IdeasStar Web developer Brian Swan wakes to the sound of birds every morning – from inside the house.  Sometimes its like living in a jungle, but it’s a lot of fun. He and his wife Valerie have three birds. The first is a Nanaday Conure named Duncan.

Duncan

Duncan is just a little bigger than a Cockatiel. Brian tells the following story. “A lady that works with my wife saw a bird sitting on a wire and knew it was nothing like any of the other birds around in looks or in sound.  She said ‘Here birdy birdy’ and if flew to her finger.  They kept the bird for about six months before they realized having a Nanday Conure was not for them.  This bird has a screech that rattles human eardrums.  My wife and I love birds and decided that he would make a nice addition to the family.  I don’t regret it at all.  We believe that he came from somewhere near the zoo as he imitates eagles and monkeys very well.  He tries to say hello and whistles a couple of tunes.  We’ve see him dance and do some foot stomping when we put on certain types of music.  He seems to enjoy the upbeat songs the best.”

Brian and Chico

The next bird is the Double Yellow Headed Amazon, Chico (a little over a foot from head to toe with a three-foot wingspan).  Brian bought Chico from a breeder when the bird was nine months old.  This is probably why he is the tamest, the friendliest and the best mannered.  He is now eight years old.  Chico is usually quite friendly and loves attention.  He loves to sing with you or the radio and he talks up a storm some days.  Chico learned Jingle Bells, Happy Birthday, bits of Lovin You (Minnie Ripperton) and some of Brian’s own little special bird ditties .

When the phone rings, Chico has a one sided conversation and usually says hello before the phone is picked up.  Although Amazon’s are usually one of the more aggressive types of parrots, Brian says Chico is nothing more than a bundle of fun loving joy. He does follow the personality of clowning around as most of the Amazons do.

Sancho

And the largest and latest family addition is a gorgeous Scarlet Macaw named Sancho (wing span of four feet and about three feet from head to tail) who is about eight years old.  Brian’s wife found this bird on the Internet and it happened to be less than a mile away.  The previous owners had a small child in the house and weren’t prepared to take care of the bird long term.  They got the bird when their relative had to be moved into a medical facility.

This poor bird lived in Las Vegas and was caught in a house fire where all of his siblings were consumed by the fire.  Brian knew he had some behavioral issues, but  decided  he too would be a nice addition.  Brian said they’ve had Sancho six months, so he’s just getting settled in.

“He’s beautiful, but he’s big and mighty.  If you hand him a Brazil nut, you will find shreds of a nut and an empty shell within about 30 seconds to a minute.  He cracks Brazil nuts like we crack peanuts.  He shreds and massacres about one to two toys a week.  It’s pretty crazy when the other two birds take a month or two to destroy one.  The Scarlet Macaw can produce up to 2000 pounds of pressure per square inch with his beak .  Yes, that’s a ton! (Amazons can produce probably 250-350 pounds.)

“You can understand why I’m very careful around this one. He’s not fully tame yet and he has nipped everyone in the family.  He does say a few words.  He tends to tell the other birds to “Shut Up” when they scream, although he mutters those words to himself from time to time heh-heh.  He did not learn that at my house.

“I tend to like getting them riled up and having fun.  When he wants to, he can let out a nice loud scream that’s heard for about a block (with the windows closed).  This is usually the squawk that is let out when either my wife and I are leaving or when someone rings the doorbell.  Ahhhh…  to live in a jungle!

Brian said the birds  have their own personalities, but they are such a strong happy and positive influence in the house, he couldn’t imagine life without them.  They are the entire meaning of “happy thoughts!”

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Tags: birds, Double Yellow Headed Amazon, Nanaday Conure, Scarlet Macaw, talking birds

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