
Every couple of years I visit Free Flight Exotic Bird Sanctuary in Southern California and play with the birds. Meet the Superb Parrot native to Australia. This is the only bird featured in this post that is not designated endangered or vulnerable in the wild.

Every time I visit, I leave wanting to adopt one of their birds, like this Eclectus Parrot, native to the Solomon Islands.

Free Flight was established by an avian veterinarian to rescue and rehabilitate pet parrots. They have several highly endangered Hyacinth Macaws which are the largest of the Macaw species.

Friendly and outgoing Yellow Naped Amazons live in Mexico and Central America.

Pretty in Pink Moluccan Cockatoos are native to Indonesia.

Free Flight birds live in an open aviary and interact readily with the people who come to visit them.

African Grey Parrots from the Congo are famous talkers. Despite myths to the contrary, bird brains are intelligent brains. Parrot brains in particular are similar in several important ways to primate brains.

Blue and gold macaw are native to South America.
Cheers to you from the beautiful, happy and healthy parrots, at Free Flight Exotic Bird Sanctuary~
For More on the non-profit sanctuary check out : https://www.freeflightbirds.org/about-free-flight
They colours are so bright and clear that look unreal like some artist painted them. Beautiful birds!… and pictures as well. Like usual!
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Ahhh, you are very kind Alexander & most appreciated too. Our respect for each other’s photography is mutual. Thank you.
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🙂
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Beautiful post!
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Ah, very kind. Thank you Alexander.
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I looked at their website briefly and while it is great that they offer homes to unwanted birds, they don’t seem to include information on why these birds are becoming endangered and threatened – because they are being caught and sold in wildlife trafficking. That is a real shame that they don’t highlight what people are doing to contribute to their demise as species. I can imagine your wanting to visit to see these beautiful birds.
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That is a good idea. They are more focused on saving pet parrots that end up in horrible shape. I will mention your suggestion to them as I think it is a good one.
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What gorgeous colors!
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Mother Nature loves rocks her palette with the birdies!
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What beautiful creature you captured.
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Very kind & most appreciated Valentina, thank you!
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My pleasure Cindy 😀
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❤
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Amazing birds! I especially love the hyacinth Macaw, such a striking color! Thanks for sharing your wonderful photos.
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Thank you more Lyn for appreciating the birdies! ❤
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These birds are beautiful and their colors are so bright and vivid. I love how you mange to capture them at such close range.
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Thank you for your thoughtfulness Beverly & be well my friend ❤
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Magnificent close ups Cindy. Most beautiful colors. 🙂
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Thank you ❤ Mother Nature, is telling something, with her artistry.
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She sure is! ❤
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❤
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Love their vibrant colors!God has truly enjoyed this play with colours while creating them! ❤God must have certainly been in a great mood! 😍
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I agree! I think God made parrots to create beauty for us all to look on, marvel at, and smile, and of course, protect ❤ 🦜
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Quite agree!! We truly need to protect them and all the beautiful species that are sadly facing extinction due to thoughtsless human activity creating loss of their natural habitat.
Great post Cindy as always!❤🙂
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You said this beautifully and I concur 100%. Thank you Raj ❤
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❤🙏❤
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so beautiful Cindy! Congratulations, in case you missed it, You were selected to be part of the Best Blog 2019 edition. Your work is beautiful, you can check out the post here: https://forgottenmeadows.wordpress.com/2019/06/13/best-blogs-spring-2019-edition/
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Dorinda’s kindness deeply touches my heart and so does yours in doing this for your fellow bloggers and drawing my attention to it! Sincere thank yous to you and Dorinda. I love being part of our wonderful blogging community. ❤
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❤ ❤ It was an absolute pleasure Cindy and I love being part of this community too!
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❤ ❤ ❤
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Beautiful parrots and the capture too is wonderful .
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Very kind & most appreciated! Thank you 🦜
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The Eclectus Parrot doesn’t even look real… more like a stuffed toy… but definitely adorable. All great shots.
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Eclectus are just mythically beautiful creatures and sweet too 🦜🦜
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Fantastic images, Cindy! Thank you so much, for bringing these very intelligent and nice birds to their honour. Michael
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Ahhhh, thank you more for appreciating them Michael 🦜🦜
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:-))
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I love parrots. They are so beautiful, so colorful, and so intelligent.
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I ❤ my friends who ❤ 🦜🦜
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Beautiful birds! We own two eclectus’ ourselves and they are not the most intelligent but speak incredibly!
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Lucky you! I would love to have an eclectus, but Herbert our cat would love him too, for all the wrong reasons!
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The difference between the colours on males and females is just amazing.
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I know, the solid red, and green is just absolutely gorgeous!
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Gorgeous photos of incredible birds. Are there limits on the exotic bird trade that could prevent these birds from being sold so freely as pets – and later needing to be rescued?
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Yes, most countries are cooperating with the restrictions placed on exporting exotic and endangered birds. There is still illegal trading of course, and captive bird breeding in most countries. Since parrots often outlive their human hosts, this results in traumatized, orphaned adult birds who were entirely dependent and bonded with their humans, and are then shuffled around amongst people. Also some people buy domestically bred parrots with little understanding of the socialization and time required to keep highly social birds like parrots happy.
