#How many species of African Grey Parrots are there

[lingthusiasm]

Bonus 92: Xenolinguistics 👽

Someday, we might make contact with intelligent life beyond our planet. In that case, linguists want to be PREPARED. Enter the excitingly named field of Xenolinguistics!

In this bonus episode, Gretchen and Lauren get enthusiastic about how linguists might go about communicating with aliens. Drawing on highlights of the academic book "Xenolinguistics: Towards a Science of Extraterrestrial Language", we talk about how we'd actually go about trying to communicate with aliens. First of all, how can we know that a species is trying to communicate, and how can we convey our intentions in return? Secondly, do we have a shared context: are they on our planet, are we on theirs, or are we trying to decipher some sort of radio waves from afar? Third, what sort of medium are they using: visual, audio, and touch are all used for human languages and have some obvious advantages, but what about smell, electromagnetism, or electric pulses? Fourth, what could we learn about interspecies communication here on Earth from the African Grey Parrot, the prairie dog, and the vervet monkey? And finally, what other practical and ethical considerations do we need to remember based on current linguistic documentation projects? (The aliens may have multiple languages, only some of which are appropriate for outsiders to learn. And there are no spare AA batteries available in orbit around Alpha Centauri.) Listen to this episode about how linguists might go about communicating with aliens, and get access to many more bonus episodes by supporting Lingthusiasm on Patreon.

[bomberqueen17]

the gay dolphins are too powerful

yesterday i was facing the facts that i do need to actually work out the technical mcguffins in this novel. like, i have some vague notion that there's a problem with the radio network because of solar flares and our heroes are going to... somehow... fix it. idk.

plot and worldbuilding wittering behind the cut

this was the main plot in the solarpunk mammoths novel too, and i had a vague notion that a problem on such a global scale as that would need to like. it would need to be solved by more than one person. and so my nebulous notion is that possibly several sets of characters could work on it in these loosely-connected novels where really i'm just exploring different ecosystems.

idk i just-- y'all know about the Turkey City Lexicon right? I got it as a hand-out in college creative writing class and of course it reshaped my brain, but. one of the Tropes To Beware they've got is the Cozy Catastrophe, which is startlingly prevalent and once you see it you can't unsee-- "the world is ending! all of humanity will die! unless... Jeff and Suzy, you're our only hope!" and our two everyman protagonists somehow are the only resources the entire world can muster and honestly the entire world seems to consist of one American city block with about three hundred people in it at most. Hm.

so i was like yah this catastrophe is way too cozy.

meanwhile i forget how it came up but @sonnetsandsinging, helpfully spitballing, said something about space whales and i was like

OMG in a world with genetically-engineered mammoths with radio collars that translate their brain waves to allow them to speak in human language it is ABSURD that they are the only species of animal that has been given this treatment

so like. what other animals do we try to talk to all the time besides elephants?

DOLPHINS

so now this world has genetically-engineered dolphins with brainwaves-to-speech dorsal fin attachments. like duh of course it does. i can't believe I hadn't thought of that.

there should be other animals too but i can't decide which ones, currently taking submissions. What Else Should Slightly-Disconcertingly Speak.

(My criteria: should be an animal intelligent enough to have successful communication with humans already, something relatively long-lived, something that couldn't use sign language or other methods already. My concept, which is not scientific really, is that it's been well-studied that while many animals have complex communication systems, humans are the only ones whose brains are structured specifically for language, so the Magic Fictional Science here is that they've had that ability genetically-engineered in, but of course the physical production of human-intelligible language is beyond the physical structure of most animals, hence the brainwave-interface collars. which btw could also be used on profoundly disabled humans, and that might be a plot point at some point; i do have some disabled characters in this story. I know I researched those like, communication board things that nonverbal humans can use and I settled on Magical Radio-Networked Interfaces that speak out loud instead for the simple expedient of streamlining things because like how is a mammoth going to carry a communication board around that it can like get out and point at. how is a dolphin going to carry anything. so, this is just where I ended up.)

(I was thinking parrots but then parrots wouldn't need the collar because they can actually make human-speech noises on their own. so that's a fun variation. maybe in this world african grey parrots actually just talk.)

Anyway back when I first started the solarpunk mammoths novel I researched Asian elephants a lot and studied their social structures and read up on their physical abilities etc., so in between trying to find out how radio waves and semiconductors work (i get the radio waves thing & think i have my mcguffin sorted out but semiconductors made my eyes glaze over and then begin weeping so i gave up) (also supercapacitors i don't understand u sorry bye) (do i know any electronics engineers who want to explain this in normal languages? shit i do know a chemical engineer maybe she knows. heck) ... ok i wandered away from this post to text her and then forgot i was making it. i did not get a lot of sleep last night the amphetamines are not being kind this go-round but i must continue the experiment. uhhhhh where was i

GAY DOLPHINS

too powerful

Yeah so I started researching dolphins, because if I'm going to have named-and-speaking dolphin characters, I need to know a little bit about how they work.

Now I have a slight head-start on this, just as I did on mammoths. Mammoths, I've been obsessed with since I was a toddler. But dolphins. For a while I used to go to SCA camping events and there was this guy who used to be a Navy diver and then worked for Sea World and he. well he was really good at telling stories, was his deal. And he had Seen Some Shit, and some of that shit was about interacting with dolphins. And the thing about dolphins is that. Well, they're violent little chaos gremlins, and just in the course of going about their normal lives, one of the things they do to interact with the world is, well. they have sex with things.

when they do this to people it is generally not a positive experience for the person. but. so i knew that going in. and most of the information on the internet about dolphins is really like. earnest and loving and whatever, which is great. but the thing is that dolphins are chaos gremlins who will fuck anything they can't eat, eat anything they can't fuck, or sometimes do both to the same unfortunate object if it proves to be possible.

what i'm saying is, these are going to be really entertaining characters to work with. because elephants, conversely, do not have recreational sex. they do a lot of things, but they just don't really do that. so dolphins are like. inverse-elephants, culturally.

Elephants also tend to have a strong matriarch, strong bonds between females, and then the males tend to be largely solitary, but will congregate more loosely, often around an older male who will teach them manners. (A well-mannered bull is MUCH more likely to be allowed to mate with desirable females, who have little patience with male foibles.)

