From the Parrot's Beak: 7/16 Edition
- Psycho Woman Cause of Feral Parots(?): A woman having a psychotic fit burned down a pet shop and released the cherry headed conures that were destined to become "The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill", according to one story Err, not quite. A pet shop did burn down in Pasadena and the woman apparently in question was trying to save the birds. Moreover she was in full possession of her marbles. A more likely explanations is that the original feral conures escaped or were purposely released by pet owners. The conures can live for decades, and they’re loud and demanding pets, so not everyone is suited to caring for them. - From https://ww2.kqed.org/news/2016/11/24/where-did-the-wild-parrots-of-san-francisco-come-from/
- Parrot Vs. Squirrel: An epic battle over a tree nest cavity between a tree squirrrel and a brown headed parrot in Africa was captured in photos by "National Geographic". The leadwood tree near Nandzana waterhole in South Africa’s Kruger National Park has served as a home to a lilac-breasted roller, pearl-spotted owlet, yellow-billed hornbill, glossy starling, and tree squirrels. A pair of brown head parrots were looking to move in but the spot was also eyed by a squirrel and a pitched battle ensured. Spoiler alert: A bite to the tail sent the squirrel running away and the parrot's wings raised in victory. - See the photos at https://africageographic.com/blog/titanic-battle-squirrel-parrot/
- Alex Update: Alex the celebrated African grey is seen unlatching a lock and going through several other barriers to get at a snack on a video circulating recently on Facebok. The late Alex demonstrated a remarkable grasp for not only imitating but apparently understanding several English words via the work of Harvard's Dr. Irene Pepperberg.
- Take it ESA: House Resolution 2603 aims to amend the Endangered Species Act of 1973 to provide that nonnative species in the United States shall not be treated as endangered species or threatened species for purposes of that Act.Supporters of the amendment, including the American Federation for Aviculture, contend that the Act hampers domestic breeding of many parrots that are endangered in the wild, which seems counterproductive to the original intent.
- ParroTrivia: Kramer hides a key in the food dish of Fredo the parrot, unbeknownst to the parrot's owner, neighbor Phil. the parrot dies, apparently from "something he ate". It's a classic "Seinfeld" episode.
- Freeze Frame: Kakota and Elvis, the Indian ringnecks, flew from Australia to London under the care of Qantas Airline and pet transporter company Skypets, to the tune of $2500. Their 21 year old owner, Danielle Di Fiore, says two year old Kakota was in poor condition immediately after the flight and died from hypothermia; asking, "Why there was so much water, why was it so cold in the hold?" Elvis apparently survived the ordeal. Skypets is denying responsibility and Di Fiore is trying to raise funds to take the airline to court.
- From: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4696044/Woman-says-Qantas-froze-pet-bird-death-London-flight.html
- Parrots Sing the Blues: Relentless trapping reduced wild blue-throated macaw populations to rumors,until about 100 of them were rediscovered in 1992 in a remote area of Bolivia. BTMs tend to live in hard-to-reach places that are flooded much of the year. An intensive regimen to protect the remaining birds was put into action by local NGOs —including the Conservación de Loros de Bolivia, the Research Center for Biodiversity and the Environment — along with academic collaborators and the World Parrot Trust but met with little success WPT director Jamie Gilardi began to consider the captive population they had been managing for more than 15 years in a different light. Perhaps some of them could be released to the wild. About 50 confiscated and pet trade blue-throated macaws are in Florida, 30 in Canada, some two dozen are in England and another two dozen in the Middle East. Besides getting acclimated to a new place, screened for diseases, and oriented to wild foods, the macaws need to be in good physical condition to fly. Most people don’t realize how a bird’s physical condition plummets in captivity. Parrot fans may recall the "go blue for blue throated macaws" campaign in the recent past where people dyed their hair blue to promote awareness of the species' plight. - From https://news.mongabay.com/2017/05/field-notes-reinvigorating-wild-parrot-populations-with-captive-birds/
- Didja Know: Often when birds are about to fall asleep they gently move their upper and lower beaks in a side to side motion which produces a raspy sound. This should not be confused with teeth grinding; a sign of stress. When you hear your parrot grinding its beak, this a comfortable, relaxed parrot! Some think that the behavior is to keep a beak trimmed and to some extent it likely has this effectt. - From http://parrotfunzone.com/learn-about-parrots/parrot-behavior/why-does-my-bird/grind-its-beak
- Not So Happy Ending: Some parrot fanciers are disturbed by the "euthanizing" of a cockatoo named Sydney who took a fancy to his male human owner to the point of attacking his wife. The tale is told in Canadian radio program "The Current"'s documentary titled "No Forever Home" and featuring "parrot whisperer" Melanie Shura - From http://www.cbc.ca/radio/thecurrent/the-current-for-july-13-2017-1.4201394/encore-parrot-listener-mends-broken-relationships-between-people-and-their-birds-1.4202666
- King of the Forage: Wild parrots spend up to 70% of their time searching for food. To prevent your pet parrot from becoming a "perch potato" and to provide him/her some quality enrichment time, you should make finding some food a challenge. Some tips: Continue your bird's regular diet in his usual bowl. Place treats in multiple bowls spread throughout the cage. Once your bird catches on to searching and retrieving, increase the complexity.. Hide food by loosely covering the cups with paper. The paper can be taped down when this gets too easy You can also use Dixie cups, small paper bags or cardboard tubes that can be crumpled around the treats. Let your bird observe the placement of treats in them and demonstrate their retrieval. Progress to puzzle oriented toys that require problem solving and manipulation such as opening hatches, turning compartments, opening drawers, unscrewing hardware or shredding material to gain access to the food. - From http://parrotfunzone.com/learn-about-parrots/parrot-care/foraging-fun
- Message from Molly: (the parrot) Well, I am just that annoyed this morning! Mum and dad went out last night for a nice dinner and there was apple pie for dessert. My most favorite fruit of all time, apples. Did they bring me a bite? Did they even save a dry old piece of pie crust for their darling little conure? Of course not! I'm gonna poop on something important today! - From a Facebook post
- Quote o' the Week: I feel sorry for people who don't have birds. I hear they need alarm clocks to wake up m in the morning!
- Hot Dates: 7/22,23: '17 Tristate Budgerigar Society Show. Middlesex County 4H Center, 645 Cranbury Road (Route 535) East Brunswick, NJ -- 7/23: Lara Joseph live stream video teaching about parrots
- Lost: Congo African grey, 'Toby', Akron , OH. Reward offered. (330) 808-2455/(234) 466-0448/Pattypreston@rocketmanII.com -- Lost: Blue Indian ringneck, Deer Park, NY area. Reward offered. (631) 988-8047
