Feathered Friend Resources

Parrots are not the mental or emotional equivalent of a child, as many people have expressed.  They are parrots, unique in their own right, and deserving of their own identity and treatment.  They deserve nothing less. 
​ – Steve Martin, Natural Encounters 
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Amy & Zazous at Audubon
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Amy with Chopin the Moluccan Cockatoo at Audubon
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Willie P. the Monk Parakeet, a favorite of everyone at Audubon!
Amy Martin has been working with, caring for, and training countless species of parrots for nearly twenty years. Over this time, she has learned heaps from these amazing feathered beings. Now she is sharing these insights and knowledge with parrot guardians around the world; this means you!  ​Below are some articles from Conscious Companion, plus empowering resources that will inspire and enlighten you about our feathered friends!

Facts About Feathered Friends 

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Most parrots have:
  • zygodactylous feet: the toes of each foot are arranged in pairs, with two toes in the front and two pointing backward.
  • strongly hooked/curved beaks.  
  • exuberantly colored plumage
  • variety of feathers types: species with pointed wings and long tails tend to fly great distances; rounded wings and blunt tails typify species who are more adept climbers.
  •  stocky, large heads
  •  powerful, short, curved, articulated bills
  •  highly developed tongue and jaw musculature
  • relatively short legs
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​Breeds of dogs and cats are grouped under one genus and one species; Canis familiaris or Felis catus.  Although a Maine coon looks very different from a Siamese, they are both the same species. Comparatively, there are hundreds of species of parrots. Some parrot species are even classified in a different genus. We might be able to make some generalizations about the nutritional, emotional and physical needs of dogs and cats because of their species, but we cannot generalize parrots. Each species of parrot has very specific dietary, emotional and physical need. 

Feathered Friends Are Not Far-Removed From Their Wild Counterparts.

PictureSarge, the rescued Blue and Gold Macaw
Don’t let those flirtatious faces and colorful feathers fool you.  Parrots are not domesticated animals.  Cats, dogs, and horses have been selectively bred for qualities that enable them to live more harmoniously among humans.  Parrots are exotic, and by definition are not a species indigenous to the U.S. 
 
Companion parrots have the same instinctual needs as their wild counterparts.  Your parrot may live in a cage at home with you, but his mind and body are just as wild as the green-winged macaw that’s flying free in the tropical rainforests of Central and South America. 
 
Parrots bred in captivity have the same instinctive physical and behavioral needs of parrots living in the wild.
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Signs of Stress In Parrots

Bored parrots are easily frustrated.  Frustration can lead to destruction of their environment, aggression towards other parrots, and even harming themselves.
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Sarge & Chia at Audubon
Stress has many symptoms. That is why we carefully and objectively observe a parrot's body language. There are many behaviors that a parrot may exhibit when stressed. These behaviors can indicate the parrot is trying to release some anxious energy or signal that something is amiss.
 ​If you see these behaviors, a parrot may be stressed: 
• Standing on one leg and biting the nails of the other foot
• moving head in a figure-eight pattern
• Rocking back and forth
• Pacing
• Excessive vocalization, screaming, or repetitive chirps or alarm calls
• Self-injury - including feather plucking 
• Head-shaking
• Bbecoming withdrawn, fearful or cowering
• Aggression to people, other parrots, or other pets in the home
• Thrashing or biting on enclosure 
• Fanned tail, wings held away from body
• Increased respiratory rate; panting or open mouth breathing.
• Territorial behavior (bird looks like they’re ready to charge)
• Raised head feathers and dilating pupils
signs_of_stress_in_parrots.pdf
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Do you have questions or concerns about your feathered family member? Conscious Companion is here to assist.

​Parrot Enrichment 101

Imagine yourself sitting on a wooden chair in a 6’x6’ foot room.  There are no windows.  You cannot leave, and no one ever visits you.  You have no radio, television, phone, or internet.  Someone offers you the same food in the same bowl every morning and evening.  Your physical exercise consist only of shifting your weight in the chair.  

​What do you think would eventually happen to your mind and body after a day, a week, a month, and a year?  What about a lifetime?  This kind of mental and physical stagnation is incredibly harmful to all living creatures.  In fact, it’s downright toxic.  

