A Feathered Charm: A Brief Autobiography - Part II, by Kiwi Salazar

Luis had visited Gary Denolf several times in the Spring of 2004. Luis was looking to get part-time work at "Tiffany's on Whyte" so that he could work with birds. Gary had not committed the first two times but on the third time, in May, Gary announced that he was going away on vacation and was going to need some extra help while he was away. Luis was delighted.

Gary showed him around the shop. This and that, and that and this... The shop is a bohemian dreamland. "Tiffany's" carries the widest selection of colorful, eccentric stuff in town- everything from antique jewelry, to vintage signs and movie paraphernalia, to neon signs, to furniture, and whatever else fits through the front or back doors. Folks are always enchanted when they walk into "Tiffany's". Then they hear all the whistling and chirpping that goes on in the back and they fall in love with what "Tiffany's" is really all about: birds. This is precisely what happened to Luis.

Luis was introduced to the lovely Dorina- Gary's loyal employee and the hardest working lady in town. Dorina was busy- hard at work dusting and putting things in order as the shop had only up until recently been opened on the beautiful Whyte Avenue. Dorina deserved all the credit for getting us all in tip-top shape. Luis couldn't wait to get to work.

Luis walked over to my cage and Gary says, "This is Kiwi, a Quaker. He's a nice little bird but a bit temperamental." Ha! You would be too if you were locked up in a cage.

"Why is he so cheap," Luis asked. Ransom was set at $500.00.
"He's a secondhand bird," Gary said. "He belonged to a family but they sold him to me a few weeks ago."
"Why did they let him go?"
"They said he was saying bad words to the kids and couldn't stop him. An uncle taught him some Davey Jones talk and he has a dirty little beak."

I looked out at Luis and hissed and pecked at the cage. Who says I have a dirty beak? I'll bite him!

"Wow, he sure is mad," Luis remarked.

Lovely first impression...


During the next two months Luis would clean a lot of bird cages, sweep tons of seed husks off the floor and darn nearly get his finger pecked off by me and every locked up parrot in the shop. Ha! That's what he gets for locking us up! One day a young lady walked in with a friend. She was looking to buy a Lineolated Parrotlet. Luis had none for sale but he showed her about the place selling her all sorts of chew toys and food supplies. That's why Cliff called him "TROUBLE" - always flirting with the girls, he was. Anyway, she walked over to my cage, peered in and I said a few words to charm her a wee bit. She walked away shocked and appalled! What did I say, for Pete's sake?

"I think that bird just called me stupid," she went over and told Luis. He laughed outloud. I could hear him crisply from the other side of the store. Grrrr...
"You're lucky," he replied. "He could have called you much worse." The next time Luis came over to change my water I got him right in the Abductor Indicis - "Ow!" Served him right.

One day, out of the blue, Gary returned. Luis took him on the tour of the clutter-free "Tiffany's on Whyte". Dorina and Luis had finished cleaning the shop and it looked fantastic. Luis walked him into the aviary and strolling over to me, pulls my cage off it's hook.

"And how is Kiwi doing?"
"He's still as mad as ever," Luis replied. "He got me right here in the nook of the hand the other day. That is one grouchy little bird."
"He's not grouchy- he just needs to be let out every once in a while. Watch..." With that he opens my cage door, I walked out, climbed onto the top of the cage and said as brightly as I could, "step up!"
"Yeah," Gary said. "He's hand tamed. He loves attention. He just needs to be let out."
"What??? You mean Dorina and I have suffered that little beak for nothing? All he needed was to be let out? But you told me that he was mean."
"Did I? Must have been another bird 'cause Kiwi is a sweety. Try picking him up."
"Step up, Kiwi," Luis said and like an old friend cozing up to another friend, up I went. Like a feathered charm, Luis fell in love with me right there on the spot. I've been on his finger, on his shoulder, and in his home every since. Luis worked off my ransom (he got me for only $300.00 - staff discount) and after only six working days I got to go home to Salazar Manor.

That is how Luis and I met almost three years ago.

"Step up!"

Shower Scene from Psycho

One of Ready's favorite things to do when Luis takes a shower is to climb down from his cage and pay Luis a little visit. He walks around the corner into the bathroom. You can hear his little feet clickity-clack on the linoleum and then as he stands there looking up at the shower he gives out a little whistle as if to say, "Hellooo, I'm here now."

