An unexpected event caused Precious the African grey parrot to take flight and vanish into the great outdoors. Two anxious days passed before Precious was reunited with her family. Precious is more than a family companion — she has become an emotional support companion for 10-year-old Erin, who is autistic. See how this precious parrot has in many ways become Erin’s confidant and best friend.

Which bird is the one birders want to see in the wild most in 2022? Bird Watching Magazine held a bracket contest to find out!

A ground-breaking study undertaken by researchers at the Max Planck Society is the first to demonstrate a direct link between brain size and longevity. By creating a massive database, the research team was able to glean reliable estimates of the average life spans of 217 parrot species — more than half of all known species!

The Maryland Zoo has its very own artist in residence — Echo the African grey parrot. Parrots thrive when offered enrichment opportunities, which can include an assortment of toys, one-on-one interactions, foraging activities, trick training, and more. Echo’s go-to activity is painting!

Poland-based veterinarian Aleksandra Kornelia Maj has gone to great lengths to help evacuees of the Ukraine region who are entering Poland with their pet parrots. Dr. Maj offers free veterinary care to refugee birds, as well as remote help.

Those of us who share our homes with multiple birds know that bickering among the flock can be par for the course. Artist Greg Capin gives his own spin on the chatter among birds with his humorous animated YouTube series, The Parakeets.

A new study by the Goffin Lab at the Messerli Research Institute in Vienna’s University of Veterinary Medicine gives new meaning to the golf term “Birdie” — Goffin’s cockatoos who know how to putt-putt to score a prized cashew reward.

Ollie the rescue cockatiel, with his colorful hand-knitted outfits, is off on an epic adventure. He and his human steward, Robyn Chappell, are trekking across New Zealand’s Te Araroa Trail to raise awareness and money for the trail’s maintenance. See how this special-needs ‘tiel is warming hearts along the way.

In the birding community, a “big year” is a personal challenge to identify as many species of birds as possible by sight or sound, within a single calendar year and within a specific geographic area. Texas native Tiffany Kersten not only set the record for the youngest woman to spot 700 bird species in the Lower 48 states, but she also made it her mission to make birding a safer activity for women by gifting personal safety alarms, fittingly called Birdie alarms, to women she encounters on her birding adventures.

Bogey, a 23-year-old umbrella cockatoo, is enjoying good health once again after undergoing a new procedure to alleviate persistent cloacal prolapse that plagued the ‘too for 16 years.

The sky’s the limit for learning about birds in this Utah high school, where students have the opportunity to learn about birds and participate in their daily care. Take a look inside the school’s fledgling, one-of-its-kind aviary, and meet the teacher who hatched the plan to bring birds into students’ lives in this Lafeber exclusive.

Many of us know parrotlets as one of the smallest parrot species, often referred to as “pocket parrots” in the world of companion parrots. Recently, these tiny dynamos were used as inspiration behind an innovative drone — essentially a flying robot that can land and perch on a variety of surfaces just like a bird.

You can help the wild birds outside your home navigate the challenges of winter months by offering the basics: food, water, and a place to take shelter. Follow these tips to make the colder months easier for your feathered backyard guests.

A new study that included an online survey of nearly 1,400 pet parrots representing 50 species shed light on abnormal parrot behaviors like biting cage bars, pacing in the cage, and pulling out feathers. Researchers from the University of Guelph, University of Bristol, and Utrecht University drew on results from a 1990 study that looked at negative parrot behavior, and their results further support what other studies have pointed to — that foraging and other enrichment opportunities are essential to companion parrots’ well-being.

The colorful and petite gang-gang cockatoo might soon be listed as a threatened species after Australia’s recent bushfire disasters further reduced the cockatoo’s population. To help counteract the gang-gang’s declining numbers, Australia’s Eurobodalla Shire Council is joining the effort to save them by building artificial breeding hollows to replace the natural sites lost in the region. Learn more about this parrot that is adored by locals and the push to save them.

After 1,000 hours spread over 18 months, the self-taught Philip Brill used his cross-stitching skills to create a vibrant rendition of a scarlet macaw. His hard work paid off, with a first-place award at the St. Mary’s County Art Council’s annual Art Walk contest. Learn about the inspiration behind Brill’s magnificent art piece, as well as the process involved in bringing his subject to life on congress cloth.

See how six computer-savvy kea parrots fared when challenged with a series of tasks that were either entirely physical, entirely virtual, or a mixture of both.

Researchers at the Tanimbar Goffin Lab, located in Indonesia, noticed that some wild cockatoos were able to extract seeds from fruit found on the ground. When they brought the fruit back to their lab for their captive cockatoos, they observed the birds making their own tools to access and eat the fruits’ best parts. Learn how these smart ‘toos created their own three-part utensil set.

