Young scarlet macaws in their nest
LoraKim is now in Honduras and Guatemala for the month of October and then off to Guyana for much of November. While she is gone, we will be focusing on her thoughts (and mine) on why parrots are so much more than beautiful (even as we admire their physical beauty!).
Due to “popular demand,” I am providing our readers with LoraKim’s list of which parrot species (living and extinct) she considers the most beautiful, with the caveat that both she and I really think ALL parrots, in fact all living things, are beautiful. With that said, here’s her list:
Yellow-naped amazon
Scarlet macaw
Yellow-faced parrot
Nanday Parakeet
Hyacinth Macaw
Pacfic Parakeet
Yellow-chevroned Parakeet
Sun Parakeet
Australian Budgerigar
Carolina Parakeet
Heracles inexpectatus
We’ve already focused a bit on the yellow-naped amazon (see last week’s blog). Here are LoraKim’s thoughts on the scarlet macaw:
“I only recently started to work with wild scarlet macaws, starting in 2009. I wasn’t initially very attracted to them, because of my past emphasis on the yellow-naped amazon. True the colors are incredible, but it was only when I started studying the nests and chicks, and protecting the nests, did their beauty grow on me. When I see these parrots, I am not only reminded of how special the birds are, but the powerful commitment of the people I work with who protect them. So, the beauty of both human and parrot are woven together in my appreciation of this bird, so much so that I got a tattoo of the brightly mixed colors of their shoulder feathers placed onto my own shoulder. I touch it regularly as a reminder of their worth and beauty, and to instill focus and connection so that I might continue my work for them in the world.”
Stay tuned as we work our way down the list over the coming weeks!
