by Pajarita » Sun Jul 17, 2016 9:01 am
AWWWWW, look at those lovers!!!
Birdwoman, I no longer have the quaker, she was rehomed but I was born and raised in one of the countries where the nominate species originates and a quaker was the very first parrot I handfed and kept. Her name was Pelusa -means 'lint' in Spanish- because she was so young when we got her that she only had a bit of down on her body. We handraised the babies to release them when they were grown so they never lived in a cage and always had access to the outside (through an open patio off the kitchen) but some of them stayed quite a bit and Pelusa was one of them.
And, yes, in my personal opinion, they are one of the smartest species of parrots there is! They are also, literally, unique. They are sui generis (the only species in their genus) and have behaviors that are unique to them and not found in any other species of parrot: they build and live in huge communal nests all year round and the 'tenants' are all related through maternal lines as they have a matriarchal society where the females are dominant. Whenever a young female gets herself a mate, they simply built a new apartment in the 'building' and these communal nests can actually weigh over a ton, they are sooooo large! They also share parental duties with grandmother, aunts, cousins, etc all helping raise the babies. But, what I admire the most about them is that they are the ULTIMATE survivor! These birds adapt to practically anything: cold, different food sources, etc. People say that they are terribly cage-possessive and aggressive but I had one that would not only allow me to put my hand in her cage but also in her nest and even pick up the eggs from under her without a single attempt to bite me.