A Strange Parrot

A while ago I stumbled across this strange video:

Here's a link to page about this particular Kakapo in the video: http://www.kakaporecovery.org.nz/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=92-sirocco&catid=42&Itemid=191
The parrot is called a Kakapo and I did a little research on it since that was the first time I have ever heard of it. Kakapos are flightless, they are the heaviest of species of parrots, and are nocturnal. Their faces resemble that of an owl and they have a greenish gray face. Their are about 124 Kakapos left and are monitored closely by a team focused on increasing their numbers in the wild. They are found only in New Zealand and are kept on two islands free of predators. I posted this for entertaining rather than my usual informative posts.

Sources
http://www.kakaporecovery.org.nz/
http://www.parrots.org/index.php/encyclopedia/profile/kakapo/

Kiki the Green Clown

Like most parrots I consider Kiki a generally funny, clever and smart parrot. Sometimes she has her temper tantrums and strange but typical parrot habits. One day I was sitting next her cage while she was eating and she started to dunk her pellets in her water. Not literally dunking but she would take a pellet with her beak, walk of to her water dish, crush the pellet which would fall in her water, then wait a while, and then fish it out and resume eating it. I guess she figured out how to make them softer or something because she does it over and over. This also explains why I have to constantly change her water. I wish I could have captured this on video but she stops doing anything that is even remotely interesting when she sees the camera.

However I don't know if playing with fallen feathers is a normal. Yesterday she lost a tail feather and when I picked it up she wanted it. So she wasted a good fifteen minutes playing and picking at her tail feather. I did manage to capture this on video and as soon as she stopped playing with the feather it was time to attack my camera. This morning though my mom screamed and Kiki screamed like a human along with her. She is a strange bird, but I guess most are like that.

To clip or not to clip?

Parrots are birds and most birds fly as we all know. So when one houses an animal capable of flying it drastically reduces the amount of flight time they receive indoors compared to the outdoors. On top of that in order to keep them safe indoors some people keep their parrots wings clipped so they are literally handicapped. Wing clipping has its moral wrongs but sometimes it is better to have the wings clipped than have it die from a tragic accident. On the other you could avoid owning a parrot at all if your house is that unsafe for birds.
Wing clipping is a harmless procedure that trims the primary flight feathers on the wing of the parrot. A proper trim allows the parrot balance and the ability for short distance flight. They will not fly much if their wings are clipped since their body feels heavier due to the change in balance. If the wing is trimmed improperly the parrot could easily injure itself falling due to lack of balance. When clipping wings for the first time it is a good idea to have a professional such as a vet or bird specialist show you how in order to avoid cutting a toe or blood feather. If a blood feather is cut blood will start squirting out so you will have to pluck the feather out from the root.
A wing clipped parrot might develop bad habits if time and attention are not given. They might pluck feathers, vocalize excessively, or stop eating. To avoid this provide your parrot with interesting toys and play games you would usually play with your parrot. Also the parrot will become more dependent on humans in order to get where it wants to be. It seems sad watching the parrot deprived of flight I especially felt this way when Kiki had her wings clipped. Wing clipping isn't completely necessary and it is possible let your parrot live with wings intact. Some parrots are trained to fly outside for their own enjoyment and return to their owners.

Pet parrots flying freely outside.