Dolphins have looser gender roles; on the whole, the females tend to loosely congregate, and pregnant females usually go back to their mother's pod to birth and raise young, not dissimilar to elephants, but the males--

male dolphins very, very frequently will pair-bond. Two males of similar age-- adult males have very little to do with juveniles of either sex, generally-- will pair-bond and will be inseparable for the rest of their lives. If one of them dies, the other will mourn-- mourning behavior is well-documented in dolphins-- and then will seek to pair off with another adult male, because male dolphins prefer to work in pairs, for survival and companionship. (Dolphin "pods" are also more loosely-organized than elephant herds; dolphins will have a couple of core companions, but then will freely associate and disassociate with other individuals and groups over short periods of time without much fuss, depending on the situation.)

The pair-bonded males are the ones who in the wild do the behavior you see in shows, where they do like synchronized jumps and very-close fast-precise swimming and such, which in the wild are apparently courtship or threat displays-- i.e. "look how tight we are, you can't fight us" or, alternately, "isn't that hot" because

yes that's often how they court females. The pair will corral a desirable female and herd her away from other dolphins so they can both mate with her, and keep her from mating with anybody else.

(other females have been observed collaborating to free a corralled female who did not want this to happen, so it's not quite as rapey as it sounds. though, i mean. dolphins. what can you do.)

anyway dolphin threesomes are canon. but that derailed the rest of my night and i was unable to concentrate on anything else because the gay-- I should say really bisexual dolphins are too powerful.

so anyway i wrote a test scene with a dolphin character, and i had my main character take his wife and baby down to the jetty to introduce them to his dolphin pals, and a bonded male pair he'd known for years showed up and immediately tried to steal the wife, and then expressed shock that he didn't have his male best friend with him, because in their experience breeding was THEE most important time to have your buddy with you. He explains that his buddy is off on a long-term work assignment, and they're like hmph next time you breed you MUST include him, it is so much easier trust us. and the wife is like hmmmmm!

henceforth i will refer to m/m/f threesomes as "dolphin style" you're welcome

[bayofwolves]

Rereading Broken Ground

Fall of the Beasts continues! We are once again back at it.

Fun fact: When this book's cover was first revealed, I assumed the three Redcloaks on the archway were in fact Abeke, Rollan and Anda. I thought Anda would be sticking around for the rest of the aboveground adventures. RIP.

Something I find interesting is that the Evertree's tremors reduce even the Four Fallen to a beastlike state, stripping away their greatness as well as their link to their humans. We see this with Uraza and then Briggan. I suppose it could be a callback to the Great Beasts' origins; before the Wyrm struck the Evertree and gave them their godly forms, they lived as common animals.

"This one called himself Worthy. He came asking for the Keeper. They left together and haven't returned." I love it when the books reference the game. They're off to save Talon!

There's an inconsistency here: In the last book, Abeke and Rollan sail to Amaya on the Tellun's Pride II. There is no mention of a crew, and no Greencloaks accompany them on their trek, which suggests they were manning the Greencloaks' finest ship all by themselves. Not a problem, since Abeke has proved herself to be up to the task, but an odd choice of vessel. In this book, it's said that they went alone, but on a smaller boat more suited to their little party. Then, of course, they board the Tellun's Pride II as if for the first time and are introduced to the captain and crew. Funny little mistake I noticed.

Apparently marriage between Greencloaks is unusual. No idea why; it's not made clear.

"Rollan thought he could see Anda beside the gate, dark eyes wide and watching. Rollan lifted a hand, but the boy -- if it was him -- didn't respond." This is so haunting and sad. I wonder what Anda was feeling in that moment. Apathy? Or anger at being left behind?

"Ever since they'd faced Zerif in the forest, [Abeke]'d been closed off, distracted." Imagine if that was not only because she was stressed about the strain on the spirit bond and worried about Anda, but because she was wondering if the mysterious masked man was Shane... I know it's not canon, but man, the story would have been so much better if she started to wonder and wrestle with herself about it as he kept appearing and saving their lives. In a vague sort of way that wouldn't directly spell out her suspicions to the reader. Considering how little time she got with Shane in the end, that was the least they could have done.

Here we have another case of the usual laws of the spirit bond being broken: Arac, a Euran, is bonded to a spider monkey, an animal that would presumably be native to southern Amaya. There are no monkey species anywhere near the select few northwestern European countries that I base Eura on, so my solution for A Revised History of Erdas was to make Nexi a stoat instead -- an entirely new animal, but one present in Eura and more suited to a seafaring life!

I imagine Nisha's spirit animal, Relis, is an African (Niloan) grey parrot. It'd be funny to have the captain and her parrot hold animated conversations with each other.

"Back in Nilo, she had seen a man die of infection." I like to think that this was Chinwe's husband and Irtike's father.

I like how this book shows Abeke has had time to think about what Shane said to her during their fight in The Evertree. She wasn't ready to consider his reasoning back then, but many passages here make it clear that she sympathizes with the people of Stetriol, sees where they were coming from and understands that the Greencloaks were wrong to condemn them. That kind of nuanced perspective is something I very much appreciate.

I do wish Magda had made an appearance. I suppose she would have been released from her position when the Greencloaks took over, but I doubt she would have left.

"Abeke had eventually come to terms with her family, but she knew she'd never see such a look in her father's eyes." The look she is referring to is the look of pride that Tasha's parents gave her. A look of pride. So here we have one of our protagonists, the black girl, the famously distrusted and mistreated, admitting to the reader that she has made up with her abusive father, but he has not changed, and she has simply learned to deal with it. Can we talk about how awful and disturbing this is? That Abeke stays trapped in the cycle of abuse, and it's only a footnote in the story?

Something about Abeke lingering in the same halls Shane grew up in... walking in the gardens, maybe standing in the very spot where he learned of the Bile from Zerif... they're so intertwined.

James appearing right after the castle is mentioned to be inhabited by some of Shane's cousins, and coincidentally looking near identical to him, makes me believe the author intended for them to be related. I've always thought of them as cousins, so that's a win for me.

Aidana was presumably at the Evertree with Lenori, since Wikerus was the one to deliver the seer's ominous message to the kids. (Of course, it's not explained why. In my heart it's because they are lovers, but I'm sure that is not what the authors intended.)

This post was a bit short, but make no mistake, I loved this book. It may even be in my top three of the series. I don't have much to say about the underground plot, other than I still find it interesting and am grateful for the quiet moments and slower pace to even out the often action-packed aboveground plot. The bonds being built between Abeke and Rollan on one side and Conor and Meilin on the other have my whole heart. Tasha was great, and so was seeing all the positive change happening in Stetriol, even if it ended horribly. Love, love, love Arac and Nisha (both of whom are alive and well in ARHoE, by the way). This was King's time to shine, and he kind of stole the show, I'm not gonna lie. Also, a couple of minor characters were introduced who have much bigger roles in ARHoE, so I got to point at them like I was seeing my OCs in print. Very cool. Lots of good things in this book.

