Suriname is the smallest and least populated country in South America. Being close to the equator and bordered on the north by the Atlantic Ocean, it is sometimes considered part of the Caribbean and West Indies. Most of the population lives along the northern lowland coast, but 80% or more of the land south of that is tropical rainforest and sparsely inhabited savanna. This area is considered an important area of biodiversity with numerous national reserves and parks.

There are 27 parrot species that call Suriname home, including sun conures, orange-winged Amazons, red-bellied macaws, red-shouldered macaws, scarlet macaws, and blue-and-gold macaws. Suriname is one of three countries in the Americas where it is still possible to hunt, trap, and export parrots. Two-thirds of the parrot species have declining populations.

One Earth Conservation (OEC), spearheaded by LoraKim Joyner, is working with the indigenous population to protect parrots and biodiversity in the region by improving livelihoods through tourism and conservation activities.  Here’s more about what she has to say about this ongoing work.

For the last two years, One Earth Conservation (OEC) has partnered with the Indigenous village of Kalebaskreek to help them protect their parrots and investigate the possibility of developing an ecotourism program there.  After many training sessions and trips, and hours and hours in the field, the village now has a competent team of Parrot Rangers that can monitor the population and nests and protect the birds from trapping.

The Parrot Rangers face challenges with this because in Suriname it is legal to trap and export parrots. Their goal is to work with the government to not issue licenses to trappers to extract parrots from their community lands. They then try to extend this community-based conservation effort to neighboring communities so that an entire habitat can be protected.

The villagers presented their project and petition to various stakeholders and government authorities at a Parrot Conference in October 2024. Galvanized perhaps by the apparent support and a steady presence in the village by One Earth Conservation and its NGO partner, Wildlife and People Suriname, the village then decided a few days after the conference to prohibit hunting and trapping — not just of parrots which they have done in the last 2 years, but of all birds in their territory — and to start an ecotourism project.  This is a monumental step because the village historically and culturally has engaged in hunting for subsistence as well as for business.

One village alone cannot protect the parrots in their region or in Suriname. They need their NGO partners, funders to OEC for Suriname (such as the US Embassy in Suriname, Lush, and donors to Global Giving), and government engagement. They also need international support…and you.

This month’s Lafeber donation goes to support OEC and their work in Suriname.  Learn more about One Earth Conservation projects and how you can donate or assist at https://www.oneearthconservation.org

From candlelit dinners and heartfelt love letters to awkward dance moves at weddings and over-the-top gestures (remember when flash-mob proposals were a thing?!), some people go all out to impress the apple of their eye. But we’re not the only ones pulling out all the stops for love. Some birds take courtship to the next level and beyond. Here’s a look at some of the more dazzling displays of bird bachelors doing all they can to stand out from the crowd.

Birds-of-Paradise

Native to Papua New Guinea, Australia, and Indonesia, male Birds-of-Paradise take dancing quite seriously. There are more than 40 species of Birds-of-Paradise, and each variety has unique plumage to show off, and they seem to know exactly the right moves to showcase their vibrant, look-at-me feathers. They give themselves a stage by clearing twigs and leaves until they have an impeccable dance floor, or meticulously clean a branch to dance along.  Their dance moves can include hopping, hanging upside down, or flaring out their feathered “skirts” or “capes.” The Superb Bird of Paradise is known for its unique optical illusion display in which it appears to be a floating black oval with entrancing blue eyes and a wide blue smile.

Bowerbird

The word “bower” means an attractive dwelling or retreat, so you can probably imagine what the Bowerbird’s love potion is. These birds look to impress with their architectural wonders and interior design. They don’t have flashy feathers or silly dances; instead, they use their flare for home design to send a signal to the ladybirds that this is the place to be. Male Bowerbirds build a twig structure and then furnish it with attractive items like berries, shells, flowers, and human items, such as bottle caps and bits of plastic. They also like to color-coordinate their interior design. The satin bowerbird, for example, will seek out all shades of blue, even going so far as to “paint” the walls with berries to perfect the look.

