The Craziest Member of the Family

This is Feather, AKA Feather the Bird, AKA Mr. Chicken. He has been in our family for over twenty years. My dad got him when he was just a baby. He is, literally, insane.

My dad gave us Feather the Bird, because he has another parrot, a female, and Feather is a male. I love Feather, and I think the feeling is mutual most of the time, but sometimes he reacts to me in very strange ways.

This picture was taken a couple of months ago. I was in the office, as usual, doing something and Shawn was in there with me. Suddenly, Feather the Bird took flight off of his cage. Feather doesn't know how to fly. He has never really flown before. In doing so, he got himself caught up in our dining room light. I knew he was scared, but I had to snap this picture. After I did, Shawn got him down and as we both talked to him and attempted to soothe his ruffled feathers, I snapped the picture of him with Shawn. He seemed fine as he chattered away and we put him back in his cage.

Ever since then, any time I approach his cage, no matter what he's doing, he attacks his toy bell that's hanging from the roof of it. In the morning,when I get up and open the shades, he sees me coming and attacks his bell. As soon as I walk away, he stops. If I attempt to take him out of his cage, he backs away from me with his beak open, pretending that he's going to lunge at me any moment, which he has never done. But if he sees me getting into the cupboard to get him a treat, he excitedly walks around the top of his cage mumbling to himself. If all of us are in the living room and then we suddenly disappear, Feather starts chattering away nonstop: "Hello? How are ya? Whatcha doin? hee hee hee. Hi Feather. Hi birdie. Hello. Hello. Hello. Hee hee hee. Whatcha doin?" until you just have to go back out in the living room and give him attention. He seems to prefer men to women, as my father's other parrot prefers women to men and loves me so much she gives me kisses. Feather wouldn't dream of such a thing. When he's locked up in his cage and I walk by, he snaps at the bars like he's being a bad ass, yet, if I open up his cage and talk to him, he will extend his foot out far enough for me to rub his paw. I don't get him. Also today, I was sitting in my room, recuperating from this god awful sickness I have and trying to sleep. All of a sudden, I heard the frantic sound of feathers and Feather's unmistakable nervous laughter. I went flying into the living room only to find Feather content in his cage, feathers drifting down to the floor, and both cats laying on the couch, looking at him like, What the fuck is your problem, dude? He appeared to be all right, and I was relieved. It does get to be a pain in the ass, rescuing him from picture frames, cupboard tops, and dark hallways whenever he gets the urge to fly. But I love him. He is a Yellow nape Amazon parrot, and very temperamental. We threaten to "cook the birdie" all the time but that would never happen. Feather is a good bird, has endured a lot, and he will stay with me until one of us dies. He is a member of the family.