Bird's Eye View: Habib Update

Habib says hello.

The past week or so has seen some incredible progress with our friend, Habib!  It started when I was changing out a toy on his cage.  His Mum, Veronica, had spent a couple of weeks in her native South Africa and had returned with these wonderful parrot toys--something that we cannot get in Doha.  He had succeeded in tearing one to shreds, so it was time for me to hang another one.

The cage design is such that switching out the toys is a trick.  There's no good, easy opening from which to hang them to the top part of the cage.  And these toys are large and heavy, so you don't want to go terrorizing Habib--who is unsure about the whole thing--by dropping them in the midst of the operation.   So I had my fingers sort of entwined around cage bars as I struggled to connect the new toy...and he walks very purposefully over to my hand.  He wasn't attacking me but he had a mission.  If I could have quickly extricated myself, I probably would have...but that would have meant dropping the big toy and scaring him.  So I just froze.  He proceeded to very gently use his beak and tongue to examine all my fingers--no biting or pinching, just touching.  Then he bent his head down for a scratch!  Wow!  Can you understand how excited I was?  He came to me as if to say, "Hey Lady, don't be so afraid.  I'm really a nice guy."

Then yesterday, he was doing this same little "nervous dance" that our sweet El Jefe would do when El Jefe wanted attention.  Habib was on his stand and nothing was going on that should have otherwise made him nervous.  I was alone in the kitchen, and it was quiet, so I put my shoulder next to his perch and he immediately stepped up and made himself comfortable!  We walked around the house, talked about what all was going on, did some of the dishes together, and took a picture. (My hair is wet.) 

Today, he got on my shoulder again and then preened my hair a little (a sign of affection).  More wows!

He's also been more accepting of the kids.  He's touched Jack's hand from outside of the cage, he's interacting with Hank, and he was taking sweet peas off of Hannah's spoon last night during dinner.

He and John are doing fine, too, which is a good thing, as Habib had a love/attack relationship with his original Dad, Collin.  I think the relationship was more love, as Habib still talks in Collin's voice quite often and still talks about Collin a lot (in Vee's voice)...Now, before I end this post with the last piece of news, I have to say that I attribute Habib's wonderful nature to two things: (1) he is, in the words of the breeder that helped us with El Jefe and whose life of bird experience I value immensely, a "great bird."  Regardless of his original lot in life, which must have included a lot of fear, he is gentle and sweet and trusting and smart, smart, smart.  And (2) Veronica has a special gift.  She is kind and patient and just enough "fearless" to let her be the leader, even when being the leader means letting the bird accept things on his own time. I am the lucky beneficiary of her extraordinary work.

 Habib's Mum and Dad at a recent visit.

And the crowning achievement in mimickry.  Habib now yells, "COWBOY. YEEEEE-HAW!" Those who knew Cosmo, you will have special appreciation for this.