Survey Results: African Parrots and Their Friends
Charlene Beane
The topic of birds and their friends did not command the overwhelming response that surveys on food or talking have brought in, but I did not expect it to. We did, nevertheless, get a wonderful bundle of responses. However, our member participation is slipping. This time only 15 percent of the responses came from members. The other 85 percent were from non-members. We did not get much international participation--a little from England and Canada, but nothing terribly exotic.
All of our regular African species were represented except Capes. About half of the birds reported were Congo African Greys. Next in popularity were Senegals, followed by red-bellieds, and then there was one each of Meyer's, brown headeds, Timnehs and Jardine's.
The birds ranged in age from three months to 16 years, perfectly spread over a bell-shaped curve, with 30 percent of the birds in the three to four year range and all others on either side. Interestingly, many of the older birds had not been with their current owners a very long time.
For example, Fred Otto of California reported on his African grey, Paco, a wild-caught grey he has had for the past year and a half. He wrote, "We have 12 cats, two large dogs, three cockatiels (mom, dad and daughter), a hamster, fish, a large Jackson's chameleon. It's a nut house! We got Paco from a family friend who got too old to care for him. Paco had a buddy, a macaw, that passed on, and he was heartbroken. That is when we got him. He loves me and the groomer, but no one else. He is a real treat to talk to."
Karen Cormier of Massachusetts has had her 11-year-old Senegal, Tuscon, for one month, but it is already hanging out with her lovebird and riding on the back of her cocker spaniel.
Other Bird Friends
Lisa Szumita of Utah reported on three African parrots: Harley, her African grey, Tinker, her Meyer's and Squeaker, her red-bellied parrot. Both Harley and Tinker are pals with Dobber, a Maximillian Pionus. Harley and Dobber "stretch as far as they can to feed each other or preen each other.... They have each learned to say the other's name." Tinker also preens and feeds Dobber, but feelings for the red-bellied parrot are another story. "Tinker really never tries to attack anyone but Squeaker. For some reason they don't like each other. Tinker doesn't ever try this on anyone else." Lisa's red-bellied parrot is a loner. "Squeaker really doesn't try to be friends with any of the other birds. He doesn't try to attack them either; he just keeps to himself."
Kitty Cullen of Louisiana has an African grey named Paww-Paww whose best friend is Robert, a harlequin macaw. "They call each other's names. Our grey offers the macaw food, and says, 'Hey, Robert, want some?"
We have two Poicephalus that are friends with sun conures. Christy Catterton of Virginia has a Senegal who pals around with a sun. "They preen and feed each other all of the time. When on their play area, they are hardly ever separate. I do cage them separately, though."
Thomas McCarty of New Jersey reports on LuLu, his red-bellied parrot and Cricket, the sun conure: "Well, I would say they are friends in the loosest sense. Cricket, the sun, is the only bird Lulu will tolerate out of the cage at the same time."
And Jackie Zeh, Florida, has an African grey that lives with an umbrella cockatoo, a blue crown conure and a sun conure. Jackie says that the "Sun conure is the matron of the feathered family who tends to all their preening needs, except of course, the aloof grey who only tolerates me preening him."
Tania Melis of Florida shares her home with Lucy, a Congo grey, a blue and gold macaw, Cuco, and two chihuahuas. The two birds are friends. "They interact with each other from their adjacent cages. For example, if Lucy sneezes, Cuco responds, 'Bless you!'"
Tracey Bate Williams of California reports that Rupert, her Congo grey hangs out with her cockatiels. She wrote, "Rupert will sit with the cockatiels. When I handfed the babies, he used to sit on the towel with me and finish off their leftover formula."
Other Animals
Many of our African parrots are friends with dogs, but two of our respondents reported on their birds and their bulldogs.
James Dodd of Florida wrote about his Senegal, Scooter, and Mona, his English bulldog. "Mona, the bulldog, licks Scooter's face (and sometimes hind parts) and lets the bird lay down on her bed with her. Scooter gives Mona kisses on the face and likes to play with her tongue."
Pat De Leon of California did not tell us the name of her bulldog, but regarding her African grey, Gracie, "It's more of a mutual respect of each other than a friendship. They're just not scared of each other. Gracie is not much of a growler as greys are known to be."
Susan Garriques of Florida reported on her Senegal Gyasi's relationship with her Jack Russell terrier. "Perhaps friendship doesn't accurately describe their relationship. Guasi is the boss. She feeds the dog all the food she doesn't want in her cage."
Joy Roberts, South Carolina, has quite a menagerie. Her Congo grey, Suzie Q, is only 5-1/2 months old, and is getting to know her cockatiel, but Joy also has a pit bull, two dachshunds and a cat. She says, "They walk around the house together and the bird loves to sit next to them on the sofa."
Nicole McCready of Colorado has a brown-headed parrot named Ivy that is quite intolerant of her cockatiel, but "Ivy loves watching the fish. She will stand right next to the tank and try to grab them as they swim by. She also enjoys dropping small foot toys for the cat to bat around. She likes watching him play."
Toys as Friends
Nina from Canada says that her red-bellied parrot, Casey, is friendly with her budgies, but Casey's stuffed toucan is "...more of an enemy. His stuffed toucan is about the same size as Casey, and he attacks it at every chance."
Terri Jay from British Columbia has two male Senegals, Kitty and Morgan, ages 8 and 15 years. They are great friends and groom each other, swap food and snuggle, but one of them--Terri didn't say which one--has a lid fettish. "The lids off juice bottles go to bed with him at night and he will walk around all day with a lid in his beak."
The Bird in the Mirror
Kimberly from Boston has had her six-year-old Congo grey, Monster, for almost two years. She says, "He practices his speaking in the mirror. You'll just be reading a book and you'll hear 'Meow--MEow--meOW--meow, meow, etc."
I don't know if we learned anything from this survey, but it surely was fun to picture these birds in such interesting environments and social lives. These lucky birds will never know what it is to be lonely.
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The next issue is our holiday issue, so send us your heartwarming holiday stories, and be sure to participate in our survey on how birds get their names. This should be a good one. Just go to the African Parrot Society website, www.wingscc.com/aps, and tell us how you or someone else named your bird.
© 2003 African Parrot Society
Last updated: September 07, 2003