Bowerbirds strive to outdo their neighbors by creating fantastical arrangements. They are also not above stealing items from neighbors to incorporate into their design. Check out this video of a male Vogelkop Bowerbird adding a final touch of colorful flowers to his design to stand out from the crowd. Females know a good home when they see it; the more elaborate and meticulously curated the display, the more likely she is to say, “Honey, I’m home!” Ironically, after building such a cozy home, male bowerbirds don’t stick around to help raise the chicks.

Manakin

Another bird with a dance card is the Manakin. Found in Central and South America, Manakins show off their amazing, high-speed dance skills—the faster, the better. Males grab females’ attention by zipping along branches and performing mid-air acrobatics. What makes their dance even more exciting is that it is performed as part of “lek” (imagine a Chippendales’ show, with multiple males vying for a single female!) Their lekking ritual allows a visiting female to survey which partner to choose to mate with.

Dance isn’t their only love potion. Male Manakins have evolved to create sounds with the rapid beating of their wings, with each species having its own unique sounds. Red-capped Manakins snap their wing feathers to make a zipping sound, while the Club-winged Manakin produces a high-pitched buzz by vibrating their wings an impressive 100 times per second. Other species are said to make a pop, pop, pop firecracker sound, still others take to air to make a whooshing sound all in the name of love. Check out these two male  Lance-Tailed Manakins getting their groove on for a curious female.

Laysan Albatross

Yet another aspiring Lord of the Dance is the Laysan Albatross, native to the Hawaiian Islands and the Pacific Ocean. Instead of the male busting his best dance moves, these birds assess their compatibility based on how they pair up as dance partners. The Albatross’s elaborate dance includes plenty of head bobbing, beak-to-beak movements, and a synchronicity reminiscent of experienced ballroom dancers. The better they dance together, the stronger their bond. Albatrosses know the importance of finding the right dance partner, as they mate for life. Perhaps that is why they often practice their dance in groups before taking to the main dance stage.

Great-Crested Grebe

When we think of ballet, Swan Lake might come to mind, but the real bird ballet dancer is the Great-Crested Grebe, found in Europe, Asia, and Africa. These birds pair up and perform a “mirror dance,” matching each other’s movements with perfection. They also throw in synchronized swimming dancing, where they dive in unison underwater and come to the surface with aquatic plants as an offering to one another. Their ballet-like movements serve to strengthen pair bonding.

These displays highlight not just beauty and skill, but also intelligence and social bonding—proving that, in the bird world, love is truly an art form! If you were a female bird, which of these birds would you fall for?!

The world over, we have become obsessed with visual representation, an image of something that says who we are. We designate specially designed flags to attest to our individuality as a nation. We assign many other symbols to specifically state – and act as – the identification that expresses our qualities as a nation or body of government.

Throughout the world, many countries have designated a bird as their National Bird. For the United States, the bald eagle has long stood for freedom, long life, and strong might by its splendor of size and ability to be where it wants to be when it wants to be there. Surprisingly, the U.S. has never officially adopted the bald eagle as the National Bird, although it appears on many U.S. documents and its currency.

The history of the bald eagle as a representation of the U.S. dates back to 1782. After the Declaration of Independence was accepted, Congress gave three important people the job of designing an official seal. Benjamin Franklin preferred the turkey. Initially, the white eagle was chosen, but the Secretary of Congress suggested that the more majestic bald eagle be used in the seal. The Roman Empire’s soldiers used the eagle as their symbol of strength, and so this felt appropriate for use in the young United States. Soon enough, the image of the bald eagle was everywhere in the U.S. Currently (in 2024) there is a bill circulating Congress to make the bald eagle official.