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Thanks so much for this info, Cindy! Kudos for posting these beautiful images and for sharing the story of this special place. How wonderful that there are people so dedicated to caring for the birds and informing people of their plight.
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I am very glad I get to meet you here in cyberspace ❤
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Agreed!! I love meeting people with common interests and concerns – so much to share~! ☺️
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Visa versa 2UX2!
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I love all these beautiful birds. You capture their essence so perfectly. My daughter has always had an unnatural fear of any birds flying close to her so it was interesting when we were at the Butterfly Garden in Victoria BC and a parrot took a shine to me. He landed on me and even when other’s tried to coax him away, he remained with me for quite some time. My daughter watched our interaction from a distance but felt less fear because of it. I talked to this sweet bird as my son videoed the whole thing. We should let them choose us as pets, and see how we feel being out of our element. I have never been fond of birds in cages but they do need protection from human predators. Thanks for sharing this, Cindy.
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This comment so perfectly sums up why I so admire you Marlene. You are a deep thinker and a sensitive and empathic person. These are the qualities I most admire in people. You daughter and son both sound wonderful, which is no surprise, considering their mother. Be well my friend and thank you ❤
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Thank you for those kind words, Cindy. You do my heart good. Hugs to you.
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Visa versa 2Ux2 Marlene ❤
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They’re so full of character! Happy travels, Cindy 🙂 🙂
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I am home now, but send wonderful wishes to you in the beautiful Azores ❤
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All of them are so beautiful and colorful. I enjoyed this post. I see very seldom parrots, but few years ago I saw two inside Columbus museum in Las Palmas.
Have a good day!
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It is special when you see them isn’t it! I am so glad you did & thank you sincerely for stopping by and sharing your very kind thoughts with me ❤
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Cindy, I am in awe of the way you’ve captured these majestic creatures! Their feathers in your photos are magnificent! Wow. What breathtaking birds. I love each and every one of them. It saddens me how nature is being destroyed everywhere we look. Once it’s gone, you can’t get it back. We must do a better job of taking care of the beauty we were entrusted with. Blessings to you for sharing this with us all.
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Blessings to back to you X2! I ❤ people who ❤ our beautiful wild creatures. Thank you & so nice to meet you Holly ❤
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Wonderful!!
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Grazie mille ❤
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I love seeing all the colors of the birds, beautiful portraits!
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You and I will never tire looking at beautiful birds! Have a great weekend~
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The pictures are always very good, but I think……….. you are using these parots to get on better, no no, much better for your photographing careeer! Pour ducks, and you probably shoot them later after the great photo, I know people like you, I´ll call PETA
love ya
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Tee hee hee. And you’re right. Parrots are excellent subjects for making a photographer look good!!!
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For you it seems it´s parrots, mountains, eagles, deers, everything basically.
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You are a good friend Charly. Thank you & be well.
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You too
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❤
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O, Now I have my own computer!!
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Yay!
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Gorgeous colours and terrific details!
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Ah, thank you & cheers too my friend ❤
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We have those in our backyard, so to speak. Beautiful 🙂
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I want to visit your backyard!
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If you ever visit Australia you truly should ☺
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Where are you? We are going to New South Wales again soon….
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Oh my! These are adorable.
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Aren’t they wonderful creatures! ❤
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Beautiful photos, Cindy and so glad to hear there is a sanctuary like this. xxx
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God Bless those who rescue creatures great and small ❤
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They do have different expressions. 🙂
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Yes, and personalities too!
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So diverse and nice
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Thanks much!
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These guys are so handsome 💜💜
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Aren’t they stunners! Full of personality too ❤
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Absolutely gorgeous 💜
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You are very kind. Thank you ❤
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💜
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Parrots are so beautiful. 🙂
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I ❤ people who ❤ parrots!
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Reblogged this on Smorgasbord Blog Magazine and commented:
I know that you all love parrot videos so feast your eyes on the beauties captured by the camera of Cindy Knoke… Stunning birds…lovely way to end the day.
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Hugs to you sweet Sally & thank you sincerely for your thoughtfulness ❤
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Always delighted Cindy and they are so pretty.. ♥
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❤ ❤
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As always great images, Cindy we had an African grey for many years and did he talk although my friend had a Macaw and that could talk the hind legs off a donkey and some…But both had great characters 🙂
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Your comments make me chuckle and reminds me a bit of Mark Twain. It would be so awesome to have a talking parrot ❤
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He was always a great talking point and such a character…Never a dull moment you should get one, Cindy 🙂 x
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I would love to someday……
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I love these, Cindy. They have such a sweet yet mischievous demeanor. Hugs on the wing!
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I ❤ my friends like you Teagan who love 🦜🦜
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bonjour ou bonsoir mon Amie et gentille CINDY
Merci pour ta présence

