Heartland Avian Rescue Project

12/04/2025

It's another Hormone Day with Angel the macaw! We split this video into different parts, that show different signs that she is hormonally ramped up. Many macaw owners are seeing similar behavior around this time of year; when Angel is experiencing this, her foster is careful to handle her carefully (only petting her head, and being careful of bites while she is heightened), give her 12 hours of dark quiet each night, not overfeed or provide warm mushy foods, block access to any spaces that might look dark and nesty to Angel, not reinforce the behavior with extra attention or reinforcement, etc.). While Angel has a hormone implant, they are not intended to fully eliminate a parrot's natural desire to breed. The indicative behaviors here are the sounds she is making, holding her tail in a position where it would be out of the way, lowering her head and raising her back end. As someone wise once said, this, too, shall pass -- and then Angel will be back to her sweet self.

11/28/2025

If you currently use any of BirdTricks' products or training protocols, or if you are interested in learning more about what they have to offer, now would be a good time to purchase all your favorites -- or try something new! They are having a Black Friday sale (going on now), with good discounts on all sorts of products. Check it out!

Our biggest sale of the year is LIVE! Discounts are automatically applied to products in this collection. Sale ends Nov 30, 11:59pm PST.

11/17/2025

Parrots, meaning all hook bills with zygodactyl feet, or Psittaciformes, are not domesticated.

“Parrots have been in human homes for centuries… does that make them domesticated?”

It’s true parrots have been prized companions and symbols of status in many ancient civilizations, Egypt, Mesopotamia, Greece, India, Mesoamerica, and Rome. But history shows that captivity is not the same as domestication.

Here’s why:
1. Domestication takes selective breeding over generations.
Humans may have kept parrots, but they didn’t selectively breed them to change instincts or temperament.
2. Most parrots were wild-caught.
Ancient civilizations prized colorful and talkative imports, not birds born and raised in captivity over generations.
3. Long history in homes ≠ genetic change.
Even centuries of keeping them didn’t domesticate their wild behaviors.
4. Parrot behavior proves their wild nature.
Complex social instincts, flight needs, vocalization, and strong territorial drives persist today, traits that domestication would reduce or eliminate.
5. “They’re safer inside, so they must prefer it.”
Some believe parrots are domesticated because they live indoors and avoid predators, harsh weather, or other dangers. While it’s true parrots can survive in human care, survival doesn’t equal domestication. They retain instincts shaped for wild landscapes, open skies, and complex and active social life. Indoors, they adapt, but they are still wild animals, not pets bred for human environments.

Parrots are ancient, wild minds living in our homes, not domesticated pets. Recognizing this helps us provide the care and respect they deserve.

11/06/2025

Hormonal behavior might look a little different from bird to bird, but if you pay close attention, you might see it play out in different ways. Although Angel has a hormone implant, she still displays hormonal behaviors from time to time. Most recently, it seemed as if the time change triggered hers: while we are getting used to the shorter days and brighter mornings again, our parrots can also be affected.
Angel's foster often brings her out of her cage in the morning when she is fixing breakfast for all of her birds. Angel gets the occasional head scritch and a morsel or two of a breakfast "preview". She is normally shy about moving from her playstand to the counter; on this day, she raced right over to the sink. Normally, her foster moves any fabric towels from the counter top, but she had brought out a dish cloth that morning. Angel made a beeline for the paper towel roll, so while the foster was removing that from her view, Angel hopped down in the sink. The low noises, chewing on the towel, and her body position all tell us that this is a hormonal behavior, and we need to take care in interrupting her -- it is a common time for a parrot to be more aggressive.
After she filmed a little bit of the behavior, Angel's foster was able to redirect her away from the sink and back to her playstand. Over the past several days, they have been working on setting her up for success and avoiding any kind of hormonal triggers.
We will be sharing more videos of what hormonal behavior can look like in future posts!

11/04/2025

We would like to introduce you (again!) to Missy! She is a female eclectus and a really sweet bird all the way around. Check out the video her foster made! We only adopt parrots to homes within a 90 minute driving radius of Omaha. Please visit us at HeartlandAvianRescueProject.org for more information!

10/14/2025

Reintroducing Angel! This bird has made great strides in the last 8 months -- see for yourself!

10/12/2025

Angel has a big update to share -- keep watching this space for news very soon!

09/28/2025

Come see us at Nebraska Humane Society Walk for Animals today from 11 til 1!

09/25/2025

We will be at the Nebraska Humane Society's Walk for Animals this Sunday, September 28, and we hope to see you there! It is going to be a quick one, from 11am to 1:30pm, but we will have some fun stuff to share. For the first time, you will be able to support our rescue by purchasing some of the toys we make for our own rescue birds -- created with quality parts from trusted vendors who are knowledgeable in parrot safety. We will have a limited number of each design. Cash or Venmo only -- prices from $3-$10 each!

09/11/2025

Who else loves budgies? Adopt, don't shop!

09/09/2025

Good morning friends! We are trying to get through surrender, fostering, and adoption apps this week. We have had several illnesses that have put us behind. Please check your texts, emails (including your junk and spam folders!) for communications from us. Thank you!

Send a message to learn more

09/02/2025

When a parrot rescue needs a bunch of perches… they reach out to another rescue that makes and sells them! We ordered from Monica (in Southern California), and received them in time for our latest surrender (two parrots who desperately needed perches)l Angel, the blue and gold (or blue and yellow) macaw also benefited from this rope perch that PDS calls a “trapeze” perch. Angel sometimes has trouble balancing on her various stationary perches, so this one is a bit more of a challenge. But when her foster hung a favorite toy right next to it, Angel was brave and worked out how to use it! Sometimes we make life too easy for our birds, when they really need a challenge: Angel’s foster reports that since adding the trapeze perch, Angel’s balance has improved immensely. Thank you, PDS Parrots!