Photo by Nathan Slabaugh Location: San Angelo, TX Pictured with me: Blue throated macaw "Jinx"

Sometimes the affection my parrots show to me astounds me. I wonder, do they really know what they're saying to me? Can it be that an animal can feel love for a person? Especially a person as playful as I am? Do these birds even take me seriously?

There are things I can do with my parrots, specifically this entry is meant to point out what I can do with my blue throated macaw, Jinx. My baby Jinxi, as I call him, the youngest of my macaws and the smallest. Because of that, he'll always be the baby no matter how old he gets. In the top photo you can see me pushing my head into his. Able to get so close.

Photo by Nathan Slabaugh Location: San Angelo, TX Pictured with me: Blue throated macaw "Jinx" 

One of my favorite things that Jinx lets me do is kiss him on the "cheek". I find it amazing because I am so so close to him and he has enough trust for me to know, to let me, to allow me this. I do this kiss often. 

Photo by Nathan Slabaugh Location: San Angelo, TX Pictured with me: Blue throated macaw "Jinx"

The special bond between Jinxi and me is mainly from being in tune with him, being able to speak his language through his body language and mine. The slightest movement can tell you the world, the slightest pinning of the eye or shifting of weight on my hand, or feathers raised or lowered... it all says so much in the bird world. You have to catch it, you have to watch it, you have to learn it. 

I've become so in tune with my birds that I instinctively move them to another hand if I feel they are the slightest bit uncomfortable. I can feel if they get nervous on one side of me and I move them to the other. If it continues I find the cause. Many of my birds like to be touching me in some way if I am walking them somewhere or in a direction they're unaware of. They like to feel that I'm there and not just by being on my hand. That's not enough to offer comfort. And I love how close my parrots like to be to me, it makes me feel happy to know they want that comfort from me.

I think forever the bond between parrot and person will always take my breath away.

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.