Kalani
is a very special bird for many reasons. He is one of the most gentle
birds I've ever had other than my cockatiel, Star. He will go to anyone that
wants to hold him whether they are kids or adults. It doesn't matter to him.
He'll go to anyone that will be happy to pay attention to him and talk to him.
Sometimes he'll even try to talk back. And last, he's even got my mother to
become fond of him from the moment he came home last August when he made it
known to her that he had a gentle soul because she is cautious about some
birds. He just has that look on his face that makes it hard to resist him.
Even my bird vet has said wonderful things about Pionus Parrots and likes
Kalani.
Kalani and his sister were raised by a breeder in Connecticut. I got to
see pictures of him growing up. He came home last August to South Dakota
on a long plane ride at four months. I had waited three months before he
came to live with me. I had been wanting a larger parrot for sometime and
decided that the Blue Headed Pionus was a good choice for me as a first
larger parrot. Kalani has been a joy to raise since I got him home. I
haven't met a person that is afraid of him because he's never once tried
to bite people when I introduce him. He loves to have his head scratched.
He is doing very well on his talking to the point I thinks he's acquired a
larger vocabulary than people say is average for a Pionus Parrot. He can say:
What, Hello, Hi, Hi Kalani, Hello Kalani, Kalani, Pretty bird, Good boy,
Peekaboooo, Kalani's a good boy, What's a cat say...meow, What's a duck
say... quack quack, Kiss Kiss, Step up, Okay, and he's trying to say the word
'Up' of 'Up and down.' At times, when he or my halfmoon conure start saying
the word 'Peekaboo,' the other will follow along. He can also whistle, make
kissing sounds and clicking sounds. When I start whistling, he will began to
whistle along with me. He will wave his foot also as if he's waving hi to you.
It's really cute!
Kalani loves to chew on wooden toys and play with foot toys. He is not a picky
eater. He does have a few favorite fruits or veggies here and there. He does
love red peppers, carrots, blueberries, oranges, apples, and grapes. He'll
accept a bit of chicken once in awhile, but he doesn't like it as much as my
conure does. He doesn't care for bananas so far. I try to keep having him try
different foods to see if he likes them.
He loves being outside. He does squawk a lot out there though.
Don't know if it's because he wants to make himself heard or what. But he
surely loves it out there basking in the sun as I feel it's good for their
feathers. He'll squawk out of sheer happiness when I give him a spray bath
out there as he flaps his wings.
Well, I could go on and on about Kalani. I would recommend a Blue Headed
Pionus to families with children since they are gentle birds and are fun to
have around. I love him very much and hope he's around for many years.
