Every parrot has a unique personality that will set it apart from all the others. Many reading these words already know this fact quite well. From time to time, there are interesting bird owners and their feathered friends that seem to form an extraordinary team. These teams effectively draw people toward them in areas that they move about in. One such duo is Durby St. George and Phat Chicken. Phat Chicken is a scarlet macaw with a back story to how he became the celebrated parrot in Bangor, Maine that he has been.

Phat Chicken was once a mascot in a pet store in Brewer, Maine. Originally named Scarlett, the parrot greeted everyone who came into the store. However, in 2010, the owners became too tired with age to continue running the store. They called upon a friend to come and take Scarlett under his care. Enter Durby, who was all too happy to take on the job of caregiver. Scarlett climbed upon his shoulder that day and had become a permanent fixture there as the pair moved about the city of Bangor.

A Macaw About Town

Scarlett was renamed Phat Chicken because a blind woman once asked that he be placed upon her arm. When the parrot moved onto her arm, she replied that he was a “fat chicken.” The name stuck and now, the name is known with a slight modification in spelling – a more modern styled “phat.”

For years, the pair made frequent appearances in Bangor – restaurants, parks, walks. Durby rode about town on a motorcycle and Phat Chicken was always there. At home, Phat Chicken loves to carry on “conversations” with the crows that gather outside the window as he sits on the inside watching out. They’ll screech and he screeches back completing a sequence of conversational efforts.

In 2024, local television stations and newspapers ran features on the pair, and they gained even more notoriety. But, as life will have it, it was time to move on. Durby and Phat Chicken relocated to Kentucky to the small town of Horse Cave. The town boasts a small adventure zoo known as Kentucky Down Under Adventure Zoo affiliated with the Onyx Mammoth Cave in the area. Durby hopes to soon acquire a position with the zoo to present the parrot to the public.

After moving to Kentucky, Durby heard someone remark, “OMG! Is that Phat Chicken?” while at a local mall. Phat Chicken loves having his photo taken with others. When the cameras come out, Phat Chicken goes on high alert and begins to show off. But Phat Chicken has a radar of sorts. If he’s uncomfortable with someone, Durby understands his cues and photos do not happen. But Phat Chicken is mostly agreeable for most of them.

Phat Chicken will be 30 years old on July 8, 2025. You can follow his exploits on Facebook.