National Birds of Other Countries

The U.S. is not the only country with a bird assigned to represent it. Every country in the world, even those no longer in power, have national birds at their core. Strangely – like the U.S. – there are 34 countries that recognize a bird as their symbol but have not adopted them officially to cement their status as such.

Eighty seven countries do have official designations of national birds. Interestingly, most countries with an official national bird are small countries, while large countries like China (red-crowned crane, waiting to be accepted since 2007 after having been proposed), Canada (Canada jay), Australia (emu), and the United Kingdom (European robin) have yet to adopt their oft-used representative bird.

Many smaller countries have national birds, but do not have them as official. These include Germany (golden eagle), France (Gallic rooster), Czech Republic (common kingfisher), Ireland (Northern lapwing), Italy (Italian sparrow), New Zealand (North Island Brown Kiwi), Poland (White Stork), Scotland (Golden Eagle), and Wales (Red Kite). A few Scandinavian countries have a designation but also no official birds. These are: Finland (Whooper Swan), Sweden (Common blackbird), while Norway has adopted the White-throated Dipper, and Denmark officially accepted the Mute Swan in 1984 after a 24-year flirtation with the Eurasian Skylark.

Birds have long represented not only many governments and countries of the world, past and present. But counties, and even cities have gotten to the bird of representation. Yes, our birds are that beautiful. They have displays and qualities that speak to countries and other entities that says, “this is who we are.” You can look at that list further here.

National Parrots

A few countries list parrots as their national bird!  All three of these parrots are Amazon parrots, under the genus Amazona. Unfortunately, another thing they have in common is that all three are listed as vulnerable species. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines celebrates the St. Vincent Parrot (Amazona guildingii) as its national bird. This large, multi-colored Amazon is the only type of parrot on the island and is listed as a vulnerable species. According to the Cayman Islands’  Department of Environment (DoE), the Cayman Parrot is the common name for two parrot subspecies found only on Grand Cayman and Cayman Brac. Originally listed as a game bird, the Cayman Parrot was given full protection under the Animals (Protection) Regulations, 1989.

Dominica calls its Sisserou parrot (Amazona imperalis), the Pride of Dominica, This stunning Amazon parrot is also referred to as the Dominican parrot and Imperial Amazon, The parrot figures prominently on the Coat of Arms, the National Flag, The Public Seal, The Mace of the House of Assembly and Dominica’s Honours for Meritorious Service to the Country. It is among the oldest species of Amazon parrot in the world, and is found only in Dominica.

Chris Davis Virtual Celebration of Life/Memorial

Date: Sunday, November 17, 2024

Time: 10 a.m. PST (double-check your local time with this time zone converter)

Register Now

You are warmly invited to join us for a virtual Celebration of Life honoring Chris Davis.  We’ll remember her remarkable legacy, dedication to elevating our understanding of parrot behavior, and the countless lives she touched with her passion for animals and genuine kindness. Please join us as we share stories, memories, and gratitude for Chris’ life and the joy she brought to so many.

Chris was, in many ways, an essential part of the heart and soul of Lafeber Company. Alongside her husband, Dr. Ted Lafeber, Chris helped guide the development of Lafeber’s semi-elemental EmerAid—a pioneering line of emergency foods to help save critically ill birds, small mammals, reptiles, wildlife, cats, and dogs. Together, Chris and Ted lovingly supported one another’s vision and dedication to improving the lives of animals and those who care for them.

A Lifelong Bond With Animals

Chris Davis, a beloved pioneer in avian behavior, recently passed away, leaving an indelible mark on the bird community. Through her groundbreaking work in avian behavior and unwavering dedication, Chris transformed countless lives, touching the hearts of birds, caregivers, and animal lovers alike.

Chris grew up in the rural foothills of Southern California where, until she was 5, her only playmates were animals. From that young age on, Chris dedicated her life to the well-being and care of animals, and long into her adulthood, she still considered them her primary social group.

