Who's a Pretty Bird?
November 10, 2011 2:03 PM   Subscribe

 
I love these photos because of reasons.
posted by Kabanos at 2:08 PM on November 10, 2011 [15 favorites]


Maru's gonna eat that bird, because of fashion.
posted by dismas at 2:11 PM on November 10, 2011 [3 favorites]


that is one patient-ass parrot
posted by facetious at 2:39 PM on November 10, 2011


Metafilter: But, in fact, this is usable as a hat
posted by mannequito at 2:43 PM on November 10, 2011 [1 favorite]


this parrot: all we needs it!
posted by wowbobwow at 2:53 PM on November 10, 2011


No amount of adorable hats will ever convince me that birds aren't the creepiest living creatures. Whenever I catch one looking at me, it always feels like it's hunting me, velociraptor-style. You can almost see its little brain-gears turning, furiously hoping that all of evolutionary history suddenly reverses itself so it can lunge in for the kill. Freaky little bastards.
posted by phunniemee at 3:00 PM on November 10, 2011 [1 favorite]


Freaky little bastards.

That's the best part. I love it when mine sits on my shoulder, with those reptilian clawed talons, her beak an inch from pulling out my earrings and within striking distance of my eyes, fully capable of ruining my day, quietly clucks in my ear, nestles her head into my neck, and starts grooming my hair.

They seem creepy, until you realize how much love for you they have.

And then they seem more obsessive than creepy.
posted by quin at 3:09 PM on November 10, 2011 [8 favorites]


You can put a velociraptor in a silk dress, but it remains a velociraptor.
posted by rivenwanderer at 3:10 PM on November 10, 2011 [3 favorites]


Yeah, I am so used to having a parrot on my shoulder that I really can't remember what it was like pre-Scooby.

Actually I could say the same about parrot poop as well. Oh well, gotta take the bad with the good.

Aren't their feets cute? All scaly and pointy nailed.
posted by Splunge at 3:23 PM on November 10, 2011 [2 favorites]


Yeah, you gotta love that grab move they do when they want something and they hold up an empty claw and make the grasping motions best described in birdie sign language as "GIMME!"

This is particularly fun when you then offer them food that isn't really easily grabbed, but is really tasty.

Like mashed potatoes.

Endless comedy gold, that is.
posted by quin at 3:35 PM on November 10, 2011 [1 favorite]


Yeah! Scooby will do that and yell "Step up! Step up!"
posted by Splunge at 3:45 PM on November 10, 2011 [1 favorite]


At long last, the hole left in my psyche by dear Oolong has been filled.
posted by cmyk at 3:47 PM on November 10, 2011 [2 favorites]


But I have to wonder, as I wonder with all pets including my own, if the door were left open would he leave and never return?

Mine come back. Mostly looking for food I presume.
posted by LoudMusic at 3:53 PM on November 10, 2011 [1 favorite]


I'm going to be honest, I was on board with this right up until I saw the corset picture.
posted by danny the boy at 3:56 PM on November 10, 2011 [3 favorites]


Mr. Praline: Look, matey, I know a dead parrot when I see one, and I'm looking at one right now.

Owner: No no he's not dead, he's, he's restin'! Remarkable bird, the Norwegian Blue, idn'it, ay? Beautiful plumage!

Mr. Praline: The plumage don't enter into it. It's stone dead.
posted by Kerasia at 3:59 PM on November 10, 2011 [1 favorite]


I am really astonishingly delighted by that bee suit.
posted by elizardbits at 4:03 PM on November 10, 2011 [2 favorites]


right up until I saw the corset picture

Yeah, ladybug my ass, that is a femme bondage parrot, if I ever saw one....
posted by GenjiandProust at 4:05 PM on November 10, 2011


also i like that this is the thread where quin and splunge out themselves as pirates
posted by elizardbits at 4:19 PM on November 10, 2011 [10 favorites]


Pugs and Corgis were already on the "Animals Allowed to Wear Costumes" list. I say we add parrots to it as well.
posted by deborah at 4:35 PM on November 10, 2011


if the door were left open would he leave and never return?

I would love to have a 'pet' bird again (not so much a pet, as a co-dependent friend with feathers who would come over and hang out on my shoulder whenever I came home from school or went outside every day, previously), but I don't think I could be comfortable having it confined to my apartment, much less a cage, here in the city. The 'free to come and go as you please' policy really felt like a fair deal for the bird, and it felt like I had a level of trust and friendship between me and a wild animal that made it pretty cool.

Although I am uncomfortable having an indoor bird as a pet myself (except for always wanting a 'buddy' duck here in the city, who I could run about town with or just hang out and watch TV with, if I could ever solve the 'randomly pooping' issue), I have known a few people who have, and they all are very connected to them, and are always making sure the birds are in a good mental state, and aren't stressed out. So I guess if the bird's happy, I'm cool with it.