Luis looks out to see Ready looking up at him longingly. Luis stoops down to say hello back at which point Ready does his little intimidation dance. Imagine a little fluff ball, half naked from self-plucking, his feathers flare out and he bows his head to make himself look fearsome. His little eyes dilate and he starts to pace about, tapping his beak against the floor- adding to the drama. He gives out a loud whistle and prances over to the corner just underneath the sink. There he continues his little dance, tapping and whistling and squeaking at the top of his wee lungs.

Beware! Once out of the shower he will sometimes charge at clean toes with a headstrong mind to bite into oblivion. He has never bitten Luis' toes but Dani is sure afraid of the dude.

"Luis... Ready is out, honey. Can you please come and get him?" That's what you hear and you know that Ready has Dani cornered in the bathroom.

What the heck does he want, really? I look down at him from my perch and shake my head. Is he jealous? I know he is afraid of the shower downpour. He obviously doesn't want up on the perch. But he just can't help himself. He is a brooding little African, dude. With the simplest gestures he says, "Hey, love me." Then, in the drop of an egg, he threatens you with the shower scene from psycho. Crazy, guy!

Sarah Polley and SpongeBob Squarepants

The day Luis brought Sarah and Ready home was a tense one, o.k.! I mean here I've been in my new home for no more than a couple of months when all of the sudden Luis and Dani walk in the door with a couple of Africans. These guys were attention getters from day one. The dude was chirping and saying things in some funny accent- whistling and squeaking like a puppy squeaky toy. The dudette was silent as a new born lamb. The only way you could tell she was even in the pet carrier was by her (yes, I'll admit it) beautiful yellow crest that shown through the slits of the pet carrier like the June savannah sun. The dude was feisty too. Boy, he abhorred being in that melmac torture chamber. He nibbled and bit at the carrier as though to divest it of all structure and essence. He sure was tenacious and vigorous - mighty like and ferocious lion facing a hyena on the Serengeti. Luis seemed tense too. Dani had that look that says, “Man, what did I just open up here?”. There was so much commotion and excitement.

First thing they did was pluck the dudette out of the carrier to clip her flight feathers. There was a horrendous flutter and squeaking clamor. It sounded like total confusion and distress. Out she came nibbling hard at the towel. Yeah, she was tamed as a chick. As tame as a warthog, I assure you. Off they came- snip, snip. Then off to the cage she went- dashing quick to the farthest end so as to save herself from those menacing stainless steel chompers. Then the dude appeared. Man alive, I have never seen a dude so naked. Must be real hot in Africa because this fellow was wearing nothing but Bermuda shorts and a yellow beret. Tacky... He looked like a mess. Luis turned him over for the one-two inspection and noted that clipping this fellow would not be necessary. Off he went onto the cage to join his girlfriend. They huddled close and stiff staring out with eyes as big as pie plates. Boy, they were shaken up. And they call me a "quaker". Hah!

Luis beamed with joy. Apprehensive joy, sure, but who wouldn’t be with new roommates such as these two? Dani had that look that says, “Man, what did I just open up here?”.

“Well, I’m happy for you,” she said- like when you think you are in for it and asked for it, you know what I mean?
“What are you going to name them,” she asked.
“Don’t know. Wait, I’ve got it. The girl’s name is Sarah.”

You’ll never guess what was on the tele just then? “Joe's So Mean to Josephine” starring Canada’s own, Sarah Polley, was on CBC. Big surprise. I’m sure Miss Polley would appreciate the tacky nature of that compliment in one of her other seven manifestations across this multi-dimensional persistance we call life. Luis is so tacky...

“O.k. (read: good one, loser). And the boy?”
“Ready,” he says. “After SpongeBob’s motto - I’m ready!”
“Why that?”
“Cause he’s ‘ready’ to bite you, of course.”

Up until that day, Ready and Sarah had belonged to a local Edmonton bird breeder. Luis had gotten wind through the grape vine that a breeder was looking to give away a couple of Meyer’s parrots for free to any takers. Luis was jumping and dancing in his pants, if you could imagine Luis ever jumping and dancing all at the same time. Actually, he was outwardly quite calm about it. The only indication of his excitement was a steadfast resolution that without hesitation he could pick the birds up that very afternoon, right after work. At the time he was working at TIFFANY’S ON WHYTE selling among other things birds and bird supplies. It was Gary, the shop owner and eccentric world traveller, that sprung the news about the Africans to Luis. Gary is acquainted with many of the local bird breeders as he has been in the business of birds and all things related since the early eighties. The breeder wanted to dump these birds with some urgency. All Gary could tell was that they were Meyer’s and free.

