A New Friend

I’ve grown up with pets all of my life.  We’ve had dogs, cats, hamsters, fish, salamanders and frogs living in our St. Charles house all at the same time.

I’d had a pet of my very own before—a teddy bear hamster named Fuzzy—but considering I was a middle-school kid at the time, it was pretty impressive that I managed to take care of him.  Fuzzy lived to the ripe old age of four, and after him, I didn’t really think I’d have another pet of my own until I moved out of my parent’s house (which still hasn’t happened yet…).

However, the week before Christmas this past year, I came home after an evening of caroling to a big surprise…

Unbeknownst to me I was about to meet a new friend! 

Caring for birds has been part of my life since 2009.  I love working with the birds at World Bird Sanctuary, and it gives me great satisfaction to work with them every day.  Because I work so closely with birds on a daily basis, I never considered getting a bird of my own—after all, I have dozens of them at my disposal every day.  There are WBS staff members that share their lives with parrots.  From Cathy Spahn’s African Grey named Simon, right on down to Lisbeth Hodge’s Green-cheeked Conure named Jazz, many of the staff have opened their hearts to our feathered friends.  I certainly didn’t expect to count myself among them.

Apparently, my parents had other plans….

After caroling that evening, I wandered upstairs to go to bed… and there in my room was a large white cage sitting on my desk.  Inside that cage was a little blue and white Budgrigar  which many people call a parakeet.  I called downstairs to my parents, “Hey guys? Why is there a parakeet in my room?” My parents revealed him to be an early Christmas present, obtained from a breeder near our house. From the get go, I was enamored.  I decided to name him Mr. Bingley, after one of my favorite characters from Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice.

At first, he seemed overwhelmed by all of the big, scary humans who came to ogle him.  He would not step on my finger, and he did not like to come out of his cage at all.  He was also virtually silent.  I was worried for a while that he would remain scared of humans for a very long time… but after a week or so, he started to bloom.

 He's even accepted the family dog as part of his flock

Now I play music for him when I have to leave the house, and have discovered that he likes to listen to Mumford and Sons, as well as Jack’s Mannequin.  How do I know?  He tweets and chirps incessantly when songs by those two bands come on (of course, he could just be vehemently protesting these songs, but unless I learn how to speak parakeet, I’ll never know). 

Mr. Bingley started out very afraid of coming out of the cage.  But now, he sometimes won’t go back in it.  His flight feathers have grown in beautifully, and he loves to fly in circles around my room, chirping as he flies.  He also gets ‘call of the wild’ moments, when he chirps and whistles very loudly, and hops all over his cage.  He will also preen your fingernails if you hold them up by his beak. 

Mr. Bingley sitting on one of his favorite perches

But by far his favorite thing to do, now that the outside world isn’t so scary anymore, is to sit on my head or my shoulder while I’m on the computer.   In fact, at this very moment he’s perched on my head as I type this blog (allowing a bird to perch on your head or shoulder is not for all birds, and at WBS parrots only perch on our hands).

Though unprepared as I was for a pet of my own, I wouldn’t give Mr. Bingley up for the world.  He makes me smile, makes me laugh, and reminds me that happiness can come from anywhere… even a little ball of feathers.

Submitted by Emily Hall, World Bird Sanctuary Naturalist/Trainer

Parrots Galore: Part 3

Welcome back to another installment of Parrots Galore!  

Just to remind you of which birds I own in my household, I have five parakeets (Calla, Myra, Perri, Parker, and Avery) that are all female and one Green-cheeked Conure (Jazz), who is male.  I have already written blogs about Calla and Myra, so feel free to search for those on this site by entering their names in the search box at the top of the page.

Meet Perri.  The brown cere at the top of her beak indicates she is a female.

The next parakeet (budgerigar) I would like to share with you is Perri.  She is seven years old this year.

Perri got her name from her color.  She has a periwinkle body with gray wings and tail and a white head and face.  She is a plump looking little bird that seems to act out when she is outside the cage.  She seems to be a very dramatic bird.  I call her my drama queen. 

Perri loves to fly around my apartment and seems to perch on things she knows she isn’t allowed to perch on.   I think Perri pushes the boundaries when she does this, but she probably feels more comfortable on those perches than others.  She likes to perch on the picture frames on my walls and on my Conure’s cage as well.  As soon as I say her name in a tone that she recognizes as disapproval, she jumps off and flies to one of the four cages.  I do not allow any of the parakeets on the picture frames because of the potential danger of frames falling off and injuring the birds.  I also don’t allow them to be on Jazz’s cage (my Conure) because of possible toe biting.  Jazz is very curious and sometimes protective of his cage.  He has a much larger beak than the parakeets and can do a lot more damage as well. 

