December 12, 2006

A Tale of Two Cockatoos

featuring a rescued heroine and a most determined and ingenious laddie in feathers!

posted by beeswacky 17 years ago
  • Oh what a fabulous story! The overcoming of obstacles for love! The acceptance of another who might not be perfect! *wipes tear from eye*
  • Wonderful.
  • That's so sweet!
  • Very fine post! I rate it 3 cuttlebones. () () ()
  • Turns a bit country and western later though, without getting into spoiler territory.
  • Aye, iundeed, the course of true love does not run completely smooth.
  • We knew our love was true We knew our love was real But you were a cockatoo And I was a cockatiel
  • As a parrot owner, I am not at all surprised by this story. Many birds, not just psittacines, possess intelligence and sensitivity that humans can only guess at; when you get a glimpse it can take your breath away. Keep this in mind the next time you tuck into a nice chicken parmigiana or turkey breast. I, for one, am edging ever closer towards vegetarianism with every critter I get to know. BTW the pictures are wonderful... great post, beeswacky. Thanks for the up!
  • The latter part of the story is not surprising, nor was it some kind of malfunctional behaviour. The weaker of the two was probably either identified as less desirable because of the drought, thus instinctively rejected, or had some illness that caused the behaviour cited, irrespective of the renewed rain. In times of limited resource, these animals will instinctively try to support the stronger of their offspring over the weaker. Sad, but sound in terms of evolutionary survival tactics. (these folks seemed a bit bloody daft, though, since the little 'un was covered in dirt, you'd think they'd recognise that as a sign of rejection)
  • "Many birds, not just psittacines, possess intelligence and sensitivity that humans can only guess at" Tell me about it. :'(
  • Pa! Pa! Pa! Pa! Papapapapageno!
  • Almost invariably the larger Australian parrots lay two eggs and then let/cause one offspring to die. They usually lay two eggs, but only raise one hatchling, even in captivity, so parrot-breeders over here often remove one egg and hand-rear the fledgling. It has been hypothesized that the harsh conditions these big Australians have to face in the wild may have resulted in this as some sort of adaption to ensure at least one youngster is optimally fed. Sad, though. Agree these people, although kind-hearted and well-intentioned, don't know nearly enough about cockatoos. Giving this pair a log and expecting them to do anything with it, especially on such short notice - well - that's pitiful. Putting a nest box out there would have probably been more helpful than a log. Cockatoos don't normally nest in the ground - which is what I find most remarkable in the male's behaviour.
  • The bird in the cage is clearly an almost developed fetus in a bird suit. Check out Snopes if you don't believe me.
  • (FPP's about parrots are absolute magnets for monkeys such as myself, Bees, kinnakeet and others who have a few of the dear beasties flapping around our houses...) Chy and Bees have pointed out the harsh reality of nature that makes a mother parrot reject one baby in favor of another, which is well documented. But all of parrot-land is not about survival of the species. Indeed, the lover landing atop the cage in this story could have as easily been "Jill" as it could have been "Jack". It has been widely observed in many parrot species that the birds of a flock pair off for life, but seem to take no notice of their partner's sex. If they happen to be opposites, they mate, if not, no problem. They apparently choose a partner based entirely on non-sexual criteria. The same-sex couples exhibit the same behavior, apparent devotion to their partners, and fidelity as do those taking part in mixed-gender relationships. It is a handy bit of news to keep in mind in case you ever get seated on an airplane next to Pat Robertson. But I digress. Parrots are not alone as a family in this trait; penguins, giraffes, whales and many others have shown similar disregard for gender (as well as bonobos chimpanzees, which are openly bisexual, which I hesitate to mention amongst mixed monkeys). The devotion shown by parrots to their own can be their undoing. The only known North American parrot, the Carolina Parakeet, is now extinct. Once thriving in the U.S. southeast, flocks of Carolina Parakeets would devour the corn and bean harvests of early settlers. So, angry farmers shot them from the sky. When an injured bird would fall, all of his flockmates would fly down to offer assistance, hence becoming easy pickings for the next shotgun blast. So, we have no native parrots here any longer, just the rogue non-native flocks that show up in places like Chicago and San Francisco and somehow beat the odds of the climate and survive. Indeed, some states are still so afraid of the Carolina Parakeet episodes of over 100 years ago that they still have laws on the books banning ownership of certain parrot species. The Quaker parrot, sometimes known as the Monk Parakeet (very cute little guys) are illegal to own, sell or transport in California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Kansas, Kentucky, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee and Wyoming. Okay, more than you needed to know...
  • I has a fambly.
  • > When an injured bird would fall, all of his flockmates would fly down to offer assistance That's an interesting example of altruistic behaviour. Social scientists spend a lot of time worrying about whether altruism exists and whether supposedly altruistic behaviour isn't just self-interest wrapped up nicely. Of course, even if it's pure altruism, it becomes an evolutionary disadvantage once the shotgun is invented.
  • A few other MoFi threads featuring parrots: parrots in Brooklyn parrot news flightless parrots or kakapo
  • Bees, thanks for this. Much linkage for me to explore and have fun with. Now, eat your banana!
  • Parrots rewl!
  • This is a story that has swept the blogosphere.