We've got a new member to the "family"!

He is an Agapornis roseicollis, i.e. Peach-faced lovebird, with an orange-face mutation (so when he grows up his face would be bright orange instead of pink). His name is Oz, short for Ozymandias, King of Kings, because we thought the epithet "Look upon my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!" describes rather accurately the condition his cage was in after only a couple of days... [his small frame and big voice also reminded me a bit of the wizard of ...]

So far he is living mostly on Roudybush pellets, as recommended by the breeders who sold him to us. (A note on purchasing a bird in NJ: apparently a license is required to keep exotic birds. We need to pay a $20 annual registration fee and all that.) He enjoys walnuts, sunflower seeds, and sesame. But so far he hasn't taken fancy to fresh fruits and veggies (kiwi, apple, carrot, and grapes were all shunned).

One advantage to having a bird is that is makes our sleeping schedule more regular: birds wake at the first ray of sunshine. So in the past few days, Oz was perfectly happy at singing us a little broken tune at about 7:15 in the morning. According to the breeders, the peach-faced species tend to be more resilient: they take to new environments and new owners quicker and with less fuss. While I have no other data points to compare Oz to, he seems to be adapting quite well and is really bonding with S. The first couple of days he doesn't want to be handled too much: he would run around in the cage and be stressed when we try to reach in and take him out. But now he would readily hop onto our hands when we reach for him. Once out of the cage, he has always been sociable. Very out-going.

Though lovebirds are true-parrots (family Psittacidae), they usually don't talk. And even when they do learn to talk, their small body can only produce high pitched sounds that is closer to screeching than to talking (you have to listen very carefully, perhaps even slow it down with a tape recorder, to discern it). They are, however, quite intelligent, like most other birds of the parrot family. So there is a good chance we'd be able to teach Oz a trick or two.

Starting the first night here, Oz has developed a habit of sleeping in the highest place in the cage: on top of the little swing ladder. Dring the day he would sometimes yawn and stretch much like a human would. (He is taking a midday nap now. I didn't know birds could do that....)

Oz's birthday is July 26, making him just about two months old. We first visited him two weeks ago at the breeder's: he just learned to fly back then, and was all over the place (he loved to land on people's heads). We went to visit him again last thursday, and this time took him home. We did have his wings clipped (the first 7 flight feathers were cut off) so he doesn't bump his head into stuff in the apartment (and to prevent him to accidentally end up in our dinner pot). So I think he was a bit bummed the first couple days about not getting any lift in his wings anymore.

A note on his coloration: the lovebirds brighten in color as they grow-up. The little tufts of grey would all disappear when Oz matures. His face would be a brighter orange then is currently, and the brown spots on his beak would disappear.