This is part of an ongoing series.

Wild Born | Hunted | Blood Ties | Fire and Ice | Against the Tide | Rise and Fall | The Evertree

Immortal Guardians | Broken Ground | The Return | The Burning Tide

Heart of the Land | The Wildcat's Claw | Stormspeaker | The Dragon's Eye

Tales of the Great Beasts | The Book of Shane | Tales of the Fallen Beasts

[ausetkmt]

Yahoo News: Scientists were delighted to discover that parrots willingly made video calls to bird friends and were less lonely as a result

Researchers trained parrots to call certain birds. Later the parrots chose who they wanted to call.

The researchers were delighted when the parrots interacted with each other over the screen.

Scientists had to extensively train bird parents for this exercise. Not just anyone should try it.

Researchers have discovered that parrots are pretty much just like us when it comes to video chatting with friends.

The authors of a new study found that virtual quality time with bird friends seemed to reduce signs of loneliness in parrots and improve their lives overall.

The researchers also told Insider that they were delighted when the parrots on either end of the call interacted with each other by tapping the screen and doing activities together like preening — which means the birds were bonding.

The study's results are important for the many pet parrots who live alone with their humans and thus may not get their high social needs met.

That's because a lack of socialization for birds in the parrot family — which includes cockatoos, cockatiels, macaws, African Greys, lovebirds, budgies, and more —  can lead to harmful behaviors like picking or destroying their feathers, pacing and rocking, aggression, or excessive sleeping.

Why parrots need so much socialization

"I think birds in captivity have been misunderstood and mischaracterized for years," said Jennifer Cunha, parrot behavior expert, researcher at Northeastern University, and one of the study's authors.

Cunha added that while people often consider them ornamental, parrots are also incredibly social and intelligent animals.

For example, in the wild, parrots generally live in complex social environments, said Rébecca Kleinberger, assistant professor at Northeastern University in computer sciences and music, and another author of the study.

They tend to pair off within a larger flock of parrots and do most things, like feeding, preening, sleeping, traveling, and raising their young within this social group, Kleinberger and Cunha said.

So, when these birds live alone as pets with minimal social interaction, they have little outlet for many of their cognitive abilities.

Under-stimulated parrots may quickly become bored, frustrated, and lonely. In fact, Cunha said, some countries have made it illegal to keep only one parrot, due to their complex social needs.

The ability to make video calls to other parrots, then, may give birds the chance to access the socialization and species identity they have in the wild, Cunha said.

How the study worked

First, researchers recruited 18 parrots and their caregivers via Parrot Kindergarten — a coaching program for parrots and their caretakers that Cunha operates.

They then had a training phase where parrots learned to select another bird's photo on a tablet to start a call on Facebook Messenger — which the parrots did successfully in just a couple of weeks.

After that, parrots would ring a bell when they wanted to make a call. When their caregiver offered the tablet, they'd touch the picture of the bird they wanted to chat with.

Initially, the birds were given treats for ringing the bell and selecting a bird "friend," but after the training period, they stopped getting treats. The researchers were happily surprised by how quickly the birds picked up the method for calling one another voluntarily.

Researchers were also delighted to see the parrots engaging with the video calls by following the birds on the other side of the screen, both visually and by directly touching the tablet.

Many birds mirrored behaviors they saw their friends do, like foraging, preening, and flying.

"Throughout the study we observed a diversity of social behaviors, from preening together and sleeping together on-screen to vocalizing," Kleinberger said.

What's more, the more calls a parrot received, the more they wanted to call others, said Ilyena Hirskyj-Douglas, computer science lecturer at the University of Glasgow and study co-author.

"They developed favorite parrots to call, and most parrots would engage with the system for the maximum amount of time," Hirskyj-Douglas said.

Parrots could make two calls a day, with each call lasting no more than five minutes. The researchers set this time limit for safety and ethical reasons and to minimize the time commitment for caregivers.

Kleinberger added that the sheer number of calls made by the parrots — 147 in all — seemed to support their interest and engagement with the bird on the other side of the screen.

Video chats had a lot of benefits for parrots

All of the parrot caretakers involved said their bird had a positive experience with video calling, the study said.

Some caretakers said their birds reacted to their video friends the same way they'd react to real people or birds. One caretaker said their bird even called "Come back!" when the other bird walked off-screen.

All but one of the caretakers said they believed their parrot got more out of the video chat than simple enjoyment. For instance, one parrot seemed to gain confidence and began flying more. Others seemed calmer in general, the study said.

Video calling won't work for every parrot

The researchers extensively trained the parrot caretakers who participated in the study, Cunha said.

Video calling itself has to be conducted in a sensitive, ethical manner, to slowly introduce the technology and make sure there are no fear reactions, Hirskyj-Douglas added.

Parrot caregivers learned, for instance, to recognize signs of stress during the video calls and offer encouragement to help reduce any fear associated with the new experience.

Caregivers would also end the call if their bird seemed uncomfortable or walked away from the calling zone, Hirskyj-Douglas said. That way, the parrots learned they could simply walk away if they didn't want to interact.

Forced socialization isn't in any parrot's best interest. The researchers released three parrots from the study in its early stages, as these birds didn't seem to like the calls at all.

But most of the parrots apparently enjoyed the experience and chose to make plenty of calls to other birds.

The study authors acknowledge the need for additional research, as this study is the first exploring video calling for parrots. That said, they believe video calling could become an important way to help isolated parrots build and maintain important connections with other members of their species — just as it does for people.

Read the original article on Business Insider

[sofipitch]

☕️ intelligence/emotional capacity of animals (do you think our current understanding over or underestimates which creatures are capable of complex thought, self awareness, etc)

Okay this is something I am super passionate about. So for a long time researchers were in the underestimating category. However I also think some people, like the ppl with the talking buttons are in the overestimating category.

So for the first one science wasn't interested in animal intelligence for a long time bc it didn't seem like something worth studying. Many religions and philosophies will say humans are distinctly special from animals, and I have heard ppl say this a fair amount in biology and psychology classes. Which is just something that annoys me because it is a statement with no backing, and often times the line in the sand of what separates humans from animals will be surpassed by some animal and then ppl will come up with a new one (we've been "beholding a man" for a lot of human history now 🥱). One famous example is when Jane Goodall recorded Chimpanzees using sticks to fish for termites, which was evidence of tool use (considered at the time a unique and defining trait of humans), her mentor, paleontologist Louis Leaky said, “Now we must redefine tool, redefine man, or accept chimpanzees as human.”

