More Wacky Birds

This event at the Mid American Center looks like fun if you like Exotic Birds (Parrots and the like). As you can probably tell from my previous “wacky bird” posts, my wife and I are “Bird Fans.” Our first birds were a pair of cockatiels (Fred and Ethel). We had them for a few years until Ethel went to the great bird cage in the sky. Then we decided we wanted a larger hook bill, so we got “Legolas.” (this by the way was a long time before the movie. I started reading Tolkien’s Hobbit and the Ring series back in the 70’s.) Legolas is a Military Macaw and about 30 years old at this point. We’re not exactly sure of the age. We got him from private citizen who told us he was (we think he’s a he) about two.

Then my father-in-law got “Pepe” from a friend of his. He got “tired of him” and we took him in. Pepe is a Moluccan Cockatoo and a real pain in the “cage.” We believe he was mistreated by his first owner (not my father in law) and is very very skittish. He is much more comfortable with my wife than me. He really won’t let me get near him.

Legolas on the other hand is “My Bird” and he doesn’t really dislike my wife, though he does like to torment her. He does talk, but these birds aren’t known for their speaking ability. His vocabulary is probably about 15- 25 words. He says his name, calls our dogs, tells us to “go to bed”, and a few other phrases he picked up from things we’ve said around the house.

Large birds like these are really amazing creatures. They can live for 60 - 80 years. They have unique personalities, just like people. Legolas for example, will allow me to do just about anything to him. I can pet him, rub his wings, and carry him around on my shoulder all day. He’ll give me a kiss, take a peanut from my mouth, etc. - all without a complaint. When my wife tries any of those things, he’ll get “smooth” on her…he’ll coo, say his name real softly and act like he can’t wait for her to pick him up. But the minute she tries, he’ll scream and bite her (not hard, just enough to let her know he’s the boss.)

If you have ever had an interest in exotics, I would recommend you head over to the MAC for the GOCBS Bird Fair on May 4th. It’s only a buck and there should be some real pretty and interesting birds there