My ancestors (Psittacidae, Ara macao) "scarlet
macaws" were caught in the wild in South America. I
was incubated, hatched, hand raised and sold as a
commodity to the pet trade by one of the thousands of
parrot breeders in the US. I am considered to be one
of the ten most beautiful birds on Earth. My body
feathers are bright red, my wings have three inch wide
bands of cadmium yellow with lines of decorative blue
dots within the yellow. My tail feathers are 26" long.
My species is diminishing in South America partly
because of our much sought after plumage, over
collecting for the bird trade and diminishing habitat due
to agriculture. Scarlets are now on the endangered list.
Some parrots have recently become extinct due to
human indifference.
I am fifteen years old. I have been here in the garden
for five years. I like to educate visitors. Some people
do not realize what a commitment I am. I live longer
than most people do! I have a life expectancy of 100
years. My species is considered to be temperamental,
nippy and the hardest to handle of all the big macaws. I
am an "honest bird" because I always use my body
language to give clear signals to let you know my
mood. When I came here Nancy had no information
about me. She did not even know my name. I arrived
on valentines day. She decided to called me
"Valentino".
She knew nothing about my former lifestyle and was
puzzled as to why anyone would give up such an
intelligent sensitive bird, and I came with no
information about my past. What circumstances led to
my ousting? What did I eat? What were my food and
toys preferences? What was my daily routine? Was I
in or out of a cage most of the time? Did I go outside,
take walks fly free in the house.Did I live in a cage in a
family room. Was it covered at night? Did I talk,
dance, ride on a bicycle? Was I aggressive or gentle?
How did I bathe and how often? Why did my former
family decide to give me up? Information about me
would have helped Nancy have an easier time
acclimating me to my new life.
I started from "scratch" (bird terminology) with Nancy!
First, I told her my name is "Lucy" not "Valentino". I
lived with Rita, Rodger, Blackie and Grandma ma in
Miami. We played peek-a-boo. I showered in warm
water with my male human companion, to whom I was
bonded. I do not like the cold outdoor showers but I
like to be clean and I enjoy bathing with the other birds
here. I say a rude and demanding "c'mere". Nancy
thinks I lived with a dog and cat because I say "woof
woof" and "meow!" I scream a lot and Nancy thinks
that is why they gave me up.
I am a good eater and I like lots of different foods,
especially pizza and chicken wings. If you give me
something to eat that I really like, I say "mmm",
"good", "is it good"?, "do you like it?" I say "hi", "hi
"Lucy", "hello", "hi sweetie'', "I'm a good boy", "I love
you", "no", and I help by telling all the other birds "no
screaming" when they get noisy. I say,"bye bye",
"peek-a-boo","give me a kiss", and of course I say "up
up" which means step up onto whatever is offered for
transport. I like to play with hard metal and colorful
Lucite toys. My favorite toy is a metal bell. I ring it all
day with my beak and my foot. I am very smart and I
am learning new things to say and do. Sometimes I
ring the wind chimes. I have observed you waving to
me so I have taught myself to wave back. I pick up my
foot, curl my toes in a manner reminiscent of the
peace sign, wave to you and say Hi!. I am
ambidextrous, usually I wave with one foot then shift
my weight and wave to you with the other foot.
Nancy is my favorite person. I love it here. I am
contented, self reliant and I amuse myself all day. I
jabber in English everyday around three o'clock in the
afternoon. I am not jealous when you talk to the other
birds. In the morning I like to go for a walk or ride in the
car with Nancy when she gets coffee. I do not drink
coffee because it is not good for me but we share a
toasted sesame bagel with cream cheese. I love to
open all nuts in hard shells. Brazil nuts are my
favorites. Chicken bones and mashed potatoes are
high on my list of favorite things to eat. I like fruit better
than veggies.
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