this little guy. But you aren't me, are you?"
      • "Squawks will help you find hidden secrets. He is so helpful."
      • "Not only does he keep me company, he reminds where I left my keys!"
    • By the player purchasing one unit of the parrot:
      • "Keep him safe, you hear?!"
      • "In my day, if you wanted to find secrets, you found them yourself!"
      • "Now go find some secrets!"
      • "Squawks will speak up when he finds secrets... for a friend."
      • "He likes it when you scratch him just behind the ears."
  • In the Funky Mode of the Nintendo Switch version of the game Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, where Funky Kong is the main character controlled by the player, if he/she visits the Funky's Fly 'N' Buy shop, he/she will meet Tawks the Parrot. The parrot will take care of the shop instead of Funky Kong in this mode. It is safe to assume that Tawks is somehow related to Squawks, maybe even as close relatives, like Quawks the Parrot.
Bonus Coin Static Items (excluding mostly Barrels) Bear Coin Static
General Animal Token ā€¢ Banana ā€¢ Banana Fairy ā€¢ Banana Medal ā€¢ Boss Key ā€¢ Cog ā€¢ Crest ā€¢ Crystal Coconut ā€¢ Crystal Star ā€¢ Extra Life Balloon ā€¢ Giant Banana ā€¢ Golden Balloon ā€¢ Golden Banana ā€¢ Golden Feather ā€¢ Headphones ā€¢ K-O-N-G Letters ā€¢ Puzzle Piece ā€¢ Rare Orb ā€¢ Supply Crate ā€¢ Watermelon
Coins Banana Coin ā€¢ Bear Coin ā€¢ Bonus Coin ā€¢ DK Coin ā€¢ Kong Token ā€¢ Kremkoin ā€¢ Nintendo Coin ā€¢ Rareware Coin ā€¢ Silver Coin
Vehicles Gyrocopter ā€¢ Hot Air Balloon ā€¢ Hover Craft ā€¢ Mine Cart ā€¢ Motor Boat ā€¢ Rocket Barrel ā€¢ Skull Cart ā€¢ Toboggan ā€¢ Turbo Ski
Weapons/
Projectiles
Coconut Shooter ā€¢ Crate ā€¢ Feather Bow ā€¢ Grape Shooter ā€¢ Kannonball ā€¢ Orange Grenade ā€¢ Peanut Popgun ā€¢ Pineapple Launcher ā€¢ Treasure Chest ā€¢ Watermelon Bomb
Shop Banana Juice ā€¢ DK Barrel (DD, DX, CK & FK Barrels) ā€¢ Heart Boost ā€¢ Map Key ā€¢ Red Balloon ā€¢ Squawks the Parrot
Others Animal Crate ā€¢ End of Stage Target ā€¢ Hook ā€¢ Kannon ā€¢ Melon Crate ā€¢ No Animal Sign ā€¢ Rope ā€¢ Stage Flag ā€¢ Tire
Miscellaneous Brothers Bear Items (Bowling Ball ā€¢ Mirror)
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