Parrot Portraits~

On By cindy knokeIn Birds, Conservation, MY PHOTOGRAPHS, REVERIES, Wild Life

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

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372 thoughts on “Parrot Portraits~”

    1. Yes. Exactly. They are highly social creatures, used to living in flocks, and they live a very long time. People put them in cages and leave them alone and they become miserable and act out. Sometimes their owners die or get sick and the birds then get shuffled around and traumatized. In a better world, they would live in the wild unmolested, and we would thrill to catch sights of them there.

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  10. I adore parrots. I did bird rescue for the Rocky Mountain Society of Aviculture in Colorado for several years back in the nineties. I rehabilitated everything from lovebirds and cockatiels to cockatoos and greys, and lots of birds on the size scale in between. Then I found loving homes for the ones who weren’t too angry or traumatized to adapt to new owners. But parrots are as intelligent and hungry for attention as toddlers, and when they’re hurt, they don’t heal easily. Nor do they ever grow up. When you get a parrot, you’re basically committing to decades of feathered child-rearing. Reputable breeders won’t sell parrots without asking their new owners how the birds will be provided for in case of death or incapacitation. In fact, parrots never should have been taken into captivity. Especially in our fast-paced, mobile society, they don’t fit most people’s on-the-go lifestyles. The neglect–not tomention outright cruelty I saw as a bird rescuer–was part of why I got out of the biz. I was starting to deeply dislike my fellow human beings. In any case, I’ll always have at least one bird. Right now, because I’m busy raising a daughter, writing, and working as a freelance editor and proofreader to support my author habit, I’ve only got one parakeet named Rocket. But his cheerful chattering and chirping makes my home a happier place.

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    1. I hear you. So wonderful that you did this. Thank you! I met a parrot rescuer who had an amazing facility in Anza Ca. that appears to have closed. She was in The Twin Towers during 911. She quit her job and bought a remote place near The Holler where she rescued traumatized birds, and bred endangered ones. I asked her about the history of the birds, many of them were given up by loving owners who were undergoing chemotherapy for cancer and told by their physicians to remove the birds. I didn’t expect this story. She said many owners were heartbroken. It is such a tragic business from all angles. First the birds were stolen from the wild, dramatically reducing their numbers, and then they were bred to live solitary lives as pets which is utterly unnatural. Some of the parrots at Free Flight have the plucked feathers which is such a sad sign of unresolved trauma. I hear and agree with everything you are saying. It is hard not to lose confidence in our species. We do way too much harm. But, then, there are all the good people too. People like you. Thank you.

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  16. I think the saddest case I ever had was an African grey whose feathers had been plucked by a twelve-year-old boy. His mom called us to take the bird because she had “gone and turned mean.” She hated women and kids from then on, but she fell in love with my husband. We kept her till our daughter came along, and she would let my husband snuggle her and rub her head, but I couldn’t get anywhere near her without her going carnivorous. We gave her to a sanctuary because we were afraid she would hurt the baby. She never did stop plucking, though, once that boy got her started. And man, did he ever teach her to cuss! Once a parrot learns to swear, its retail value drops by half, right there on the spot.

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  21. Beautiful birds. The close up capture of these photographs enable us see the delicately placed designs and patterns of their feathers which is sheer artistry, not to even mention the vibrant colours, that make these birds nothing but one of Natures grand ‘show-offs’ !
    Lovely !

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  41. Cindy, as always breath-taking. I love that there is a protected environment for them. Alas, if we don’t do something to turn around climate change, all species will be gone.

    Have you been to Africa or China? They are doing amazing things in the desert. The Green Wall across the African Continent and another across China’s Gobi desert, There are many links on YouTube, here is one such video. https://youtu.be/IDgDWbQtlKI ❤

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    1. How wonderful, and yes I have been to Africa twice, not China though. So many people are trying so hard, while so many others continue on their destructive paths. Hugs to you Lea <3

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  45. Finding parrots in the wild is tricky because they are not so abundant anymore due to poaching for the pet trade and habitat destruction; also they are often high above, flying quickly by, and about the size of a rice kernel even with binoculars. So to see these close-ups is a real treat Cindy. These are some really rare birds. How wonderful to know about Free Flight Sanctuary.

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    1. Ah, so happy you enjoyed these beauties, and thank you my friend. It is indeed rare to see them in the wild, and quite a thrill when you do, especially if you come upon them nesting. The destruction of their habitat and the pet trade are just shameful.

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  46. Timelesslady

    I can just hear them saying, “Pretty bird, pretty bird,” and then punctuating it with one of their amazing raucous squawks.

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