Her professional career in animal-behavior consulting and modification started when, at 12 years of age, she trained her first dog, a large adult boxer with behavior problems who had been given to her family. Despite the difficulties she had in training him, within a couple of months, she took the boxer through obedience trials and won first prize; the only child in a field of adult trainers. Although Chris lived in rural ranchland, her animal friends were numerous and varied, and she often went for walks on dusty country roads accompanied by a pet turkey, sheep, collie, and monkey.  She also had rats, guinea pigs, and chickens as her most trusted and beloved friends and family.

Many years later, after life took her in many directions, including working in offices, Chris realized that she would never be happy if she wasn’t working with animals. In the mid-1970s, she began working in Orange County, California, at Lion Country Safari, where she performed in the bird show owned by Ray Berwick, who also owned the Animal Actors Studio at Universal Studios. He was also one of the top movie animal trainers of the time.

Transforming Our Understanding of Bird Behavior & Care

In the late 1970s, bird importation and ownership began to skyrocket because of one of Ray’s most popular actors, Fred, the cockatoo on the popular “Baretta” television show. For a few years, Chris worked at both Universal Studios and Lion Country Safari. During that time, people asked her questions about problem behaviors their birds were exhibiting. Until then, few people in the United States had pet birds and knew little about them. In general, it was believed that birds could be trained, but were not intelligent enough to respond to behavior modification. Because of this, many pet birds that exhibited negative behaviors were badly treated or simply discarded.

Chris became the first person in the country to visit clients’ homes to assess their interactions with their avian companions and to devise methods for modifying their environments and behaviors so people could have better relationships with them. Initially, she also focused on educating the veterinary community so they could benefit from what she was learning about companion bird behavior modification. In time, she visited more than 2,500 homes before finally accepting mostly telephone consultations.

Dr. Irene Pepperberg and Chris were lifelong friends, as both shared an interest and passion for companion avian behavior. Chris has spoken nationally and internationally at veterinary conferences, pet shows, and bird clubs. She contributed articles, papers, and chapters for numerous veterinary textbooks and, for more than 30 years, she wrote columns for several magazines continuously, including Bird Talk magazine’s “Heart to Heart,” one of Bird Talk’s most popular columns.

Chris loved all animals, from the majestic whales of Alaska to the wondrous birds that bring joy into so many homes. One of her greatest joys was helping animals and igniting the hearts and spirits of both long-term and neophyte animal lovers through sharing information and experiences that validate the profound importance of animals sharing their lives with humans. She deeply believed that animals are blessings, enriching the human soul in profound ways.

An ongoing topic of study in our lab has been contrafreeloading — working for food (or, in the case of humans, some other reward) that could simultaneously be obtained for free. Contrafreeloading is pretty much unexpected and any evidence of it is remarkable (Menzel, 1991): Why would anyone work for something if they didn’t need to do so? As it turns out, almost every species tested — except domestic cats! — contrafreeloads to some extent, depending on the task and the individual.

A few years ago, I wrote about our study comparing contrafreeloading in African greys and kea parrots. For those of who have not read that blog, I’ll summarize briefly. The main point is that the task is quite “conditional”: A particular individual may contrafreeload on one task but not another, and (as we’ll see shortly) the type of task may be species-related.

One of my students, Gabriella Smith, proposed that contrafreeloading in nonhumans would be more likely to occur if the task is fun so that the subjects get the double reward of doing something they enjoy and getting some food they would also like (Smith et al., 2021). We tested her theory with several African grey parrots and found that, as hypothesized, considerable individual variation existed both among birds and tasks — what some birds thought was fun, others viewed as work and avoided the effort.

Kea Parrots Added To The Mix

She then had the idea and the opportunity to work with colleagues from New Zealand to test whether an ostensibly more playful species, the kea parrot, would be more likely to contrafreeload. Again, our hypothesis was somewhat supported — the kea had considerable individual variation and contrafreeloaded a bit more than the African greys on one task (involving popping lids from small cups), but pretty much completely refused to contrafreeload on a task involving de-shelling a nut (Smith et al., 2022).

