Pionus Parrot With Attitude

A long time ago in a land far away (twelve years ago, twenty miles from here) there was a scared little Pionus parrot locked in a cage in a pet store. He missed his mom and his siblings. He never knew his dad. He was stuck in a cage in a dark pet store all night, every night. During the daytime, people would come to his cage, make weird faces, say weird things and then ask the clerk to unlock the cage so they could handle him. This little Pionus became depressed and rather cranky. He bit someone and noticed their reaction. He bit someone else on another day and got the same reaction. It really livened up his days. Soon a sign was hung on the outside of his cage. His cage was placed behind the glass barrier so no one could reach through the bars to try to touch him. On the sign were the words, “Beware: Attack Bird.”

My daughter, a single adult at the time, saw the Pionus and wanted to befriend him. She asked the clerk to let her take him out of the cage. The cage was locked. The clerk said no. Priscilla then asked the owner of the store to please let her handle the little Pionus. The owner said no. Priscilla then asked to handle the beautiful hybrid Macaw stuck and ignored in the back of the store. The owner said, “You can handle Merlin if you dare. He needs a friend.” The clerks in the store could hardly clean Merlin’s cage or leave him food because he had become so mean. The former owner of the store had owned the Macaw for two decades. But the former owner had died and Merlin the Macaw was very depressed.

I remember well the moment Priscilla took Merlin out of his cage and stroked his head. I thought Priscilla might lose a finger, but I had to stand there looking calm so I wouldn’t stress out the bird and bring on disaster.

We had come to the pet store that day so that I could look at the African Grey.

I feel so bad for all the captured exotic and non-exotic birds in pet stores. Most often, they look very unhappy. They need to be flying above the tree tops and diving and looping around, but instead they don’t even know how to take off and land in a tree. Most of them have never seen a tree. So I’ve always been very torn about owning a bird. They should be free creatures. But since they are already captured and many are leading boring lives stuck in pet stores, I justified in my mind that I could try to give one bird a good, happy life in a human home to whatever extent possible. I implore anyone who is reading this – if you are considering getting a bird – think long and hard about the commitment involved because these little creatures don’t get to fly away and live the life God intended for them. They become very attached to their human. So if you don’t think you can provide the time and the love a bird needs, do not get one.

There we were looking at the African Grey and planning to come back often so that I could decide if I should get a bird and make a lifetime commitment. (African Greys can live 60 years.) Instead, that day we not only met the African Grey, but also the Macaw named Merlin and the ferocious little nameless Pionus Parrot. Priscilla worked near the pet store so she decided to start visiting Merlin and the Pionus every week day. Priscilla worked in a veterinarian’s office and had learned how to clip a bird’s wings. Merlin loved Priscilla. Merlin loved to sit on Priscilla’s shoulder and snuggle into her neck as Priscilla walked through the church yard next door, far from cage doors and noisy traffic.

I am happy to say that eventually a good home was found for Merlin in Waianae with people who had two other Macaws and knew how to take good care of them.

The African Grey became one of my husband's and my beloved companions, Joey. I will write about Joey another day.

The little over-priced, feisty Pionus parrot, soon became very trusting toward Priscilla. Priscilla took him home within a couple weeks of meeting him. She named him Kela.

Kela didn’t like my husband when he met him. Perhaps the person who had Kela the first eight or ten weeks of Kela’s life was a man and was not a kind person. That was my theory when we first saw Kela take a strong dislike for Bob. One day when Priscilla had had Kela only a couple of weeks, Priscilla invited us over for dinner. Suddenly Kela flew across the room to my husband’s neck and bit him as hard as he could. Kela's beak was latched on tightly and Kela would not let go. Luckily, this being a new experience for my husband and realizing how much Priscilla loved the bird, Bob gave the bird a swipe to loosen the beak, but not a really hard swipe which would have killed Kela. Kela let go of the piece of flesh he had and then attacked again!

