Bird lovers share tales of their chatty chums
It’s not often a pet asks to take a shower. Or for that matter, wishes you a safe and happy day.
Unless, of course, that pet is a talking parrot.
“When my McCaw, Bingo, wants a bath, he’ll call out, ‘Want to take a bath? Do you want a shower?’” says Leisa Daniel of Independence, who owns four parrots.
And when her African grey, Amazing Grace, senses she’s leaving her home, she bids her farewell.
“She calls out ‘Goodbye! Be careful! Have a good day!” she says, laughing.
Daniel is president of the Pet Bird Club, which hosted its sixth annual bird fair Saturday at the Sermon Center. The not-for-profit organization seeks to educate the public about aviculture - the raising and care of birds. The day-long fundraiser featured exotic squawkers from cockatoos to cockatiels.
And there are no “Polly-wanna-cracker” dodo birds here.
Daniel says parrots boast intelligence quotients equivalent to that of a 2- to 4-year-old child. Depending on the breed of parrot, speech typically begins as early as two to three months or as late as one year, with the African grey possessing the highest intelligence.
“They pick up normal conversation like a child does,” she says. “The African grey’s vocabulary is off the charts.”
Daniel says Amazing Grace, a young bird, has a vocabulary of about 60 words but that some older African greys know between 200 to 300 words.
And the definition of the word “parrot” meaning to mimic is inaccurate, she says.
“That’s old-school, that bird definition. They do repeat what you say but then they start putting words into context.”
For example, when Amazing Grace witnesses people about to kiss or blow their noses, she makes the appropriate sound effect before they do it.
Since parrots hail from the rain forest, their feathers must be kept moist. Daniel has a home shower equipped with a perch where her four birds shower.
“They’ll stick out their wings,” she says, exhibiting with her arms. “And shake out their tail feathers,” she adds, pushing out her hindquarters and wiggling.
And Fido and Miss Kitty have nothing on parrots when it comes to being potty trained. Daniel says parrots can easily be taught to “go potty” or “go poopers.”
Pet owners also can walk their birds.
“You can put them on a leash so they don’t fly away,” she says.
Like bird breeder Donald Carpenter, Pleasant Valley, who walks around the room with Chris, his citron cockatoo, perched on his shoulder. Chris wears a harness that Carpenter can clip to a leash.
“I put the leash on him while I’m driving in case I’m in a car accident so he won’t fly away,” he explains. He pulls the snake-thin, hot pink leash from his pants pocket and tugs on the hook that connects it to his silver-studded, black belt.
Not surprisingly, parrots appeal to youngsters as well.
Hunter D’Agostino, 8, purchased an olive-colored African love bird, with a peach face, he named Miracle.
Miracle came by his name honestly, says breeder Kimberly Cannon of Sugar Creek.
“He was born with eggshell stuck to his head. He almost didn’t make it,” she explains. “Hunter wanted him because they share the same birthday. I e-mailed him that the bird needed a unique name because of everything he’d been through. I’d already named the bird Miracle but didn’t tell him. He e-mailed me back that he wanted to name him Miracle. It just gave me goose bumps.”
While anyone can become a parent of a parrot, Daniel says it’s a decision that should be carefully weighed because parrots are social creatures and require a lot of attention.
“It’s a commitment, you don’t buy one on a whim,” she warns. “They’re not just beautiful, they’re a lot of hard work. And they’re noisy. You have to put up with a lot, but they give a lot of love back.”
She says parrots who are neglected become neurotic and begin self-mutilating by pulling off their feathers. And they scream.
Parrots also can live to be as old as 110 years. Amazing Grace could live to age 80 while Bingo could live to 110.
“I’ve already willed Bingo to my niece,” she says.
Consequently, the club also finds homes for rescues. Currently, they have two parrots in need of good homes.
“But we have very strict guidelines,” Daniel adds.
The cost to purchase a parrot can range from $30 for the African love bird who merely whistles to $1,000 for a chatty, clownish cockatoo. Care for a healthy parrot is generally inexpensive, says Daniel. Annual exams cost about $50 and annual food costs, consisting of fresh fruits and vegetables, pellets and seeds, cost about $200.
In its efforts to educate the public, the Pet Bird Club hosts monthly speakers. They meet from 2 to 4 p.m. the first Sunday of each month in the community room at Petco, 4802 Noland Road. However, the next meeting will be Sept. 9 because of Labor Day, and no meeting is scheduled in August.
For more information, go to www.petbirdclub.org. Participants also can bring their loquacious feathered friends to meetings. But not all of the birds who attend are big talkers.
Like the club’s mascot, a Eurasian eagle-owl named Swoop. He boasts only a one-word vocabulary: “who-who.”