“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 Lineolated 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