In the wild, kea parrots do not de-shell nuts, but we chose the task so that we would have a direct comparison with the African greys, and because we thought that, as a novel task, kea might find it interesting and fun. Unfortunately, such was not the case.

In Come The Cockatoos

But what if we could work with a playful species for whom nut-shelling was a common behavior? And where would we find enough subjects to do a meaningful study? Well, as it turned out, during COVID one of my other students, Alana Carroll, had taken a year’s leave of absence from Harvard and worked part-time at a parrot rescue — where they had four umbrella cockatoos!

No scientific studies had evaluated their playfulness, but she had worked with them for a year, reviewed lots of online videos that showed extensive playful behavior, and we found that they are closely related to other cockatoos who had been studied and whose playfulness was documented (Auersberg et al., 2014, 2015). Upon her return to school, we contacted the facility, and they agreed to let her test these birds during holiday and intersession breaks. How would these birds behave?

The data she collected only partially supported our hypothesis (Caroll & Pepperberg, 2024). We did see, as expected, great individual variation: One cockatoo, Poly, contrafreeloaded almost 71% of the time, whereas another, JJ, barely did so at all, at 4% of trials. Teddy Bear was at 25%, and Dudley was close to 58%. However, in terms of the overall relative amounts of contrafreeloading, no significant difference existed between the African greys and the cockatoos; nevertheless, more of the cockatoos contrafreeloaded at over 50% than occurred for the African greys.

Issues In Testing

Interestingly, some issues may have affected the cockatoos’ responses that were not present for the greys. The first involved housing conditions; the second involved possible boredom.

Unlike the African greys, who were all individually housed — though all could interact with other parrots — Dudley and JJ had arrived at the rescue co-housed and were kept in that situation. Dudley was clearly the dominant bird, and on occasion had stolen JJ’s reward (which was replaced). We surmise that JJ’s low level of contrfreeloading therefore might have been a consequence of his being the subordinate bird: Choosing the already de-shelled nut and eating it quickly made the most sense. If he took the nut with the shell and had to spend time de-shelling it, Dudley would have a chance to steal it! And even though Dudley was dominant, maybe he thought JJ might try to steal his nut, which could be a reason for his not contrafreeloading extensively.  Of course, Teddy Bear, who was not co-housed, didn’t contrafreeload all that much. Maybe, unlike Poly, he and Dudley just weren’t all that interested in the task.

As for boredom: Well, Poly, the one bird that did contrafreeload extensively, decreased her behavior at a statistically significant rate after about two-thirds of the sessions had been completed. Maybe she became tired of the task? Moreover, at the same time, she started to want to interact with Alana a lot more, apparently losing interest in the food overall in favor of social interaction.

Nevertheless, given that contrafreeloading is a behavior that is not expected to exist at all, our findings are of considerable interest. We wonder if we could find a task that the cockatoos — or other birds — might enjoy more, and if that might affect the results?

A Foraging Lesson For Us

As for the take-home message for our companion animals — given that contrafreeloading and foraging behavior in captivity are related — don’t give up if your parrot doesn’t like the first foraging toy you provide; keep trying! You might simply have not found the one your bird finds enjoyable.

References

Auersperg, A. M. I., Oswald, N., Domanegg, M., Gajdon, G. K., & Bugnyar, T. (2014). Unrewarded object combinations in captive parrots. Animal Behavior and Cognition, 1(4), 470–488.

Auersperg, A. M. I., van Horik, J. O., Bugnyar, T., Kacelnik, A., Emery, N. J., & von Bayern, A. M. P. (2015). Combinatory actions during object play in psittaciformes (Diopsittaca nobilis, Pionites melanocephala, Cacatua goffini) and corvids (Corvus corax, C monedula, C moneduloides). Journal of Comparative Psychology, 129(1), 62–71.