However the beginning of a lot of animal intelligence research still involved testing animal's ability to act like humans, such as trying to get chimps to talk and act like humans. The most horrifying example being Gua who was a baby chimp raised by the Kelloggs at the same time as their own human child, to see if they could essentially raise a chimp into a human. I think a lot of studies about whether animals can talk have this issue. Even beloved ones like Koko the Gorilla, her signing is about as scientific as a Rorschach inkblot test, it often requires a lot of interpretation that cannot be confirmed in an experiment. We decided that something we do is the marker for intelligence, but just bc other animals don't communicate like we do or even think like we do does not mean that they aren't intelligent. Some people discount certain displays of animal intelligence as not intelligent bc they are seen as "intrinsic behavior", but we are social animals and count emotional intelligence as a type of intelligence. Is recognizing the emotions of others not intrinsic to social animals?

Each species has their own umwelt, which is the way they experience the world. We can't do some things such as sense electrical activity or see in infrared, inversely animals aren't going to talk or even display intelligence like we do. So researchers will have to get a little creative with their experiments of testing what animals do and don't know by taking a species' umwelt into account. Also somethings are just hard to define, like what is the line in the sand for complex thought? Self awareness also has that same issue. We inherently trust that other humans have self awareness and thoughts because we do. Behaviorists, scientists from a specific field of psychology will say that other people having thoughts or a mind is not something you can test in an experiment so we should not believe in it. You can't say other ppl have a mind bc you do, what if you are the ONLY person who has one (I'm not making this shit up my mentor in grad school was one of these ppl and this shit was unit one of the learning class). Cognitive psychology is the science of uncovering thought processes and while psychology has shifted in their direction, behaviorists still argue it's dumb. So yeah if ppl say that shit about humans you can imagine how hard it is to test in animals.

Anyways, some cool examples of potential complex thought are:

Moray Eels and Groupers working together to hunt: video of moray eel and grouper communicating and hunting together

Ravens can use water displacement to get something they can't reach: video

Irene Pepperberg's studies with African Grey Parrots are basically the best I've seen in terms of using human language to understand animal intelligence. Alex was taught various colors, shapes, material types, and count small thing and can then tell you about certain objects when prompted. What makes her interesting is the method for teaching the parrots was based not on humans but what parrot's umwelt and social behaviors. It was not recorded on camera but Pepperberg says one evening Alex asked her what color he was, implying self awareness: a long video on Pepperberg's experiments experiment comparing parrots to small children

There are also other phenomena observed in the wild such as animals such as apes, elephants, and cetaceans displaying mourning/funerary behavior over deceased animals they knew.

Another thing that people used to say is that humans were the only animals that had culture. Also, now being proven not to be true. I taught an animal behavior class and the textbook had an entire chapter on cultural transmission. Here's a cool video on one form of cultural transmission, whale songs

So, I don't think humans will ever sit down and have a conversation with a chimpanzee like a human, or they'll invent a way for dogs to speak to us in full sentences like the movie Up. However animals are more intelligent than they are often given credit for, there isn't a lot of evidence for animals being stimulus response machines as (especially behaviorists) previously thought.

Some good books if you are interested in the subject:

Are We Smart Enough to Know How Smart Animals Are and Mama's Last Hug by Frans de Waal (he has more books that are probably good but those are the two I've read)

Through A Window by Jane Goodall

Animals in Translation by Temple Grandin

What a Fish Knows by Jonathan Balcombe

Beyond Words by Carl Safina

Inside a Dog by Alexandra Horowitz

The Emotional Lives of Animals by Marc Bekoff

[hyperfixated-maybe]

What is your favorite kind of bird?

OH MY GOODNESS THIS IS MY SECOND FAVORITE ASK I HAVE EVER GOTTEN THANK YOU!!

Okay okay so there are several that are STRONG competitors for that title.

First let’s go with the yellow crested helmetshrike.

LOOKIT HIM!! So basically these little fellas went missing for a couple of decades because they only live in a small area of Africa called the Albertine Rift, which for a while was off limits due to the bloody Congo War. Finally, in December of 2023, a group of researchers not only spotted the birds for the first time in years, but also caught a specimen and photographed it!!! (The photo above.) Its SO cool, heres an article for ya!!

UHHHHHHH OH MY GOSH YOU'RE SO MEAN FOR ASKING ME THIS LIKE HAVE YOU SEEN THE BIRDS OF PARADISE?????

oh goodness have you seen SUN BITTERNS??? They look like BUTTERFLIES!!!

I think that African grey parrots are SUPER COOL, cuz they're super smart. Crazy intelligent. PLUS LOOK HOW RED THEIR TAILS ARE!!

They are SO smart. “They have been found to have an advanced level of cognitive power, similar to that of a four-year-old human child. They can understand cause and effect, and use tools to solve problems, such as using a stick to obtain food from a hard-to-reach place. They can even comprehend and use basic arithmetic, counting up to 8 items.” As in like. “How is a bird that clever” smart.

DO YOU EVEN COMPREHEND HOW DIFFICULT THIS IS FOR ME??? Like AAAAA.

Secretary birds kick ass, they stomp snakes to death and look really freaking cool, roadrunners can make speeds of up to 42 km/h, which is JUST under Usain Bolts speed of 44.72 km/h!!!!

Harpy eagles are SO EPIC TOOOOOOOOOO

Okay I am cutting myself off here because I could go on tangents about birds for hours, and this post would end up long enough to reach the moon and back lol.

KAKAPO PARROTS ARE CRITICALLY ENDANGERED SPECIES OF LARGE NOCTURNAL GROUND DWELLING BIRDS NATIVE TO NEW ZEALAND—

[professionalsafariafrica]

Western Tanzania Safari Tour Cost – Find Reasonable Tour

Tanzania is also famous for its incredible wildlife, but tourists also love going there to have a wonderful bird watching safaris. Tanzania hosts over 1,100 bird species and for a birder, the Western part is definitely a birding haven.

It provides great variety of flora and fauna, beautiful sceneries, and variety of opportunities to observe some special and unique birds species, so it is perfect for birdwatching. Here is how to select the proper bird watching safari tanzania and how to look for the reasonable Western Tanzania safari tour.

Western Tanzania Safari Tour Cost

Why a bird-watching safari in western Tanzania?

Western Tanzania has relatively low tourism with areas such as Mahale Mountains National Park, Gombe Stream and Katavi National Park are some of the best places to visit. These parks that consists of dense rainforest, some undeveloped lakes and open grasslands are homes to various bird species. One can see African grey parrots, yellow-billed storks, forest red-capped warbler and even large parties of flamingoes around the lakes. The bird watching safari tanzania here is likely to provide an undisturbed close contact with nature and wildlife.