A partially beak-less Kea parrot in New Zealand, affectionately referred to as Bruce, appears to know the importance of self-care. Ground-breaking scientific observation has shown that this special alpine parrot has taught himself to use tools, namely pebbles, for grooming.

Since 1999, The Macaw Society (formally called the Tambopata Research Project) at the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences has been dedicated to the study of macaws in the wild, with 40 scientific papers and counting. The Macaw Society’s “foster chick” program is one way it helps increase wild macaw numbers by assigning otherwise neglected chicks to foster macaw parents.

A new Lego build kit gives bird lovers the opportunity to create their own Kākāpō parrot. A Lego designer and passionate supporter of the threatened Kākāpō parrot and wanted to create awareness by offering the special build.

Recent research in Australia shows that trash cans are more like large foraging toys to sulphur-crested cockatoos. When Richard Major of the Australian Museum happened up a cockatoo using its feet and beak to ply open a garbage can, he sent a video of the ‘toos’ feat to fellow scientists, which sparked an in-depth study to determine if genetics is the engine of this behavior, or if it is a learned process. The results were even more surprising than anyone could have imagined.

This parrot deserves a party! A scarlet macaw, aptly referred to as Old Man, recently celebrated his 74th birthday!

In his “featherscape” series, photographer James Henderson offers a unique close-up of feathers as he finds perfection in the imperfect parts of a feather.

Learn how retired teacher Virginia Rose discovered her passion for birding and her life-changing event that fueled her mission to make birding accessible to all, no matter what mobility challenges they may face.

Once upon a time, kea parrots lived among humans in lower altitudes. However, they ultimately settled in New Zealand’s mountainous habitat, namely because it was an area least disturbed by human activity. Discover how researchers recently came to this conclusion.

What happens when a red-tailed hawk family builds a nest on a New York City photographer’s balcony? We get an up-close look at birds’ incredible ability to persevere in urban environments.

Adam Dhalla, from Vancouver, B.C., isn’t your typical video-gaming teen. He’s a passionate birder who wants to introduce birding to his peers. He did just that by creating a mobile gaming app available for download on smartphones that gives players the opportunity to virtually traverse the globe in search of birds and learn more about them.

Rio’s last wild macaw, affectionately named Juliet, is looking for love by visiting the zoo’s aviary.

Brett Peppe is the author and Licensed Professional Counselor behind the well-received children’s book, “Penelope the Powerful Parrot.” The book is designed to help those impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and other potential traumas.

To combat declining wild bird populations, some cities are making their landscapes more bird-friendly.

Meet the Ayem Cemani, an all-black chicken native to Indonesia’s island of Java. See why this rare bird is considered by many to be the most magnificent breed of chicken in the world.

Wisdom the Laysan albatross is unique in more ways than one. She is the oldest known wild bird, having been banded by biologists in 1956. What makes her even more remarkable is that she has recently hatched and is rearing another chick!

An injured beak can severely impact a parrot’s health—a missing beak can put a parrot in peril. Fortunately, this wild parrot got a second chance at life with the help of Paulo Roberto Martins Nunziata and veterinarian Maria Ângela Panelli Marchió of the Renascer ACN animal rehabilitation center in Brazil.

If you live in Australia, it’s not unusual to spot native parrot species foraging in your yard. New South Wales resident Jayde Parrey, for one, is used to seeing rainbow lorikeets, but one member of a recent flock of 20 parrots certainly stood out for it was an unusually colored rainbow lorikeet. Learn more about this special lorikeet.

Central Park in New York City recently saw the return a fluffy white visitor after a 130-year hiatus—a majestical snowy owl! On January 27, a popular birder tweeted the arrival of a snowy owl hunkering down behind a fenced area near the park’s baseball fields. Soon after, local birders flocked to the park for the sighting of a lifetime. Read on to learn more about the snowy owl and how this owl’s brief New York City appearance made headlines.

There’s birding, and then there’s an extreme form of birding referred to as “twitching,” where enthusiasts are willing to brave the elements, the costs and other obstacles to catch a glimpse of a rare bird in the wild. Learn the story behind the “twitchers” name and the lengths they are willing to go to see a feathered beauty in nature.

A starling murmuration is a sight to behold. Those lucky to stumble upon a murmuration are witness to an aerial ballet of thousands of birds moving in unison, individual birds blending into a moving mass that appears to morph into different shapes.

A new study affirms what many of us bird enthusiasts already sense—wild birds give us an emotional boost. Seeing and hearing the variety of birds in our neighborhoods can make us happier, especially when we choose to engage with them by offering food and creating a safe and inviting habitat to visit.

Andrea Garcia, a library aide in the Los Angeles area, has found parrots to be the perfect assistants when it comes to story time. Garcia hosts up to 32 Zoom virtual reading sessions a week for elementary school children.

