PARROT PALS SHOW FEATURES BIRDS PERFORMING VARIETY OF TRICKS.Byline: MARK KELLAM Valley News Writer Parrots do more than just talk. They can walk up ramps, raise the American flag and catch grapes in their -- well, bills. Wendy Horton has been doing her show ``Wildlife Wendy and her Tropical Birds'' at libraries throughout the Valley this summer. It fit right in with the library system's summer reading theme this year -- ``Paws, Claws, Tails and Scales.'' She and her parrot pals recently made a stop at the Studio City Branch Library to show off their tricks and teach children the importance of taking care of wildlife. Gilligan, a colorful military macaw The Military Macaw (Ara militaris) is a medium sized member of the macaw family. Though considered “vulnerable” as a wild species, it is still commonly found in the pet trade industry. , walked up a ramp to the top of a table to open the show. Later, Halley, a Catalina macaw macaw: see parrot. macaw Any of about 18 species of large tropical New World parrots (subfamily Psittacinae) with very long tails and big sickle-shaped beaks. Macaws eat fruits and nuts. , pulled a rope that raised an American flag up a pole. The most talkative of the bunch was Wazoo (protocol) WaZOO - Warp-zillion Opus-to-Opus. Fidonet's session layer protocol. Although it mentions Opus (a specific BBS from the 1980s), WaZOO is the session protocol used for the Fidonet network. Because WaZOO is much more efficient than other mechanisms (e.g. , a Congo African gray parrot (Zool.) an African parrot (Psittacus erithacus), very commonly domesticated, and noted for its aptness in learning to talk. Also called jako. See also: Gray , who not only could say words, she could make sound effects sound effects Noun, pl sounds artificially produced to make a play, esp. a radio play, more realistic sound effects npl → efectos mpl sonoros such as water dripping and a knock at a door. The bird that brought the biggest reaction from the crowd was a toucan toucan (t  kăn`, t`kän), perching bird of the New World tropics, related to the woodpeckers. named Chico, which had a large, colorful bill. A young audience member threw grapes into the air, and Chico caught them in his bill. He slowly mushed the grape with the edges off his bill until it was soft enough to swallow in one gulp. Horton also taught the children about the various physical parts of birds. For example, birds are the only animals that have feathers. She also made sure the children knew that having a bird as a pet isn't easy. They're loud and messy and sometimes don't have the best disposition. These are issues potential parrot owners should keep in mind when making a decision about whether to make one a permanent part of the household, she added. CAPTION(S): photo Photo: (color) Wendy Horton holds a colorful parrot during a show at the Studio City Branch Library. Mark Kellam/Valley News |
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