New outdoor aviary for parrots at Best Friends

Ever give somebody a gift and then wonder afterward whether or not they truly liked the thing? With Sidney the cockatoo, there’s no room for doubt. The new gift in question is his outdoor aviary.

Outdoor bird aviary

He, like all the parrots at Best Friends, got a gift from the bird department-an outdoor cage for sunbathing in the nice weather. This also gives the birds a chance to feel the wind, listen to other birds and nature in general, and more or less have a nice change of scenery.

Cockatoo marches outside

They still sleep inside, of course. And one morning when a bird staffer was opening his cage, Sidney decided to hop right down on the ground and start hot-footing it out the door. The door to the building was ajar, so Sidney left the room and marched over to his outside aviary. "Sheesh. Don't they think I know the way on my own? Humans!"

Ever since then, Sidney has been allowed his daily constitutional. He always walks a straight path from his indoor home to the outside one. And if he happens to find an interesting branch or berry on the ground to pick up along the way, so much the better! Now the parrot caregivers are trying to concoct a way to get all the parrots to do the same thing-in single file, saluting visitors as they pass. What a draw to visitors that would be! Anybody know where to buy parrot marching boots.

Find out about fun parrot enrichment toys.

Photos by Molly Wald