This guy though? Other than the corset ones, the bird seems pretty OK with all the costumes. That surprises me. I would have thought the parrot would be looking more uncomfortable, sad, and maybe even a bit ashamed in a way, like most cats and dogs look in outfits. I've seen sad parrots, and their face tells you right off, but looking at the eyes and head positions, and the... I guess you have to call it 'facial expressions', the parrot appear happy, sometimes a bit confused, and sometimes seem almost... enthusiastic about all this attention. In any case, that parrot trusts this guy a lot, and you have to be a good owner to get that kind of trust.
posted by chambers at 4:40 PM on November 10, 2011




holy shit homunculus, that's an amazing story!
posted by mannequito at 5:13 PM on November 10, 2011


/This guy though? Other than the corset ones, the bird seems pretty OK with all the costumes. That surprises me. I would have thought the parrot would be looking more uncomfortable, sad, and maybe even a bit ashamed in a way, like most cats and dogs look in outfits.

I`m pretty sure this is a baby or toddler parrot (big doe eyes, super soft and fluffy plumage), so that might explain some of the general air of cheerful confusion. Like you, I'd expect an adult bird to have a better-developed sense of personal boundaries.
posted by Bardolph at 5:13 PM on November 10, 2011


The African grey next door loves technology sounds, and he went absolutely nuts over the "notify" sound on my Android phone, which sounds sort of like dropping a sackful of broken china on the high end of a grand piano harp. He could repeat it pretty well after a week or so. Also, he says "down" when he wants to poop, so you better set him on a paper towel pronto, or suffer the consequences. If you tell him he's smart, he says, "I'm aware." He can snap a chicken leg bone in half with his beak with no effort, which makes me nervous about my fingers. He's only about 25, so he could conceivably outlast two more owners in the next fifty years. Even the cats do what he tells them to do.
posted by halfbuckaroo at 5:20 PM on November 10, 2011 [3 favorites]


Even the cats do what he tells them to do.

That is impressive. I've seen dogs herd cows and sheep, a lone authoritarian goose command a flock of ducks and chickens and boss around a goat and very aloof llama that's easily 10 times larger than he was like it's no big deal at all; but to have the aura of command that cats will not only notice and listen to, but obey, from a creature that normally would be considered prey, would indeed be a sight to see.

All the cats I have had over the years generally like me, mostly for the food and attention I suppose, but will only cooperate with me if its in line their current agenda. If it's not, I'm either ignored or they move on to somewhere where some fool isn't hassling them with demands. Often those demands are 'get off the bed/out of my chair', but I've never interpreted their reasons for moving as an act of compliance, but more of a passive-aggressive 'Fine, I'm going somewhere where I can relax and ignore you in peace and quiet.'
posted by chambers at 5:58 PM on November 10, 2011


They seem creepy, until you realize how much love for you they have.
and even when they're mad at you it's still neat. My wee bird buzzard is full of attitude. If I somehow displease him, by perhaps rubbing his head in circles when clearly back and forth is the right way, he'll pretend to attack my hand. He makes these teensy little bites that don't hurt at all, and if he's really pissed, each nip will be accompanied by a little squeak. eep eep eep eep. This generally makes me giggle and he marches off in disgust.

If I tried to dress him in costumes, however, there would be blood.
posted by 5_13_23_42_69_666 at 7:03 PM on November 10, 2011 [2 favorites]


Fashion show
posted by overeducated_alligator at 7:21 PM on November 10, 2011


I figure this thread is overdue considering how Metafilter usually crows (heh) about their cats.
posted by maryr at 8:18 PM on November 10, 2011


halfbuckaroo: "Even the cats do what he tells them to do."

Hell, my cat doesn't do what I tell him to do and I have thumbs!
posted by Samizdata at 10:18 PM on November 10, 2011


This is about a bajillion degrees of cuteness. And that is one kind of mellow bird!

My Turtle Bird would have had those costumes shredded to confetti in no time, but maybe that's a Senegal thing.

Having a pet bird is a lot like making friends with a Martian. It's love, but... alien love.
posted by kinnakeet at 5:38 AM on November 11, 2011 [1 favorite]


Since I had never heard of Vasa parrots before, I checked them out. Turns out it is a "prehistoric" proto-parrot breed found exclusively in Madagascar and a few other Indian Ocean islands. He's not a juvenile - adults look like that. They have good dispositions and like attention, so I think he's probably having fun with this.
posted by halfbuckaroo at 10:42 AM on November 11, 2011


I HAD BEEN WAITING MY WHOLE LIFE TO SEE A PARROT IN A BEE COSTUME AND DID NOT KNOW IT
posted by Nattie at 3:58 AM on November 12, 2011 [1 favorite]


Cockatoo feeds dog spaghetti
posted by homunculus at 10:00 AM on November 12, 2011 [2 favorites]


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