This scenario is all too common for parrots in homes and shelters all over the world.  The good news is it can be prevented, and you can be the one to do so! 
    
Providing enrichment for parrots is crucial to their well-being.



PictureChopin was surrendered to Audubon when his owner could no longer care for him. To curb aggression, Chopin learned to enjoy a variety of challenging enrichment options each day that simulated his natural behaviors.
For over a decade, I served as an enrichment coordinator for various sections at the Audubon Zoo in New Orleans.  In the Children’s Zoo and Education Department, I had the daily challenge of enriching multiple species of parrots, many of whom were once pets but had been donated to the zoo because of unwanted behavioral issues. 

To ensure the parrots’ safety, comfort, and focus during educational programming, I utilized all five types of enrichment multiple times a day for each parrot.  I made changes to structures in their enclosures, presented novel objects for them to investigate, changed how I presented food to them, used force-free training, and much more.  Depending on the species, I encouraged them to behave in specific ways that would be natural to them in the wild.  Offering a variety of options, allowing them to make choices, and have control over their environment greatly reduced their boredom, frustration, and aggression. 
Enrichment is more than putting toys in a parrot’s cage or throwing a boomer ball in a condor exhibit. Enrichment involves allowing animals an opportunity to use their senses and adaptations to “earn” a living, which is something we take away from them when we put them in cages. No matter how large, beautiful, and interesting a cage might be, it is still a cage with limited opportunities for novel experiences. Life in captivity is rather predictable and routine. The same food is delivered by the same person, at the same time, in the same bowl every day. Enrichment allows animals an opportunity to interact with their environment, to make decisions, take actions and experience the positive consequences of their actions. - Steve Martin, President Natural Encounters, Inc.
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​The Goal of Providing Enrichment for Parrots in Captivity is to:
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•    Increase the range of natural behaviors
•    Reduce abnormal behaviors 
•    Increase positive ways to utilize their environment
•    Increase the ability to cope with stresses and challenges in a healthier way

We Need to ASK Questions, First.


Properly providing species-specific enrichment takes time and effort.   Randomly offering enrichment to an animal at home, or in other captive environments is not the best method for adequately enriching the lives of captive species of animals.  A productive and effective enrichment program requires planning, preparing, and adhering to practical guidelines. Whether you and your team are caring for animals at home, in a shelter, a laboratory, zoo, aquarium, or other facility, there are guidelines to follow that will ensure success.  
Before we begin to offer any type of enrichment to an animal we must plan, prepare, and assess.  A successful enrichment program is goal-oriented and considers both The Big Picture and the individual animal.  Any enrichment offered to an animal should have a framework as a guide.  To ensure that enrichment plans are goal-oriented, tested, and assessed, it’s helpful to use a planning protocol. 
 
 Here are some important questions to consider before you begin:
  •       Do we have a goal in mind?
  •       Is the enrichment for one animal? Multiple animals? Multiple species?
  •       What behaviors of each do we want to encourage?
  •       How will these behaviors be encouraged?
  •       Will the foraging enrichment be created (or purchased)?
  •       Is it safe?
  •       Is this food, semi-permanent, permanent, or prototype enrichment?
  •       How will it be implemented? 
  •       How will we evaluate the response and the effect?
  •       Are there any diet restrictions?
  •       Health issues?
  •       Is there any oversight that should involve a nutritionist or animal health practitioner?

Parrot Enrichment 101

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Sarge out for a stroll
Physical and mental stimulation is vital to every species on the planet. Squid, poison dart frogs, pigs,rats, cats, tortoises,spiders, jaguars, sheep, dogs, ferrets, parrots, you name it, they all need daily stimulation. Enrichment is a fundamental component of responsible, preventative companion parrot care. But how can we ensure the parrots we care for are getting enough? 

Below are a few articles from Conscious Companion that will show you how to start, and how to successfully provide enrichment for your feathered family member!

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Common Questions & Concerns About Parrots & People

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Parrot articles and videos 

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Raptor resources coming soon.
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Igor, the Great-horned owl, on programming at the Audubon Zoo in New Orleans
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Amy with Squawker, the most beloved red-shouldered hawk, who was rescued and rehabilitated at Audubon. Squawker became an Education Ambassador for her species.