L’amitié est une source d’énergie
Elle dégage en nous une chaleur
Cette amitié c’est comme une
Source , comme l’eau qui coule d’un ruisseau
Elle nous donne de l’énergie positive et d’un besoin mutuelle
On ne peut se passer dans la vie de
Rire, pleurer, s’exprimer et se laisser aller
Comme les rayons de soleil qui entourent la terre
L’amitié c’est une force que nul ne peut ignorer
je te souhaite un très belle semaine une belle journée ou soirée
Et tout le meilleur dans ta demeure
je te fais de gros bisous
Bernard
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Merci beaucoup mon ami Bernard!
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Astonishingly beautiful portraits! 🦋 🦜 💕
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Your kindness is much appreciated.
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My pleasure, Cindy 😊
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❤
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Outstanding, their color, soft feather coats and they are so cute. My oldest girl had two parrots once, a male named Jake, and a female named Jessie. They could be hilarious watching them, but got to be a bit of work trying to take care of them with a job, etc. but were so much fun to watch, and especially when Jake once rolled a peanut on the counter riding it like one log rolling until he got it to the edge of the counter and let it roll off as it surprised him and then flew back to his cage. They were so funny, those two. They were amazon or south American parrots I believe.
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They are wonderful creatures, but quite a lot of work as you mention to keep happy and healthy in captivity. Jake and Jessie sound wonderful ❤
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Beautiful!
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Grazie!
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I really love the birds, as I do almost all creatures.
As for the writing, I have no special pattern. I write when I do and if I try to write in any other way, I cannot write. So I wait until I am inspired to write and then start working. It works out pretty well for me that way. Thank you for the great post and photos.
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Thank you and it is lovely to meet you ❤
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Astounding!
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Grazie!
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Really amazing gallery (as always)! Bye. K
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Thank you Kamila & cheers to you my friend.
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Beautiful birds. I am a bird lover myself, though not of your caliber.
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Ahh, so incredibly kind of you. Every bird lover is exactly like me. And I love being able to meet similar souls. We like creatures that can fly away from us. This is a huge commonality. It is wonderful to meet you.
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