The Western Tanzania Safari tour cost more than in other areas, mainly because they are less accessible, but there are many ways to have a cheap trip. First one is to travel with the local travel agents that can provide special and cheap tours. Check for the low seasons, such as early spring, late spring and early fall, when you’re more likely to get a better rate. Private waged employees can also save individual costs because of joining group tours and perhaps, take shorter ones given limited finances.

Safari experience tips Selecting a bird watching safari tanzania that involves experienced guides should be a priority particularly to bird watchers. One of the most experienced guides with reasonable Western Tanzania Safari tour cost can distinguish bird species based on the vocal and concerned movements, which makes the trip more enjoyable. Furthermore, avoid selecting places that your tour guides or drivers will take tourists to areas of interest where there are riverside, wetlands or forests that house different species of birds.

[toa-kirhan]

Not only did the birds initiate calls freely and seem to understand that a real fellow parrot was on the other end, but caretakers overwhelmingly reported the calls as positive experiences for their parrots. Some caregivers watched their birds learn skills from their video friends, including foraging, new vocalizations and even flying. “She came alive during the calls,” reported one.

A few significant findings emerged. The birds engaged in most calls for the maximum allowed time. They formed strong preferences—in the preliminary pilot study, Cunha’s bird Ellie, a Goffin’s cockatoo, became fast friends with a California-based African grey named Cookie. “It’s been over a year and they still talk,” Cunha says.

The most popular parrots were also the ones who initiated the most calls, suggesting a reciprocal dynamic similar to human socialization. And while, in large part, the birds seemed to enjoy the activity itself, the human participants played a big part in that. Some parrots relished the extra attention they were getting from their humans, while others formed attachments for the humans on the other side of the screen. [...]

Kleinberger cautions that the findings don’t mean parrot owners should fire up a Zoom call and assume it will go well. The participant parrots had experienced handlers who had time to introduce the technology slowly and to carefully monitor their parrots’ reactions. As the study underscored, parrots are finicky about which fellow birds they will respond to—unmediated interactions could lead to fear, even violence and property damage; larger parrots have beaks more than capable of cracking an iPad into pieces. [...]

Still, the findings suggest that video calls can improve a pet parrot’s quality of life. [...] That includes the many parrots who, for a multitude of reasons, can’t physically be close to other birds—for one, disease is pervasive among certain captive species. Two sickly, elderly male macaws paired together in the study had scarcely seen another macaw in their lives, yet formed a deep bond—dancing and singing enthusiastically together through the screen and calling “Hi! Come here! Hello!” whenever one or the other moved out of the video frame.

“It really speaks to how cognitively complex these birds are and how much ability they have to express themselves,” says Hirskyj-Douglas. “It was really beautiful, those two birds, for me.”

https://news.northeastern.edu/2023/04/21/parrots-talking-video-calls/

cockatoo ipad kid experiment

[lovereconthings]

How A Pet Can Affect Your Relationship

HOW A PET CAN AFFECT YOUR RELATIONSHIP

For better or for worse, a pet can, and most definitely will, affect your relationship with your significant other or spouse. So, if you are considering becoming the parents of a "fur baby," here are some things to consider in making your decision. Some of these can be positive or negative - or both. It all depends on how you and your spouse or partner communicate and navigate through them. These generally apply to the most common pets – cats and dogs. However, you could apply many of these effects to a pet of any species or breed. - You will need to evaluate your relationship. Just how committed are you to your partner and this relationship? How would the pet be affected if you split up and went your separate ways? For instance, cockatoos live 40-60 years, so choosing one might be perfect for you if you see yourself rocking on the porch in your 70's with the birdcage between you. On the other hand, African Grey Parrot lives, on average, a mere 23 years. An indoor cat's life expectancy is

10-15 years, while dogs usually live from 8 to 11 years, depending on size and weight. If you are not reasonably confident that you will be together for the foreseeable future, then forego pet ownership in the present. Getting a pet that will end up in the pound, or worse,  is only selfish and irresponsible. On the other hand, if you choose to become "pet parents," it could mean that you are more serious and more committed to your relationship. In that case, owning a pet could benefit both you and the fur baby you choose. - You will develop a higher level of responsibility. There will be fewer last-minute trips and adventures unless they involve the ability to take your pet with you. Even then, you must make plans to accommodate your pet while traveling. If you are not taking your pet, boarding or scheduling a pet sitter will involve advanced planning and preparation. Sufficient food, water, and medications must also be provided or arranged for.   In other words, you will experience less spontaneity and more responsibility. - You may experience negative feelings. One of you may be more committed to the pet's care than the other. The lesser-committed partner may resent having to take care of the pet. Arguments could build around who bathes the dog or empties the cat's litter box. You may even discover that your partner is lazy or selfish because they don’t offer to help care for the pet when you are unable or unavailable. - You will become more active. This is especially true with a dog. However, there is no more sleeping in late with a dog or a cat. Instead, your "slow-start" mornings are accelerated by the need to take the dog out for a walk or your cat's persistence in being fed or paid attention to. A sedentary life is not healthy for you or your pet, so increasing activity can be a good thing. - You will become healthier. And along the same theme, in a study of 240 couples done by the American Heart Association, pet owners showed    "significantly smaller increases in heart rate and blood pressure in response to stress ."Another study found that dog ownership helps reduce mortality in people with cardiovascular disease, "with the likelihood of mortality being 4.05 times greater for those who did not own a dog." - You will be forced to communicate and operate as a team. You will need to discuss responsibilities such as who will buy the food and supplies, who will feed and water the pet, who will take the dog out or walk it, who will arrange for visits to the groomer and the veterinarian, etc. You will learn to work as a team and, in the process, sort out your differences, problem-solve, and communicate. - You will experience fun and enjoyment. No doubt, your pet will perform goofy or cute antics. They will bring out your own "inner child" as you engage in play with them. Training your pet can also cause you to learn new skills and afford you the satisfaction of having a well-trained animal. You may also simply enjoy the companionship of another living being in your living spaces. - You will practice conflict management skills. What if you are more structured in training and disciplining the pet? Who will "win" if one partner wants the pet to sleep on the bed, but the other is opposed to sharing their sleeping space? You will learn to negotiate and compromise, two valuable relationship skills in working it all out. - You could experience jealousy! Your pet is so cute, especially when it is a "baby ."Your spouse can't resist cuddling with it and giving it undivided attention. Sometimes, you may feel that you get less affection and attention than your pet. It is easy for jealousy to arise, and you must discuss it calmly with your spouse. It could be as simple as making sure that you greet each other with a hug and kiss before engaging with your pet. - You will feel more like a “family.” In sharing love and care for a pet, you will feel more like parents and more like a family that includes fur babies. There is a bond that develops when you both nurture and discipline a pet. You are giving your time, attention, and financial support to another living being – just like parents do for a child. A pet can be a good indicator of how you will function as a couple when or if you do have children. - You will develop experiential intimacy. Caring for a pet will be a shared experience between you. You will go through the ups and downs of pet ownership. This will strengthen your connection and feelings of closeness. - There will be more stress at times. The added responsibilities – feeding, walking, grooming and bathing, immunizations, pet illness, etc. – cause stress that must be addressed and considered. - You will have more – or less – time together. Taking your pet on walks or playing with them together can increase your time with each other. On the other hand, doing things with your pet separately from your spouse can decrease your time together. If your lifestyle is already busy and packed, you will want to choose a pet that gives you the opportunity to spend more time together. - You will have less free and “me” time. The demands of caring for a pet will take more of your free time. Ask yourselves and each other if you are willing to give up a significant part of your free time by becoming pet owners. Are you ready to get up earlier and forgo those extra "z's" to care for your pet? Will you leave social events earlier so that you can provide the care that your pet requires? - You will have less disposable cash. According to the ASPCA, at a minimum, for the first year, dog expenses are around $1,270, and cat expenses can run about $1,070. Emergency vet bills, a hidden cost, can be as high as $4,000, not to mention unexpected medications or vitamins. The Texas Society of CPAs provides a worksheet to break down the cost of owning a pet. Becoming a pet owner can mean you must be willing to alter your lifestyle and make sacrifices - like eating out less, forgoing a second round of drinks, skipping $5 coffee/tea drinks, etc. - You will cherish your alone time. Every couple needs time alone together. Unfortunately, a pet can disrupt and interrupt this time. Be sure to close the door and have some alone couple time that your pet won't interrupt. Owning a pet can be an enriching and satisfying experience if it is the right time and the right pet for you and your partner. First, ensure you have communicated clearly about all the ramifications of pet adoption and that you are enthusiastic about adding a pet to your relationship. If you want to discuss how we can help you and your relationship, don’t hesitate to contact me at Cliff@LoveRecon.org or call 866-218-1716. You may also visit our website, www.LoveRecon.org, for testimonials and information. Read the full article

