Blue and Yellow Macaw

Blue and Yellow Macaw (aka. Blue and Gold Macaw)

Guanacaste, Costa Rica
Member of the Parrot Family
§A flock of macaws§

~true bird fact~ Nests almost exclusively in dead palm trees. Good thing he's found such a comfortable place to live, since he mates for life and is extraordinarily long-lived (up to 8o years!)

Looks a little out of place, but in a fashionable way. Has a timelessness about him
Will readily get into a fight if it is to defend something he believes in
Keeps his emotions to himself
Poor technological knowledge

Red-masked Parakeet

Red-masked Parakeet aka. Cherry-headed Conure
San Francisco, California, USA
Member of the Parrot Family
§A Chatter of Parakeets§

~true bird fact~ These parakeets are not native to San Francisco, rather famously so. They are feralized populations of escaped pets. Groups like this have established themselves not only in San Francisco, but in Spain, Hawaii, Florida, Mexico, and Texas. Although none of these populations have yet been around long enough to be considered 'established', they are doing well and growing in size, living off the fruits of the palm trees and other tropical vegetation that are commonly cultivated in these places. Another bird that has managed to thrive on the unthinking hubris of human beings.

How endangered are they? Despite all those succeeding invasive populations, Red-masked Parakeets are considered Near Threatened by the International Union on the Conservation of Nature in their native Peru and Ecuador. It is estimated that there are less than 10,000 of these birds there, and populations are declining due to poaching and habitat loss. Again folks, do these birds a favor and do not take them in as pets. Just enjoy them for what they are.

Enthusiastic for fairly mundane things
Likes weird, gimmicky candies (ie. pop rocks, astronaut ice-cream)
This bird loves the 90's!
Sometimes gets so involved in in doing one thing that they don't notice anything else going on around them

Scarlet Macaw

Scarlet Macaw
Guanacaste, Costa Rica
Member of the Parrot Family
★The National Bird of Honduras★

~true bird fact~ The jungle is a difficult place to try and get a bite to eat. Many of the fruits that make up the macaw's diet are poisonous. To counteract this, macaws eat river-bank mud which neutralizes the toxins. You can often find large groups of tropical birds at such 'clay licks', as they visit them nearly every day. Some scientists believe the macaws eat the clay not for its absorptive qualities, but because it contains sodium, generally rare in the rainforest.. Who knows, maybe they just love to eat clay.

A big celebrity, but down to earth
Has a lot more going on mentally than most people assume
Only really trusts his family
Once had a drug problem

*Bird PSA* Do not buy a pet Scarlet Macaw. They are intelligent and social birds who communicate and travel in large flocks and mate for life. They don't belong in a cage. The illegal pet trade has caused local extinctions in many areas, and although they are still common enough in South America to not be considered endangered, their range is shrinking all the time from habitat loss and poaching. Thanks guys!

Orange-fronted Parakeet

Orange-fronted Parakeet aka. Half-moon Conure
Playa Tamarindo, Guanacaste, Costa Rica
Member of the Parrot Family
§A Company of Parrots§

~true bird fact (birdter homes and gardens edition)~ The Orange-fronted Parakeet makes his home inside a hanging termite nest. A nesting pair will choose an appropriate spot and spend about a week burrowing into it from below and making a rather intricately laid-out nesting chamber. The birds then give the termites another few days to seal-off their tunnels to this area and voila, a nest that is hidden from predators, insulated, and dry. A guy in Costa Rica told your amateurnithologist that it was also a source of easy food for the young chicks, but I can find no corroboration of that claim on the internet. Let it never be said that I don't do the research!

Never complains, always seems to have a good mood
Laughs easily, big fan of pratfalls and physical comedy
Never talks philosophy or politics
Enjoys his free-time unashamedly, loves to relax

But that's not all parrot-fans. Your favorite bird blog has caught parrot fever! That's right, this month will be all parrot-posts all the time. If you're a fan of these lively and interesting birds, check back in the coming weeks. We've even got a birding expedition to attempt to find the notorious wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill of San Francisco! Will we succeed?! Keep checking the blog to find out.