THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, September 20, 1994 TAG: 9409200048
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E5 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY DAWSON MILLS, SPECIAL TO THE DAILY BREAK
LENGTH: Medium: 92 lines
INDEPENDENCE IS a bird's middle name.
``You never really own a bird. You care for it,'' says Dennis McDermott, past president of the Parrot Breeders Association of Virginia. ``But they're even more independent than cats. They'll love you, but they keep their independence. And it's a long-term commitment, since they live to be 30 or 40 years old. Some species can even live to be over 100.''
McDermott and his wife, Joan, also a former PBAV officer, share their home with about 40 feathered friends.
Besides a collection of multihued finches residing in a wooden aviary McDermott built, all of the couple's birds are hook-bills, the family of parrots, lesser sulphur-crested cockatoos, gold capped conures, African greys and lovebirds.
All are represented in the McDermott household.
``They make absolutely wonderful companions,'' McDermott says. ``They're taking them into retirement homes, because of the beneficial effects they they have on the residents. They're even sitting up aviaries there.
``No matter what happens at work,'' says McDermott, a Navy chief petty officer stationed at Cinclantflt headquarters, ``I can't have a bad day when Aristotle (his African grey parrot) starts her antics. They want to be loved. Just like a dog or a cat, they want attention.''
The couple's love for birds began with their dog.
``It all started five years ago, because of a five dollar bottle of flea spray for the dog,'' Joan recalls. ``We went to a pet store to pick some up and, at the store, they had birds, which started crawling all over us. . . . So we ended up taking one home with us.''
``We started with a $300 parrot and became hooked,'' Dennis says. ``They're very addictive. Within the first year, we bought five other birds, all parrots. We began doing some breeding after the first year, and we wanted to educate ourselves. So we found the local bird club, the Parrot Breeders Association of Virginia, and became active in it.''
The club, with 102 members, tries aims to ``show the people in the countries where these birds are native to, in Latin America, Central and South American, and Africa, how to set up captive breeding programs in their native countries,'' Dennis says.
But are the birds as intelligent as, say, a dog or a cat?
``It's been proven that they understand the words they use,'' says McDermott, bringing to mind Alex, the African grey parrot. Researchers observed him identifying the color of objects, stringing words together and occasionally addressing his handler as, ``You turkey.''
``Any hook-bill has the ability to talk. They can put sentences together. They have the intelligence of a 3- or 4- or 5-year-old child. If you get one of the larger birds that's young, it can be toilet-trained . . . They really WANT to be part of the family.''
Joan advises that anyone who is interested in owning a bird to join a bird club and gain knowledge about birds.
``There are two important things,'' Dennis says. ``First, figure out what you want in a bird. Do you want one that will talk, or cuddle, or do acrobatics? Second, go to a store and let the bird pick you. If you walk up to a counter with several birds on it, most will move away from you. But one will look you over, move towards you, and start climbing on you. That's the bird for you.''
How hard are they to care for?
``They're not a lot of trouble,'' the McDermotts agree.
``We give them seed, but also fresh fruit and vegetables, like corn and squash, a little meat, and pellets. They get fresh water twice daily, and are fed once a day,'' Joan explains. ``And once a day, we change the paper on the bottoms of the cages.
The birds' wings require clipping, too. ``It helps to tame the bird, to calm it down,'' Dennis says. ``And it can prevent injury or death, such as from flying into widows or ceiling fans. We don't completely trim the wings, but leave enough so that they can glide, as from cage to floor. But they can't GAIN altitude.''
The procedure has to be repeated about every six months.
Birds are the perfect '90s pet, says McDermott, as his African grey parrot nuzzles affectionately in his lap. ``What with more apartments and condominiums, they're becoming more popular all the time.'' MEMO: The Parrot Breeders Association of Virginia welcomes new members.
Meetings are held the second Sunday of every month at 5652 Haden Road,
off of Diamond Springs Road in Virginia Beach. Annual dues are $12 for
an individual and $15 for a family. The Parrot Breeders Association of
Virginia welcomes new members. Meetings are held the second Sunday of
every month at 5652 Haden Road, off of Diamond Springs Road in Virginia
Beach. Annual dues are $12 for an individual and $15 for a family.
ILLUSTRATION: Photo by DAWSON MILLS
Sydney, a lesser sulphur-crested cockatoo, is just one of many pet
birds in the McDermott household.
by CNB