Well it turns out that Ready has a bit of a megalomania complex. This includes a heightened sense of territorialism, and acute need for attention and a hardy appetite for nibbling on goodies of all sorts. Not to get into details but his territorialism had caused a few sore feet (that’s putting it in “Rated: PG” terms) among some of the birds in the aviary where he was living. The breeder was quite upset about it all and wanted nothing more than to see them go back to Africa. Well, they ended up in the jungles of Millwoods and that’s as close to Africa as they will ever get. I doubt that the Kenyan government, for instance, wants Ready anywhere near its frontiers, let alone pouncing about in its populace.

Ready and Sarah live in Luis’ office. There, they are far from the Salazar Manor aviary and well out of the worse kind of troublem- biting other birds. Ready is still territorial although a real sucker for Luis’ attention. Sarah is true to the nature of the average Meyer’s parrot: bashful and suspicious of strangers. Ready’s problems are worse than Sarah’s. He has classical Displacement Disorder. Displacement Disorder is what sometimes happens when a “wild” critter is removed from its natural environment and forced to cope with alien beings and stressful circumstances. I’ll talk about those in another article.

Until then, “step up!”.

Dromaesaurs, Daedalus and the Andean Kings

Current palaeontological discourse is closing in on the secrets of the mysterious evolution of flight. Richard Prum, Ph.D., is one of my favorite researchers of feather evolution. His work proposes that feathers first developed on running rather than climbing dinosaurs as a way of keeping warm. Previous theories argued that gliding dinosaurs developed feathers and birds then evolved from these creatures. Most palaeontologists today classify birds as an extant group of coelurosaurs. Coelurosauria is a group of theropod dinosaurs. Characteristics to this group of dinosaurs include an extended sacrum, a distally stiffened tail and a bowed ulna. Coelurosaurs include Tyrannosaurs Rex, Velociraptor and Dromaesaurs. Advanced theropods were covered in a fluffy down comprised of papilla with tufts of unbranched filaments. Prum's theory states that developmental mechanisms within the tubular feather germ and follicle gave rise to modern feathers. Dinosaurs such as the dromaesaurs and the archaeopteryx may have been the ancestors of modern day birds. Loosely speaking that would make birds coelurosaurs and DINOSAURS to boot! Have you kissed a dinosaur lately? AARRGH!!!

Daedalus was born without feathers but was a bright mythological human being, yes sir. Credited with being the creator of images Daedalus is known for his clever inventions and artifices. Pandering to the urges of King Minos, Daedalus fell victim to the anxious fears of a lizard brained king. King Minos commissioned Daedalus to build him a meandering labyrinth to imprison his Queen's son Asterius, the Minotaur. The labyrinth was virtually inescapable but King Minos feared that Daedalus would reveal the secrets of the labyrinth to the public. To prevent the Minotaur's escape King Minos had Daedalus locked up in a tower and had all sea and land routes under tight surveillance in case Daedalus should ever escape the tower. Knowing well that escape via land and sea was futile Daedalus set out to conceive of a new route: air. Fastening feathers together with string and wax Daedalus fashioned a pair of large wings for him and his young son. Having taught his son to fly he warned the young Icarus not to fly too low in case the feathers be dampened by sea water thus causing him to fall into the sea; not to fly too high for the sun would melt the wax from the armature and cause Icarus to fall to the earth. Having flown some distance Icarus soared high to reach the heavens. The warmth of the sun melted the wax and Icarus fell into the sea. Daedalus wept bitterly lamenting his own craft and named the place where Icarus fell Icaria. Daedalus buried his son and after having reached Sicily he built a temple and hung up his wings in offering to the god Apollo.

Further on-line reading:
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2005/
10/1018_051018_feathered_dino.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archaeopteryx
http://www.npr.org/programs/atc/features/2002/apr/mummies/
http://dml.cmnh.org/1998Dec/msg00317.html
http://www.nurseminerva.co.uk/adapt/feathers.htm
http://people.eku.edu/ritchisong/554notes1.html
http://www.yale.edu/eeb/prum/pubs.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daedalus
http://www.loggia.com/myth/daedalus.html
http://www.pantheon.org/articles/d/daedalus.html

Introducing Sarah Monster

Ta-dumm! Say hello to Sarah, folks. Sarah is my roomy here at Salazar Manor. She is a Meyer's Parrot and lives in Luis' office with her feathered beau Ready.

