A Word About Parrots

Now I know what you must be thinking right now, "Poor Larry! How did a tropical bird not made for flying long distances survive on his own, in the cold, in the heart of middle America? What did he eat?"

And those are all very good questions.

And to really understand how it all went down you have to know a thing or two about parrots.

Parrots are considered the most intelligent of all birds. Not just because they can imitate and mock even human sounds but because some parrots, like the African Grey Parrot, have been shown to even associate words with their meanings and form simple sentences. i.e. They can talk to you--in YOUR language. Dr. Harvey Karten, a neuroscientist at UCSD who studied bird physiology, has discovered that the lower part of the avian brain is functionally similar to that of humans, and not only excel in their language abilities, but also demonstrate high skills with tools and solving puzzles.

Another incredible thing about Parrots is the way they learn. Their early years seem to be their most developmental years, and they learn hunting and foraging from either their parents or from other sources around them. They can learn in solitude or socially like how they learn to protect themselves against predators by participating in play-fighting. In other words, their actors! =) But in general, stimuli around them help them adapt to their surroundings. A parrot kept in captivity or with little stimuli may retard his development. Like some parrots that lived with chickens for 3-9 months were still behaving as they did at 3 months in addition to adopting some very chicken-like behavior. And the chickens probably didn't have a whole lot of useful information for the little parrots to learn. Also, captive parrots can develop harmful behaviors like self-plucking if not given the proper environmental stimuli. Sounds like some humans I know.

They eat seeds, fruit, nectar, pollen, buds and even sometimes invertebrate animals (BUGS and GRUBS). One species accidentally attacked a sheep population in New Zealand and parrots in Ecuador were found feasting on clay. Conclusion: they can find food and they have the beak and the jaws to eat what they want.

But the most amazing thing you should know about parrots is that because of their intelligence and their adaptability, they are survivors. True Survivors. Little creches of parrots have popped up all over the world in areas with temperate climate where parrots are not native and would be unlikely to survive. And yet they do survive in little communities like in the UK, Belgium, Spain, even in Central Park in New York City. San Francisco had a little feral population of Red-Masked Parakeets who were the subject of the book and film called The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill.

So its no wonder to me that Larry survived. Because he is, by nature, a survivor.

For more information about Parrots (and to cite my sources) Click Here.