Budgies are outgoing and curious and love to investigate everything in their environment. 

Perri also loves to investigate my clothes.  She likes to land on my shoulder and feel the texture with her beak.  She doesn’t let me touch her so much while she’s on me, but will stay with me for several minutes and frequently leave and then return.  When she does this, the other birds seem to become curious and migrate over to join her.  This is an example of this species’ typical flocking behavior.  It’s very fascinating to watch how birds act around each other.

Fortunately the budgie population is listed as a species of least concern in the wild.  Populations of birds and other animals in general, fluctuate depending in great part on human impact.  The extinction of the Carolina parakeet is a sad example of this.  The Carolina Parakeet became extinct in the 1930s in the United States.  The Carolina Parakeet was considered an agricultural pest by farmers, and they were trapped by hunters for their feathers and the pet trade.  Habitat loss was another contributor to their decline.

Besides the Carolina parakeet, the Thick-billed parrot is the only other parrot native to the United States.  It is, unfortunately, on the endangered species list.  The current population is in the vicinity of 1000-4000.  This species’ population has decreased because of human impact, which includes agriculture and structural development.

Budgie populations are estimated to be about 5 million.  These joyful little birds are native to central Australia.  Human impact on budgies is minimal because of their main habitat, open grasslands.  They have been seen in woodlands as well.  Budgies are most likely doing well in the wild because of the areas they inhabit and the fact that they stay together in large flocks--as large as in the hundreds, sometimes thousands.  By flocking together, they have the ability to confuse predators when they come near.  The original wild color mutation is green on the front of the body with black bars on the back.  When they all fly at once, most will escape the predator by confusing it with directionality.  I recommend watching a video online of budgies in the wild. 

Submitted by Lisbeth Hodges, World Bird Sanctuary Naturalist

Parrots Galore - Part 2

For this second part of my series I would like to introduce you to Myra, my seven year old budgie. 

Myra is the true green of budgies found in the wild in Australia

Myra is a parakeet or Budgerigar (budgie for short) and has turned seven years old this year.  She is not a rescue bird nor did I buy her from a pet store or breeder.  She was produced by two of my previous parakeets, Dana and Mason.

 Dana was a cinnamon green mutation with a pale yellow face and light brown wings and tail.  Mason was a true green wild color budgie with a bright yellow face, dark blue/black wings, and a blue tail.  Together they produced three eggs, one of which turned out to be Myra.  She was the first to hatch and therefore the largest.  The other two were smaller and hatched later.  After about two weeks the smallest chick unfortunately passed away.  Myra’s younger sibling survived as well and I named him Marty.  Both look exactly like their father, Mason.  Below you can see a picture of Myra.

Budgies are great starter birds if you’re not familiar with birds.  They don’t require a big cage like macaws , they are not loud like the larger parrots and are not high maintenance pets.  A safe cage size is 22 inches long, 22 inches wide, and 22 inches tall.  The bars of the cage must be close enough together so the bird cannot stick its head through.  The cages with horizontal bars are more desirable so the bird can climb more easily. 

Be sure to bird proof you home if bringing home a budgie

Your place of residence should be bird proof before bringing in a bird or letting them out of their cage.  Even if you don’t let your bird out of its cage, it could fly out while reaching in to change water or feeding.  Be sure ceiling fans are off, windows shut and curtains closed, doors to the outside locked, mirrors covered, toilet seats closed, sinks drained, open glasses of liquid covered or emptied, outlets covered, electrical cords are monitored and oven/stove are off or not reachable.  The average household contains many hazards to birds.  Sometimes in order to protect a bird, one must think on bird terms.

Myra has been such a joy to have around.  Her existence was a wonderful surprise to me seven years ago.  Dana and Mason were great caring parents.  I remember when Dana was sitting on the eggs in the nest box and Mason would be outside, seemingly pacing back and forth like a nervous father-to-be.  Every once in a while he would go up to the entrance and peek inside.  Dana would then squawk at him as if to say, “Stay out!”  

Budgies lay from three to eight eggs in a clutch.  After hatching both parents feed the chicks by regurgitating food for them.  At around six to eight weeks the chicks begin to eat on their own.  Their lifespan can range from 10 to 12 years, but have been known to live longer depending on care.  Dana lived to 12 years and passed away earlier this year from unknown causes, whereas Mason passed away at a premature age of 5 years from a brain tumor.  Marty--Myra’s  brother--sadly passed away late last year. 