More on the demure Sarah later this week.

"Squawk!"

Credits and Peanuts

In an attempt to remain as responsible as possible to the intellectual rights of others I would like to say that Kiwi and Friends acknowledges the many sources that have been and will be cited for the information and images used on this BLOG. It is important that we respect the integrity of all people and this includes the hard work that folks invest into their passions. With this in mind Kiwi and Friends dedicates this post as the site for all links and hardcopy sources cited on this BLOG. Apologies for such a non-standard format. If ever there is question as to the authorship of any material found here please contact Kiwi at blogkiwi@gmail.com

I take all of the images of my pets so the copyright to these belongs to me. If ever an image is included that was not photographed by myself then the copyright owner will be cited directly on the image. If you would like to use one of my images please contact me at the address above.

Thanks! "Step up!"

A Feathered Charm: A Brief Autobiography - Part I, by Kiwi Salazar

Given Names: Kiwi Salazar
Sex: Male (presumed)
Age: 3 years
Date of Birth: December 13, 2002
Place of Birth: Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

Common Name: Quaker Parakeet
Other Common Names: Monk Parakeet, Grey-Breasted Parakeet
Scientific Name: Myiopsitta monachus (Myo = fly, psitta = parrot, monachus = monk)
Taxonomy:
Species: monachus
Genus: Myiopsitta
Family: Psittacidae
Order: Psittaciformes
Class: Aves
Phylum: Chordata
Kingdom: Animalia

Subspecies: There are four recognized subspecies of Quakers in the wild. These are:

1. Myiopsitta monachus monachus:
   Range: Southeastern Brazil, Uruguay and northeastern Argentina
   Wing length (measured from the bend of the wing to the tip of the longest primary): 14.1 - 16.1 cm
   Weight: 120 g
   Note: Largest subspecies of Quaker. Since most Quakers were exported from within the range of this subspecies most pets in the North America should belong to this subspecies.
   
   
2. M. m. calita
   Range: Western Argentina
   Wing length: 13.6 - 14.4 cm
   Weight: 100g
   Note: The size difference is the best way to tell this from M. m. monachus. If your bird is small it may be this subspecies or M. m. cotorra (see below).
   
   
3. M. m. cotorra
   Range: Southeastern Bolivia, Paraguay and southern Brazil
   Wing length: 13.1 - 14.7 cm
   Weight: 100g
   Note: This subspecies and calita are very hard to distinguish. M. m. cotorra supposedly is brighter green above and have less yellow below than calita.
   
   
4. M. m. luchsi (a.k.a. the Cliff Parakeet)
   Range: Central Bolivia, geographically isolated from all other subspecies
   Wing length: 14.6 - 16.3 cm
   Note: This is best told from the others by its distinctive plumage. The gray of the breast is uniform, not scaled. On all other subspecies the breast feathers are darker gray in the center with a lighter border giving the breast a scaled appearance. In addition, the gray on the forehead is whiter and extends to the mid crown in M. m. luchsi. The band on the upper abdomen is also purer yellow.
   This bird gets its name because it builds its stick nests on cliffs in the deep valleys where it lives. This bird has recently been considered a different species Myiopsitta luchsi the Cliff Parakeet by Collar 1997
   

