Birdkeeping Naturally

EB Cravens

May ‘04

“God Bless Kermit and Charli”

Kermit and Charli are two aged Yellow-Fronted Amazon Parrots. Former wild-trapped and imported birds, they arrived here from Julie Murad at The Gabriel Foundation some four years ago, lethargic and out-of -condition, after spending 25 years together in a household pet cage. With dull feathers, and even duller mental characteristics, these two psittacines made few noises--and those sounds were only rudimentary “human-speak.”

We began their rehabilitation in earnest…

They were placed in a large walk-in aviary with plants and large tree branches and greenery, exposed to sun and wind and rain and sleep under the moonlight, given wholesome fresh and raw organic foods, sprouts, etc., and not required to pay any homage to humans by “stepping up” or being handled. Slowly their wing feathers, trimmed for more than two decades, began to molt out and re-grow. After more than a year, Kermit and Charli commenced making “wild” Yellow Fronted Parrot noises along with the rest of our amazon flock. Hopping and jumping and physical exercise then led to short, soon longer flying trips. New feathers came in vibrant and shiny. These two began to feel good once again, you could just see it. Their retirement was well deserved!

Three years ago, Charli did something completely unexpected: she began showing an interest in an old wooden nesting box left in the aviary for the pet Noble Macaws to play in and perch upon. Her aggression towards people increased, her excitement and noise level went up, Kermit even began regurgitating to her.

Our thoughts at the time were, “Well, it’s natural if this is what she chooses to do, and it certainly makes the two of them happy!” So we left the old box up for their enjoyment. Then Charli disappeared inside the box and began sleeping in there. It was obviously the time for nesting since our other four A..ochrocephala pairs were also on eggs. We assumed Charli had lain also, but did not wish to hinder the security she felt, so we left the two completely alone. After four to five weeks of incubating and being fed by Kermit, Charli became tired of the situation and started to spend most of her time out in the sun and trees. The next weekend we carried a ladder into the flight, un-mounted the box, and took it away. Inside were three slightly soiled infertile amazon eggs. All looked healthy and firm shelled; and they were properly together in a clutch formation in the center of the enclosure. Charli had done a wonderful job “playing house” after nearly 30 years in someone’s living room! We wondered if these were the first eggs she had ever lain, or if she had been old enough to have nested prior to being kidnapped out of her wilderness environment….

The next year much the same thing happened. When all our yellow fronted parents went to nest. Kermit and Charli were given their old box and did the same thing. By this time they were so healthy and active you could hardly tell that they were such an elderly pair. Their yellow green and red plumage glistened stunningly in the morning sunlight. She sat and sat again in the box, he dutifully fed her and protected her like the model husband. Five weeks later she gave up and the infertile eggs and nestbox were once again removed. Still it was a “success” for us. These two amazon parrots were having a really natural slice of life after all—something that could just as easily have been denied them, as with so many aged wild caught psittacines, had they lived out their lives as “pet cagebirds.”

It must be understood that April and I were not looking to breed Kermit and Charli. More yellow fronted babies was not a goal. Our philosophy of hobby aviculture makes a choice to let the parrots decide what they wish as their lives progress. We merely give them a natural outdoor environment with top quality surroundings and nutrition, then let them live as they see fit. Some of our flock are not given nesting boxes in the springtime. Some ignore the boxes hung up around the aviaries, some play in them only, some choose to nest and lay. One time each season is our firm limit if this happens.

In Kermit and Charli’s case they were having fun, so we let it happen. We knew he was likely too old to fertilize eggs and she would just lay and enjoy the incubating stage. I toyed with the idea of giving her a fertile egg from nearby Tia or Tutu or Tasha’s box, but since it would have meant disturbing Charli out of her content to access the box, it never happened.

Well, to make a long story short, four days ago April heard an amazon chick’s raspy begging peep from Charli’s wooden box in this her third year of playing house!!! We still cannot believe it. The two elderly hookbills have a baby yellow front. How and why we cannot know. Did their health improve to the point where Kermit finally became fertile? Was his sperm count at such an advanced age very, very low but not completely nil, so that one sperm finally found one embryo? Is this the same as human parents who try and try to have a child, then give up and lo, a baby arrives from out of nowhere a year later? And what kind of implications does this have for endangered and rare parrot species propagation around the globe? Would scientific laparoscopy have concluded that Kermit was infertile and prompted a keeper to split up the pair and try to breed Charli with another cock? What if these two were Spix’s Macaws? Would two years of infertility and an examination of Kermit’s lack of viable sperm have resulted in the label “infertile” being placed upon the pair—so that no chance would have been extended them to actually “cross up the odds” and give a baby with their genes to the future of captive aviculture? Can fertility in a parrot deemed infertile be reestablished with top quality foods and a stimulating green environment amongst other of its kind?

Truly I wonder….

Yet I know one thing. Out of seemingly nowhere, patience and non-intrusive avicultural practices have resulted in a truly sacred gift for both Kermit and Charli and for I and April. These two invaluable wild-trapped Yellow Fronted Amazons have succeeded in leaving for the future an offspring with their unique blend of chromosomes. God bless Kermit and Charli. May we all learn from their experience.

Oh, and yes, we will be holding on to this baby so that it can grow up here with its relatives. If it is a little girl, I think I’ll name it “Hope.”

Mahalo nui loa, EB