Exotic Behaviors from Our-of-the Way Neighbors
"Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring
praise to God." (Rom 15:7 NIV)
"Blue-headed Pionus are boring. They kind of just sit there and do nothing all
day!"
Hum. Doesn't sound too encouraging, does it? Especially coming from several
breeders of the specie ...
I researched it a bit farther, however, and I discovered that this species isn't
noisy, and though they aren't active clowns like some species, they like to
cuddle, thus potentially making fantastic companions. My last bird had been a
clown, but she had also been a squawker who needed constant attention. I knew
from experience how quickly this could get old, so I took the risk. I purchased
a Blue-headed Pionus!
I do not regret my decision.
We named our new acquisition "Phileo", and with his sweet temperament, his name
fits him well. He loves to cuddle and isn't at all noisy. In fact, he "chatters"
with me in soft tones, often seeming to carry out a little conversation! I must
confess however, that I don't usually understand him . . .
Phileo has some interesting habits. In the morning, he loves to sit at the back
of my chair and imitate the tweeting and squawking of our Cockatiels and
Liniolated Parakeets (linnies). I was surprised that he could imitate them so
well! And although we have had him for only a couple of months, he has already
started to imitate some of our words. We think we hear him trying to say "papa",
"hello" and "pretty bird", and we are sure that more words will soon be
forth-coming!
It's interesting to see him interact with the smaller birds. Although the
linnies are less then a 5th his size, they will fly over to where he is and try
to drive him away. He will immediately respond by imitating them. He's never
tried to dominate them or be aggressive towards them, but he will parrot their
behavior.
We have a rope strung from one side of our family room to the other, and the
highest point of this rope is one of Phileo's favorite spots. Often I find him
hanging upside down from the rope, holding himself by just one foot. He also
likes to climb down into the hanging Christmas cactus. Here he makes himself
useful by "pruning" it back for us. Thoughtful, though the end result is not
exactly what we would have hoped for...
We began to wonder where he learned these exotic behaviors. Then I purchased a
book all about how the Pionus live in the wild jungles of the Yungas region of
Bolivia, and I began to realize that Phileo is simply displaying normal pionus
behavior! Here are a couple of examples:
Although pionus like to live in large flocks, there are no flock leaders. Scouts
are sent out to verify that no predators are in the vicinity, and once
everything seems safe, the flock will fly to the designated area. While everyone
else is enjoying themselves, one of them will climb the highest tree and keep a
watchful eye out for any danger. The "lookout" bird will be replaced regularly,
and there is never any squabbling for this high position.
I realized that this is exactly what Phileo does in my family room! He likes the
highest spot so that he can watch out for any potential dangers to his family!
This is quite comforting. Imagine a burglar being attacked and agonized by my
"terror" Pionus! "Watch out! Killer Pionus!"
Pionus also like to imitate one another. If one starts to hang upside down, soon
the whole flock hangs upside down. If one starts to squawk, all the others start
to do the same thing. If one starts to play tag, soon the whole flock plays tag.
Pionus parrots consider cooperation extremely important. No wonder Phileo
imitates the actions and sounds of my other birds!
I have discovered that humans are very much the same. So often we criticize
others for their "exotic" actions. If a child is not cooperative at school, he
earns himself a "label"-ADHD, Bully, Troublemaker . . . However if someone takes
the time to know him better, they might learn that his family life may be far
from ideal. Maybe his parents are going through a nasty divorce or his
grandmother just died …
Instead of misjudging others, let's try to discover who they really are.
Consider each human being you encounter as an exotic planet to explore (As you
have just noticed, my exotic comment just indicated that I am a Trekkie. Aren't
you?). He or she may not match exactly what we are accustomed to, but given
time, exploring (getting to know) this personality will permit us to discover a
unique being who deserves respect and appreciation. In fact, I discover more
often than not that these individuals are lots of fun to be around!
Accepting others the way they are and acknowledging how their pasts have shaped
them into who they are today, will help us appreciate anyone we encounter.
Friendships will result, which will open the door for opportunities to share
things that are important to us.
Oh I need to go. My neighbor has just starting roasting his pet snake. Would you
like a snake burger?
Rob Chaffart