Average Lifespan: 30 – 35 years Natural Range and Habitat: Native to sub-tropical and temperate South America. Countries of origin include: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay. Introduced Regions: Due in part to the generalized nature of their diets, their hardy biology and adaptability non-native Quaker populations are common throughout the globe. Either through accidental or deliberate release of pet birds feral Quaker populations can be found in countries such as U.S.A., Canada, Spain, England, Japan, Italy, France, Germany, Belgium, Kenya, Bermuda, Puerto Rico, and the Bahamas to name a few. Identification: Size: Average Adult: 30 cm (12 inches) Coloration: In their natural color Quakers are not sexually dimorphic (one can not tell the male from the female through mere physical characteristics). Both male and females have predominantly bright grass-green bodies. Primary, secondary, tertiary flight feathers and tail feathers are also turquoise green to bluish-green in color. Short French-grey feathers cover the face and extend down to the upper abdomen and further on to the vent. Yellow-green feathers cover the lower abdomen down to the pants. Quakers sport yellow-green and French-grey feathered pants. Quaker bills are a tawny orange color with no visible cere. Color mutations exist. These include: lutino, blue-cinnamon, albino, pied and cinammon. These mutations are exploited by the pet trade and are not generally common in wild populations. Diet: In the wild, Quakers are predominantly seedeaters. These include seeds from the Poaceae, Asteraceae, and Cyperacea families as well as sunflower and maize. Other common foods are: rice, fruits of various kinds, insects, millet, barley, vegetation (leaves, flowers, etc.), nuts, and berries. Husbandry: Quakers are sexually mature at one to two years of age. Quakers are the only parrots known to build nests (all other parrots lay eggs in the hollows of trees). Male Quakers build nests consisting of three chambers: first, an incubation room (the deepest room in the nest) where eggs are laid, incubated and where chicks are fledged, second, a middle room or “living space” where chicks live after their first month and until they leave the nest, and third a “porch” area where the parents guard the nest. Quakers are famous for their nest building skills. These parrots are also known for building their nests in large colonies where mating pairs simply add to existing nests. The resulting colony resembles large apartment complexes with separate apartment units. The nests are built from twigs, leaves, small braches, and any suitable building material available. Egg clutches on average range between four to eight eggs with chicks hatching after 23 to 26 days. Chicks are fledged and leave the nest after only 6 - 8 weeks. Like many parrots Quakers begin to nurse their next clutch four weeks after their previous clutch is laid. They are prolific breeders capable of breeding all year round in captivity. Quakers as Pets: Quakers make excellent pets. As members of the psittacine family of birds Quaker are highly intelligent, capable of learning and adapting to any home environment. Like all psittacines they are social birds that enjoy companionship and spending as much time as possible with their adopted human flock. Ranked third only after African Greys and Amazons Quakers are fantastic talkers. Often these birds need only hear a sound once before adapting a limited vocal chord biology to mimic the perceived sound pattern. Although mimicking abilities wane after their second or third year some birds are reported to continue to learn words and short phrases into old age. It isn’t always the case but it is generally true to say that the larger the horn the louder the honk. Being small parrots Quakers are generally not very loud although they can cause a raucous when upset or when in need of some attention. Most vocalizations are moderate ranging from natural calls to practicing human and other foreign sounds at tolerable tones- often practicing for hours until being satisfied with the Memorex- uh-hum, Quakerex copy. The pet market delivers a wide range of foods for pet parrots. Although in the wild Quakers are largely seedeaters in captivity the best nutrition is provided by pelletized or “extruded” diets. These ensure that pets receive the same nutritional content in every bite. A well-socialized, well-fed and well cared for Quaker is less likely to develop social, physical and/or psychological problems. These include: biting, screaming, feather plucking, extreme shyness, extreme territorialism, and a large variety of nutrition related maladies. With an abundant source of energy and a contagious joie de vivre Quakers make enjoyable pets. They are affectionate, celebrated acrobats, escape artists and all around clowns who enjoy interacting in every aspect of human life. They are not cage birds. Sensitive pet owners include their Quakers in many of their day-to-day activities.

Further on-line reading:
http://www.brooklynparrots.com http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?cls=15&cat=1840&articleid=2389 http://www.holisticbirds.com/Hbn02/spring02/pages/quaker1.htm http://invasions.bio.utk.edu/invaders/monk.html http://www.duke.edu/~djb4/Monk%20Parakeets.htm

The Bird Next Door

Ta-dummm! Fellow bird lovers please say, "Awwww..." to the loveliest chiquita Quaker in the northern hemisphere: Maguey. Maguey lives across the way from us here at Salazar Manor and she came by to say hello earlier this evening. She resides at Perla Estates and is the sole heiress to the entire Perla booty- sorta like Paris Hilton except way cuter. More on Maguey mas tarde... after I finish my fantastic autobiography. Vamonos!
Oh, by the way, that is Dani with her: Luis' wife. AARRGGHH! I'll bite her later.

The Dream of Daedalus

What's this kids? Is this the beautiful, the dazzling, the most magical form in all of creation? The dream of Daedalus? Vestment of the gods? Coveted finery of the ancient Andean kings? Filament of grace and salvation of the dromaesaurs? But ofcourse! Yes kids, only the finest garb in the Garden Eden- a bird feather. Not just any bird feather. It is a Quaker feather. Step up soon for a lively history of the feather. Only here at "Kiwi and Friends". SQUAWK!