The tiny Saw-whet owl rescued from the 75-foot-tall Norway spruce tree that was brought from upstate New York to Manhattan’s Rockefeller Center takes flight after being treated at a wildlife rehabilitation facility.

Leila Jeffreys is an artist from Australia who uses the tools of photography to create incredible portraitures of birds of all kinds The result is large prints that reveal immaculate details of the bird subject she is working with

The thick-billed parrot (Rhynchopsitta pachyrhyncha) is the only surviving parrot species native to North America. This special parrot once thrived in its Arizona mountain habitat and was last seen in the wild there in 1938. It has since settled in Mexico, but a team of wildlife researchers in Arizona are working with counterparts in northern Mexico to reintroduce the bird to the state’s wild.

A parrot’s penchant for chewing things up is nothing new. Think of all the cardboard and/or wood items your bird has destroyed throughout your time together! What is new is a famed artist turning a parrot’s “masterpiece of destruction” into museum-quality sculptures. Joseph Havel, whose works have been exhibited in prestigious galleries around the world, looked no further than his African grey companion, Hannah, to create a collection of pieces that are now on display at a gallery in Houston. Learn how this collaborative effort between an artist and parrot came to be.

Biggy Pop is not your average cockatoo. This ‘too’s companion is Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Iggy Pop, frontman for the influential punk band The Stooges. A fan of both Iggy Pop the rocker and Biggy Pop the bird recently reached out to the duo to see if they’d help bring awareness to Australia’s plight in the aftermath of devastating fires that wiped out an estimated three billion animals, including 180 million birds.

The effects of light pollution—being exposed to artificial light at night—is shown to disrupt our circadian rhythms and potentially wreak havoc on our sleep-wake cycles. Artificial light also affects wildlife in ways many of us might never have imagined. See how city lights can interfere with the lives of wild birds’ and even affect their migratory patterns.

Sirocco, the personable and friendly kakapo parrot, is back in the spotlight. New Zealand’s national treasure and face of conservation is social media star, with 235,000 followers and counting.

Mumbai-based musician Jatin Talukdar had two unexpected admirers when he began to play guitar and whistle out his window — two wild parrots.

A new study on kea parrots, New Zealand’s native alpine parrot species, shows just how smart these famously intelligent birds are. With favored treats at stake, keas demonstrated a keen ability to act on their sense of probability to get treats. They even outperformed primates on some tasks. See how the parrots’ grasp of statistics fared when researchers put them to the test.

An ambitious conservation project to help save the grey-breasted parakeet saw its first success with the hatching of three nestlings in 2010, which has now led to 130 hatchings per year! See what the secret to their success has been and where this colorful parakeet might be headed in terms of its population status in the wild.

An increasing number of people have taken up birding as a way to feel connected with the world around us and expand their knowledge of nature. Now is the perfect time to become a birder. Many top bird-centric organizations are making it easier than ever for families to learn birding basics.

We give our babies names, but do parrots also “name” their young by using distinct chirps specific to an individual chick? One scientist decided to listen more closely to what might really be going on when birds chatter. He constructed nests in Venezuela and recorded the peeps of green-rumped parrotlets. The results suggest that parrot parents give their chicks individual names.

Louie the parrot did a miraculous thing when a fire began to rage in his home; he screeched “Fire!” for the first time and alerted his household to a raging fire. Read more about Louie, his life-saving act, and his bittersweet ending.

Do parrots cough? Cough-like noises can indicate an underlying medical issue in our feathered companions. See how parrots’ coughs are different from ours, and when to call the vet.

Similar to Fantasy Sports, the virtual North American Big Year is a game for birding enthusiasts. And you can compete without leaving your home!

The Australian wildfires of 2019-2020 have been particularly brutal in their devastation. How have Australia’s birds fared, and what are the challenges to wildlife and habitat?

Are parrots willing to help a fellow parrot even though there appears to be nothing in it for them? A team of behavioral scientists put blue-headed macaws and African grey parrots to the test. See which of the two species passes the parrot kindness test.

The untimely death of a parrot was the inspiration behind the Prego Dalliance Sanctuary. Monika Sangar was a first-time parrot owner when her Eclectus died suddenly from a neurological disorder. Devasted, she vowed to help parrots in need, and the result is her small, non-profit parrot sanctuary in Los Angeles.

The Carolina parakeet was native to North America but, sadly, became extinct a century ago. Scientists recently sequenced the parrot’s genome obtained from a specimen that was originally collected by Catalan naturalist Marià Masferrer (1856-1923) to ascertain what likely led to the species’ abrupt disappearance.

Did you know that there is a parrot smaller than a budgie and smaller than a parrotlet? In fact, it is almost as small as a hummingbird. Check out this profile of the buff-faced pygmy parrot, which measures in at a mere 3 inches long.