Carroll, A., & Pepperberg, I.M. (2024). Contrafreeloading in umbrella cockatoos (Cacatua alba): Further evaluation of the play hypothesis. Advance online publication.

Menzel, E.W. (1991). Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes): Problem seeking versus the bird-in-hand, least-effort strategy. Primates, 32, 497–508.

Smith, G. E., Bastos, A. P. M., Chodorow, M., Taylor, A. H., & Pepperberg, I. M. (2022). Contrafreeloading in kea (Nestor notabilis) in comparison to Grey parrots (Psittacus erithacus). Scientific Reports, 12(1), Article 17415.

Smith, G. E., Greene, D., Hartsfield, L. A., & Pepperberg, I. M. (2021). Initial evidence for eliciting contrafreeloading in Grey parrots (Psittacus erithacus) via the opportunity for playful foraging. Journal of Comparative Psychology, 135(4), 516–533.

Griffin had his 29^th hatchday celebration in April. He is not really considered all that old for an African grey parrot, whose lifespan in captivity seems to be about 40-60 years—although my Dutch veterinarian colleague had one in his practice that lived to 99 (authenticated by the bird being passed down from one family member to another)!

Nevertheless, Griffin has been suffering from a “geriatric condition”—arthritis—for several years. The levels of pain seem to come and go, and we do whatever is possible to keep him happy and comfortable. We don’t know what worsens his condition; however, we suspect that sometimes when he feels particularly spry, he’ll overdo things—for example, climbing around his cage more than usual—which may trigger a painful episode.

Recently, Griffin had the worst flare-up ever since the condition was diagnosed. It was soon after his annual check-up, so the first thing we did was to call our vet to see if anything new had shown up on his standard tests. She suggested putting him on an anti-inflammatory drug and to call back if it didn’t provide some relief in 24 hrs. When that didn’t work, we took him in for X-rays and further tests, to ensure that it was arthritis and not something else.

“Birdie Bed Rest”

The diagnosis was indeed arthritis, but there was also the possibility of some nerve issues, so he was put on a different medication. which causes him to take several naps each day! He was prescribed a busy regimen of treatments—including “birdie bed rest.” The latter basically means that he now has to sleep in his backpack carrier, so that there is no chance of him falling off a perch overnight and injuring himself. He actually looks pretty happy there! (See figure).

Griffin also gets two sessions a day with his Assisi Loop (a ring that produces a targeted pulsed electromagnetic field that helps speed healing for inflammatory and neurological conditions); laser therapy once a day, which also reduces inflammation and speeds healing; and ice pack therapy twice a day, again, to reduce inflammation and pain. We’ve also padded his perches with vet wrap or moleskin, and the railing around his cage with a bird-safe felt. In between treatments, he gets lots of tickles and attention!

Needless to say, Athena is not particularly thrilled with the state of the lab…we barely have time for her experimental trials and, although we try to give her as much attention and tickling as Griffin and lots of new toys, it is clear that Griffin is the center of interest these days. She can be quite vociferous!

Thankfully, Griffin is doing much better now, but he is clearly not yet back to normal. He has regained some use of the sore leg and foot, even scratching his head himself now. And he’ll put some pressure on the sore limb from time to time when on my hand, a perch, or a flat surface. One of the experiments we were doing with him before the flare-up requires that he shift his position on either a perch or the desk between choices in a single trial; we try to do one trial each day to track his ability to move. However, no luck on that so far…

We’ve been told that early detection of arthritis is important, because the condition is easier to treat before inflammation takes a strong hold. Birds, however, are so good about hiding pain that early detection of a flare-up is no simple matter. Nevertheless, keep an eye out and notice if your bird is consistently favoring one foot (e.g., fails to perch or grip tightly), if the feet are warmer than usual, or if the bird lists a bit to one side…all are symptoms, so get your bird checked out ASAP!