[allcreatureswarehouse]

Where one could get Hand Reared Birds Melbourne?

Online Melbourne Based Business Specialising in Home Delivery of Healthy Hand Raised Pet Birds around Melbourne and throughout Australia. We Hand Raise African Greys, Alexandrines, Amazons, Budgies, Caiques, Cockatiels, Cockatoos, Conures, Corellas, Eclectus Parrots, Galahs, Lineolated Parrots, Macaws, Parrotlets, Quakers, Rainbow Lorikeets and many more!

What should baby birds learn?

In their natural environment, Parrots are shown by adult role models how to forage for food, what foods are safe, what behaviors are expected & how to cope with stress & danger. This takes varying timescales from months (in some larger Parrots) to several years, depending on the species.

HOW HOMES HARM BABY BIRDS?

Most homes neglect the crucial babyhood stages & prioritise compliance, tameness & speech. This leads to a Bird who grows up seeing frustrated & wound up behavior & is often winded & anxious by these experiences. This leads to an increased risk of many 'problem' behaviors as they grow older including feather picking, stereotypies & abnormal sexual behaviours.

Yeast & Bacteria Infections

Young Hand Reared Companion Birds are more susceptible to bacterial and yeast infections than young parent reared ones, due to their weaker immune system. This can lead to vomiting, delayed crop emptying or diarrhoea, if the problem is not diagnosed and treated early.

Yeast Infections can also be caused by improper handling, feeding or care. These problems can be difficult to diagnose and require a microscopic examination of the crop fluid or droppings.

[t34-mt]

Little fun fact

when maanuls and kyhuines speak they sound like how an African Grey parrot would speak, tho it is better than them, we would still find it weird to hear it. And since they have an avian like organ for vocolasation, they don't have a larynx. To them, we would be the ones with an uncanny way of speaking.

And also they don't rely on moving their mouth so much when speaking for articulation because they mostly rely on their vocal cords, which may look uncanny to us. To form words we humans use our lips, tongue and also teeth, but for maanuls and kyhuines they will use tongue and teeth. Not the lips because they simply don't have any, by that I mean human like-lips.

The vocal chords is a sort of vent thing that is separated from the oesophagus, it is normally closed but can open for speaking to then be connected with the respiratory system, when they speak it might open the vent of their olfactory vents so the head nostrils might open while vocolasation, because yes they are build in a messy way. Olfactory organs has evolved separately and differently on many species on altuyur and theirs isn't the most effective compared to some animals.

When they shout, a bit of sound might even come out of their opperculum since the two are connected. When performing certain calls, a sort of light whistle can come out of the respiratory holes (opperculum)

I know I mentioned in previous posts that kyhuines don't have front teeth, so how would they use them for speaking? The thing is like I changed the way their teeth are AGAIN(sorry) tho it is not that noticeable.

I should do a chart of the vocal box, oesophagus, olfactory vent so it feels more clear to people. If I can then maybe one day I'll do a simple gif with that same chart but showing how it looks when they speak.

Oh yeah since respiratory and feeding system are separated they can't suck things into their mouth, so they will rely on muscles instead

[roguemonsterfucker]

So many people get birds because they see a cute video of them talking or making R2-D2 sounds. They’ll get big birds like African Greys because they talk.

And they have no fucking idea what they’re getting into.

And honestly even the people who try to be responsible about pet ownership find themselves in over their heads with birds. Birds are extremely expensive and demanding to keep.

Birds will literally injure themselves if not given proper mental stimulation. They need specialty vet care.

I’m really lucky I have a vet who isn’t technically an avian vet right now but birds are clearly her special interest so she knows as much as she can about them, and avian specialists work with her so anything she doesn’t know she can ask them. Vet visits with specialists cost like fifty dollars extra so it’s nice to be able to save a bit of money but still get the quality of care a specialist would be able to give. Like I said, I’m really lucky. This vet is amazing and loves birds with all her heart.

Birds are also destructive! They’ll chew holes in your house. They’re messy! They poop every fifteen minutes and they throw food and destroyed toys all over the floor.

And they’re so. Fucking. Loud.

They’re meant to call to other birds across miles. Their calls are not meant to be in the close quarters of a bedroom.

