Photo by Dave Location: Moab, Utah Hiking with: Congo African Grey "Cressi"

I wanted to share how I came up with names for my birds - as well as use it as a way to come up with a name for yours. One of my husband's serious pet peeves is animals whose name is "Blackie" or "Fluffy". I also had a doctor who hated this, too! I remember literally laying in a hospital bed after having my appendix removed and a friend bought me this giant stuffed animal dog that was all black like a black lab. My doctor immediately walked in and said, "Don't you dare name it Blackie!" His wish was my command as long as he kept me refilled on the pain killers! To this day, I don't even remember what I ended up naming the dog, I just remember telling people it wasn't named Blackie. The newest member of my flock is a 5-month old Congo African Grey named Cressi. I wanted to post the above picture because it's picture-perfect for this post. Cressi was named after a brand name called Cressi. It's a brand for scuba gear and diving gear (free diving, etc). While living in Saipan, Cressi gear is what we began to use and accumulate. It seemed like the perfect name for our new female grey. We have a serious love of scuba diving and just diving in general.  

Photo by Dave Location: Orlando, Florida Featuring: Rose Breasted Cockatoo, Galah "Bondi"  

Bondi is our rose breasted cockatoo, also known as a galah, and her kind come from Australia. When my husband was around 19 years old, he took a vacation just for himself. He went alone to Australia with no plans in mind. He came across Bondi Beach and decided to lay out and try to surf. His mind was so much elsewhere, that he neglected to realize that Bondi Beach is in fact, a topless beach! Thus it being perfect for a bird that goes by "rose breasted" cockatoo! So there is a little more humor to Bondi's name... which is actually pronounced bond-eye. Some names aren't as impressive. Our military macaw, Cash, is named because well, he's green. Definitely not as original as the others, and I even found it as a name suggestion on a naming your bird website. One of our parakeets was born in Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands. There, we looked at adopting some parrots from a resort called the Nikko Hotel. We didn't end up being able to get any of the birds, but we decided to name our "island born and raised" keet after that hotel. His name is Nikko (pronounced knee-co). Other names we have used have been born from places we have been (such as Nikko). We were on a road trip to LA from Vegas and combined two cities together to come up with the name Chayko for one of our blue and gold macaws. My main point of all this, is to put thought into your name for your bird. Make it symbolic if possible (and I don't mean name it after your boyfriend or girlfriend!) nor do I mean to lead you on to re-name an adopted older bird who already knows their name, either.   We actually had a toucan named Meaka for a while and learned that the name Meaka was used in the orgin from where she comes from which is Nicaragua. So use important symbols in your life in order to choose a good and meaningful name for your bird. People are going to ask how you came up with your name and wouldn't it be great to share a cool and interesting story with them? If all else fails, check out various websites for name ideas!

Article by Jamieleigh Womach. She has been working with parrots and toucans since the age of 17. She isn’t homeless but is home less than she prefers to be. She travels the world with her husband, daughter, and a flockful of parrots whom she shares the stage with.