Parrots

Tropical birds and other exotic animals are occasionally sighted in NYC and with such a large, varied population, one will even catch some outrageous scenes like the guy who has a large snake, macaw and small alligator (click here) or a huge spectacular Albino Burmese Python slithering on the ground in Central Park (click here). I also saw two magnificent macaws on Earth Day earlier this year. The person in today's photo was an audience member (as was I) attending a free performance by Circus Amok (see previous posting here). The birds were extremely charming and got their share of attention - no surprise in light of their cute antics and the brightly colored plumage of tropical birds. The gray bird is a Congo African Grey Parrot. The larger of the two on the owner's shoulder is a an Eclectus Parrot; the smaller is a Hans Mini Macaw (owned by his girlfriend). As enticing as these birds are, the point here is not to promote the ownership of exotic animals. The entire subject is controversial, not only with issues of birds being taken from the wild but even with domestically raised birds - some individuals have concerns with keeping birds in cages or other confined environments. Also, of course, comes the responsibility and commitment - birds can form bonds with their owners, they can be destructive and need training. And then there is a very different kind of bird - click here ...