And even if you get a species known for talking it may not talk! All three of my male cockatiels can talk but one rarely does so. And I didn’t get them with talking in mind. I just wanted to give a cockatiel a good home because I knew how often they’re mistreated.

They bite!!! My conures have powerful bites and they’re a very mouthy species. They use their mouths for everything. Cockatiels don’t have a super strong bite but they can and will draw blood if they set their minds to it. And even thigh parakeets are tiny, their bites hurt. People often get parakeets for kids but trust me you don’t want your kid getting bitten by one.

Parakeets aren’t super prone to biting but one rescue I took in had learned biting was the only way to get kids to stop messing with her so she became a biter.

Birds need friends!!!!! They get lonely and depressed and really need their own kind. Humans can’t replace a parrot companion. You wouldn’t believe how much happier my first cockatiel was after I got more. He loves to sing to them and talk to them and he’s a whole new much happier bird, even though I’d dedicated time to keeping him company myself. And the parakeets feel safer in large groups. Their personalities come out when they’re in groups.

So yeah. A lot of people have no idea what they’re getting into with parrots.

I can’t speak to other bird species. Some are domesticated so they may do way better in captivity but I have no experience with them. Just parrots.

I guess I had some strong feelings on the subject

[gothamslostboy]

Gotham Favorite Animals

Part One

Ivy Pepper

She doesn’t like animals (bc they survive off plants or others that eat plants)

If you forced her to pick one she would chose Bees bc they pollinate flowers

Selina Kyle

Let’s not pretend it’s anything other than cats

She tells people it’s black cats specifically

She’s a liar

It’s calico cats bc she likes how much variety their coats have

Bruce Wayne

He’s a basic bitch

Golden retrievers have so much energy and excitement that distracts him from his problems

When he was little he probably begged his parents for a dog

Fish Moony

I bet you thought I was gonna pick a species of fish huh?

You’re wrong it’s a black jaguar

from a far, their coats look solid black, cold and strong, hard and stoic

Up close you can see the patterns in the fur, like how once you get close to fish you get little glimpses of how she cares

Lee Tompkins

Porcupines!

They’re cute and cuddly but if you threaten them enough, you need to back off or seek medical attention

Barbra Keen

Praying mantis

Even though she doesn’t like bugs, there is an exception to every rule

Praying mantis ladies kill the men after mating, and she certainly tries!

Ed Nygma

He prides himself on his intelligence, so he needs an animal on the same level

Considering it can learn up to 200 words & gestures, African grey parrots obviously catch his attention

He also likes birds in general bc they can fly as a way to escape danger, an advantage not many other species have

Definitely not bc birds remind him of a certain ex mayor

Oswald Cobblepott

It used to be seals bc they’re a predator of penguins, and he was trying to get rid of the nickname

After learning to accept the nickname it changed

Surprise! It’s penguins

Victor Fries

Bc he survives only in the cold, I figured he’d pick something he has a chance of interaction with

His wife also had an impact, bc she was bright and playful before she got sick

An arctic fox reflects these traits, but it also can be fierce when hunting or threatened, like him

[justslowdown]

I thought your comment about ego vs genuine appreciation of exotic pets raised an interesting point. To me though, I would say wanting to own one of those clearly not suited to domesticity animals is still about ego - for example I can genuinely appreciate a hyena, but to think I am the exception who can provide good care for one as a pet is egotistical. appreciating it is how I have a good understanding that one shouldn't be a pet.

I think we're on the same page here. Hyenas, big cats, venomous snakes, primates, etc aren't comparable to the kinds of animals I was thinking of. The bottom two categories of that chart vs the grey area in the middle. Honestly, I'm pretty horrified people think it's possible to keep them ethically outside of qualified zoos/some sanctuaries/etc. I agree with your assessment of where those folks are coming from.

Do I think people should keep pet foxes or African grey parrots? Not really (except like, parrot rescue, which is sadly sorely needed). I do know folks who want them out of a genuine love for the species and a maybe misguided way of showing it, though. And some are qualified to shape their life around them in the way they need to.

EDIT: I also don't feel it's productive to put people on the defensive who are drawn to the kinds of pets that are in that grey area. Many are caring animal lovers who might just not have all the facts

[getreadytosmash]

Wing verse bitches

@mistyflame1 tagging u as u wish sire

K for anyone who doesn't know/doesn't remember when I screamed about this verse a few years ago, Wing verses/wing au are typically fics where a character suddenly gains wings and deals with their emotions suddenly being open for anyone to see or a verse where everyone has wings. My favourite is the latter one due to the many different wings people can have and a lot of people often place different meanings to different wings (Like, darker wings are seen as more evil or domestic species of birds are more suited for domestic jobs). Anyway!!

Skaar - Cooper's hawk. A desert associated bird that has a dull plumage yet also has some neat wing patterns that I think fit Skaar really well for him coming from a desert planet and having a more muted colouring compared to the others. I imagine his wings are rather scarred and hang oddly at times from where he had spent plenty of time with his wings being bounded up. He can't fly and a lot of the show I imagine would have features of his relationship with flying or lack of it.

Rick - Hyacinth Macaw. Blue bird!! And Macaws are really clever birds and real well known, even if they aren't as well known as the red/yellow/blue ones. Rick definitely takes care of his wings as human but ends up losing his wings when he becomes A-bomb. It really bothers him, but Rick doesn't want to talk about it with anyone else, especially since they all got to keep their wings. Rick still ducks and shifts as if he has wings though.

Jen - Blue Jay. A really pretty bird that matches Jen's HatAoS colour scheme and it also regarded as a very intelligent bird species! They go well with her character and I imagine her wings stay the same surprisingly, kinda like a calling key for how she’s always Jennifer Walters. Jen really takes a pride in her wings and often keeps them really well groomed. She's made blue wings really popular lately and is careful to not accidentally send a door flying off its hinges...she fails regularly.

Red - African Grey Parrot. A really smart bird that's often kept as a pet but sometimes escapes? It has a muted grey tone that I thinks works well for anyone in the army and they're rather large birds too. It works well for Red and I think he has a lot of pride in his wings for that, especially when they seemed to grow even bigger and gain a undertone of red to his wings. Another rad thing is the fact that Red can set his wings on fire when he flies.

Hulk - Bruce started out as a kingfisher and when turning into Hulk, his wings become that of a peacock. Misty, thank you for this because the idea of someome going to fight Hulk and he just slams open big ass peacock feathers is so funny. I imagine he's a little self conscious over his wings at times, especially as no one expects such a bruiser to have wings like that, but Rick and Jen often want him to try and accept the fact that yes he has the prettiest wings there is.