In the wild these budgies nest in tree cavities.  In captivity they will use a nest box supplied by humans.  Captive parents will usually tend to the chicks themselves, not needing any help from humans.  I only participated by changing the cotton bedding in the nest box twice a day and keeping the food and water dishes refilled. 

Budgies are native to the central areas of Australia.  They live in desert areas, arid environments and open woodlands.  Like all parrots, they are a social species that live in large flocks.  If owning just one parakeet, then you become its flock and you must be aware of the extra attention necessary for a budgie to thrive.  Just toys will not fulfill the bird’s need for interaction. 

Myra most closely resembles her father, Mason

Most budgies have their own personalities.  Myra is a happy bird that likes to interact with others, but then likes her quiet time alone, too.  She is very sweet and is eager to come out of her cage and interact with me.  She can be shy and hardly ever picks a fight with any of my other birds.  She is a special bird and is a nice reminder of her parents.  She is mostly like her dad, Mason, in looks and personality, whereas Marty was most like his mother, Dana—a more dominant personality.  Budgies are a wonderful bird to own and I recommend learning as much as you can about the species before deciding to purchase one. 

Submitted by Lisbeth Hodges, World Bird Sanctuary Naturalist

Pet Parrots

Green is the color of Mean!

There's a being in my household that hates me with a passion. He is a green-over-grey four-ounce winged creature who thinks he is ten feet tall and bulletproof. His name is Dash. He's a Quaker, or monk, parrot. He can fly like the Green Hornet, turn on a dime, expertly land on the back of your neck, remove a chunk of flesh, and fly off with it, cackling madly. He has a favorite human in the household --Rick. When Dash is around, Rick must not be touched, looked at, or spoken to -- or else.

Dash speaks both Quakerese and human. I used to be a smoker so, in his language, he decided that my name was that nasty morning smoker's cough. He will tell me to "Be QUIET, Be QUIET, Be QUIET" if I speak too loudly. He is very sensitive to human emotional voice tone and volume. Like many parrots, his tribe is part of a flock. Body language, voice tone, and actions are always closely observed so that actions can be determined -- Should we fly and escape? Should we come closer and see if that is something good to eat?


Dash came to be my master because a family had purchased him from a pet store. They kept him for four years, but their lifestyle and his behaviors became too much for them to deal with. This is very common with pet parrots. They gave him to me, and he has been part of my family (and part of my heart) since 2003... even though he hates me. I suspect though that he doesn't truly hate me. I am merely the rival for his chosen mate, Rick, so therefore must be chased away. Parrots are emotional beings and form lifelong bonds with mates. Jealousy is
part of that bond.

Young psittacines must be taught by their parents to find food, escape predators, recognize threats and safety, so they spend much longer with their parents than do other birds. Therefore, the parents must form a strong bond pair to nurture their offspring. Humans love parrots for this ability to form strong bonds. It is, sadly, also why many parrots are given up for adoption. Simply purchasing a parrot is no guarantee that he will love you!

Quaker parrots have been kept as pets since the Europeans colonized the Americas centuries ago. These small grey-and-green parrots are native to Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay and southern Brazil and Argentina. Quakers are very social in nature. They live in large communal nests built of twigs and sticks. They are the only parrot species which builds nests; other psittacine species typically nest in hollow trees. Quaker parrots are able to endure cold winter temperatures, despite their native climate. This has enabled escaped pet Quakers to colonize in the United States, even as far north as Brooklyn, New York. An interesting website about the Brooklyn colonies can be found at: http://www.brooklynparrots.com/

Quakers are illegal to be kept as pets in many U.S. states because of their ability to adapt to a variety of conditions if they escape outside. Thriving feral Quaker colonies exist in many states, including Texas, Florida, and California. No data exists that proves that they have devastated crops or displaced native species, but the risk with any introduced animal or plant is always present. For a list of state regulations on ownership of Quakers, please see http://www.quakerville.com/qic/statelaw.asp

As for us, we hope to continue to enjoy our four-ounce green entertainment center for many years to come.

Submitted by Sue Owens, Volunteer, World Bird Sanctuary.

Sue has a long history of working with parrots and understands their behaviors and needs. We strongly advise all prospective parrot owners to do thorough research into captive parrot behaviors and needs. They are a lifelong commitment and a great deal of time and attention needs to be invested in building a positive relationship with your parrot . In the coming weeks we will be featuring articles on responsible parrot ownership which will guide you in deciding whether or not a parrot is the right pet for you, and how to go about evaluating what kind of parrot would be best for you and your household.