A couple of years later when Priscilla met her husband-to-be, Daniel, we didn’t think Kela would like Daniel. Kela had bitten two males by then. Priscilla’s brother, Clayton, was bitten several times, but he sometimes teased Kela, so that’s not really Kela’s fault.

When Kela met Daniel, Kela liked him.

When Priscilla and Daniel’s first child was born, we all knew that if Kela was jealous and even thinking of attacking the baby, Kela would have to go. Kela was very interested in looking at the baby, but he was not aggressive or jealous.

Priscilla and Daniel got themselves a cat. Kela loves the cat. Initially, the cat tried to eat Kela, but soon learned Kela is in charge. Kela and Potcha, the cat, became good friends. Kela would like the cat to preen him, but Potcha never obliges. Next, Priscilla and Daniel got themselves a dog and then another dog. Kela loves the dogs. Kela is also fine with the other babies that have been born into my daughter’s family. Babies grow into toddlers who chase and grab and shriek. Still, Kela takes it all in his stride as he roams around the floors in the livingroom and kitchen. Wherever the action is, that’s where Kela likes to be.

I want to mention the anecdote I was remembering which has prompted me to write this little hub. When Priscilla had only had Kela a few weeks, Kela met Priscilla’s brother, Clayton, and did not like him. A few months later, one early evening when Priscilla and I were out walking, Kela flew away from Priscilla’s shoulder. Priscilla had not clipped his wings in awhile. Kela flew across the road and up high into the top of a mango tree. There were a group of mango trees. Each of them was at least 30 feet high. We could hear Kela chirping in reply to Priscilla’s calls to him, but we couldn’t see Kela because the trees were so high and dense.

The sun was about to set. Birds don’t fly when it’s dark. They know to stay put and stay hidden in the leafy treetops. We had, maybe, 20 minutes of enough light to coax Kela down before it became dark.

Priscilla ran back to my car, drove to our home and picked up her brother. Clayton and Priscilla arrived back at the fence where I stood under the tall mango trees, calling Kela as the light faded. I was crying a little. If we couldn’t get him down, he might fly away in the morning and he would be lost unless Priscilla camped out on the sidewalk until the sun came up. He might try to fly home in the morning -- if he didn't see Priscilla -- but he might not find his home.

I could see the moon and the stars. I thought it had become too late to get Kela to fly down.

Clayton yelled out to Kela, “Hey, you funny bird! Get down here and see Priscilla.” As soon as Kela heard Clayton yelling at him, Kela came flying down and landed possessively on Priscilla’s shoulder, leaned over and threatened to bite Clayton. Kela didn’t like Clayton getting Priscilla’s attention. If Clayton was there, Kela was going to be there, too.

Kela has a good memory. He remembers when Clayton taunts him. Kela is smart. He waits for his opportunity for pay back time. One afternoon Clayton fell asleep on Priscilla's couch. Kela hopped right over and perched himself on Clayton's forehead. He looked down into Clayton's eyes. Clayton opened his eyes knowing full well what was about to happen. Kela played fair by letting Clayton wake up first. Then Kela bit Clayton's nose as hard as he could and he hung on tight. Clayton jumped up yelling and dancing around. He didn't swat Kela, but yelled and yelled ferociously at him. That night Kela and Clayton became pals. They made a truce.

Kela especially likes to walk around on the floor and let everyone pet him with their feet.

For quite sometime now, to keep Kela safe if the family takes him outside, he travels in a special bird backpack with mesh windows. His wings are partially clipped. He can fly up a short distance if there is immediate danger. There hasn't been any danger so far. The family watches him carefully. He usually just sits in a tree when the family is picnicing at a park.

Kela used to prefer to grner all of Priscilla’s attention, but he has learned through the years to share Priscilla's love and attention with her family and her dogs and cat.

I like Kela. He has earned my respect. He’s feisty, but he is loyal to Priscilla. After all, she rescued him. I especially appreciate Kela for being gentle with my grandchildren.

Malama pono, Kela.