Samuel - Budgie. Absolutely the funniest thing to me tbh because it fits well as they're relatively smart birds, but also fit the fact that Samuel has always seem himself as entirely ordinary before he became the Leader...and the fact that he's spent almost all of the show in one type of cage or another. I imagine he used to be rather embarrassed of how bright his wings were compared to how...plain he seemed. And then as Leader he had been embarrassed over how sparkly he seemed instead of getting sensible crows' wings. After his mutilation, Samuel tends to strap his wings down for better access to the sockets and has an issue where his wings often snap outwards and hits people in the face. Red swears that he's eaten at least five of Samuel's feathers.

[officialleehadan]

Intelligensia

Hello darlings! I hope you're all staying safe if you're in the haze of all the fires. I've definitely been hiding inside a lot!

Today's story was brought to you by Arcanist Lupus! It's always a delight to see your comments, darling. Thank you so much for your support!

Prompt: Fluffy's Master Plan for World Domination with extra points for the Beast in question not being a cat!

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(Day eight hundred and sixty-four of my incarceration. The Human seems to be growing incautious of my daily attempts to escape.)

Isabis casually walked past the huge, floor to ceiling cage housed one of the shelter’s cleverest and most aggressive residents. On her way, she spared a glance at the lock, and pretended not to notice the way the stunning African Grey parrot inside had bitten most of the way through the latch that held the door shut.

She kept telling the head keeper that they needed a metal lock for him. Unfortunately, Hasani was far too clever for anybody’s good, and reliably managed to look cute and harmless whenever anyone inspected his cage for security. Isabis did her best with what she had, but it was hard to convince anyone of the parrot’s evil nature without admitting that she could speak to him. Well, not speak, exactly, but she could hear his thoughts. She could, in fact, understand most birds, but none were as coherent as Hasani.

Or, as it happened, as determined to escape his imprisonment and take over the world.

She wasn’t even sure he could take over the world, but from what she had heard of his pans, she wasn’t about to call it an impossibility.

She didn’t want Hasani as an evil overlord, thanks. The wretched bird had a mean streak a mile wide. He had bit right through the heavy falconer’s glove the vet used the last time he had to be examined.

(I feel she may even become an ally. Certainly, she seems smarter than the rest of her wretched kind.)

Oh boy. The bird. The evil bird, wanted to recruit her.

Her life had gotten a lot weirder since she started hearing the birds. The only ones who knew she could hear them were the owls, but they thought everybody was beneath them or food, and weren’t going to tell any of the others.

She didn’t think she wanted the damn bird recruiting her, all things considered.

(Keep walking human. Keep walking and ignore the signs of my escape, and I may yet permit you to live)

Isabis really didn’t know how to take that. It certainly seemed directed at her, but it might also be nothing more than the bird’s frequently-malicious internal monologue.

(I know you can hear me.)

Not monologue.

“If you try to bite me while I change your water,” Isabis told him politely. “I’m going to change it with a hose tomorrow. You will get wet. I will make sure.”

(A threat? How novel.)

“Bite me and see if I’m bluffing, feather-duster.”

(There is no need for insults.)

“You gonna bite me?”

(Not today.)

Isabis watched him out of the corner of her eye as she cautiously opened the door of the cage. Hasani watched her, puffed and interested, but when he stayed politely on the far side of the cage, Isabis quickly swept out the bottom of his cage and changed his water. His cuttlefish bone was looking pretty thin, so she paused to replace it.

As a reward for good behavior, she pulled a whole handful of macadamia nuts, still in their shells, out of her pocket and left them on top of his food dish where he could crack them at his leisure.

(Always so thoughtful.)

“It’s bribery for good behavior. You don’t bite me, I make your life more comfortable. Square deal?”

(A better deal would to give me my freedom.)

“Not on the table.”

He hissed at her, but Isabis was already outside his cage and was much less cautious of him now that she could negotiate with the evil bird.

(I would improve your would immensely. Clearly, a great many countries need a strong claw on the reigns. I would be that claw.)

“You can see the staffroom TV from here, can’t you.”

(It’s not like you humans tell me what’s happening on the global stage!)

“I’m not letting you out.”

Hasani used to belong to a senator who, after his bird reputedly attempted to murder first his dog, and then his housekeeper, surrendered Hasani to the shelter for rehoming.

Hasani, of course, was nobody’s idea of a good pet, and had immediately made himself hated throughout the whole shelter. He was also, unfortunately, a protected species, and couldn’t be put down, despite his foul temper and vicious intent.

“Okay, time to make a deal, and remember that the only thing you have to bargain with is good behavior,” she offered, and leaned against the signpost that warned visitors not to put their fingers anywhere Hasani could get at them. “Since you know I can understand you, I will listen to reasonable requests regarding your cage.”

(My prison cell, you mean?)

“You are a bird. This is a cage. You would have a bigger, nicer cage if you would stop biting your handlers.”

(I don’t want to be in a cage at all.)

“Yeah, your designs on ruling the planet aren’t exactly encouraging me to let you out. Also your species is super protected.”

(Fine. A deal. I want several hours of flight time every week, to be increased as you decide that humanity should really be culled for better health. In exchange, I will allow you, and only you, to see to my health and care in safety.)

It was probably the best deal she was going to get from the parrot.

“Fine. I’ll see about giving you flight time. While you get it, you can’t attack anyone, including other birds and humans, and you need to be good for your vet check in two weeks.”

(I see my choice of minions was well-founded. You drive a hard bargain. Very well. But I want to ride on your shoulder to the flight range.)

“You gonna bit me in the face?”

(Not for now.)

“That’s as good as I’m gonna get, isn’t it?”

(Yes.)

“Okay, fine. Give me a few hours. I need to finish my rounds and get clearance, but I’ll see if I can get permission to use the range this afternoon. Now, try not to terrify the public, and I’ll see you later.”

+++

Beastly Familiars:

Animals will be animals, no matter how intelligent. Sometimes animals will be… well… Beastly.

Nothing but Trouble

Bad to the Bone

Oil and Water

Master of All

Hunting Practice

Under the Desk, Up on the Bookcase

Mouse Hunters

Hooter

Bandit

In the Walls

Stone’s Throw

Fish Bucket

Caterwaul

Tilting at Windmills (Subscriber Only!)

Blue Rings and Crabs

Pounce (Free on Patreon!)

Fruity Fruit

Eyes Up

On Emerald Wings

Hood and Strike

Treachery Trouble (Subscribers Only!)

Golden Weaver

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More Stories!

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