Heartland Avian Rescue Project

01/09/2025

If you have a single bird in your home, remember that YOU and your family are its entire flock! They require lots of daily interaction and time out of the cage, as well as toys and enrichment items to explore on their own inside their cage. If you have multiple birds, whether they are the same or different species, they may form their own flock! One of our board members has birds that are about the same size but different species, housed in their own cages, but in the same room. They are not allowed to be out of the cage at the same time (one is fairly aggressive toward the other), but they display flock behaviors -- like bathing at the same time, eating together, vocalizing together -- and clearly benefit from being part of a social group.

Birds of a feather flock together! A swarm of of geese, swans, or songbirds flying in formation brings us to look up to the sky. The freedom of flight and the safety of being in a flock means a lot to birds in the wild.

But sadly, many parrots and other exotic birds kept in captivity spend their days confined to their cage without ever having the companionship of their own kind. This is akin to you never being in the company of another human.

That is why Step 4 of our "5 Steps to Better Bird Welfare" is FLOCK! Parrots thrive on social interaction - with birds and with humans. It's up to bird caretakers to fulfill the necessary companionship and provide enrichment activities to keep birds happy and healthy. One way is to consider adopting another bird in need! Some tips at: https://www.avianwelfare.org/links/organizations.htm

01/08/2025

Enrichment opportunities, including toys and foraging trays, are just as important to the health of your bird as the right diet! Toys can be expensive to buy, especially if you have a bird who can easily destroy one in a few hours, but you can use safe household items to make your own and supplement the ones you purchase. Remember, birds DO need things to destroy -- it keeps their beaks in good condition, it can be a way to release frustration and is sometimes even good exercise! Some bird-safe parts? Plain white paper plates, unbleached coffee filters, unwaxed paper muffin liners, (clean) cardboard (free from inks, dyes, or glue), reusable parts from otherwise destroyed toys (or from toys your birds have not shown interest in as they were first presented), etc.

Birds just want to have fun! Keeping these highly intelligent, active, and socially adapted birds fulfilled in a captive setting is a challenge.

Parrots and other exotic birds are not domesticated animals even when bred in captivity. As the native species of other countries, their physical and behavioral needs remain intact. That means they’re a handful in captivity!

Think about it. In the wild, our birds would be flying many miles a day, foraging for food, socializing with other birds, mating and raising their young.

Keeping those busy beaks, inquiring minds, and active bodies occupied in captivity is a necessity. Birds need a variety of toys to chew and shred and plenty of foraging and enrichment opportunities. No more barren cages please!

Check out “10 Things You Need to Know Before Adopting a Bird.”
https://www.avianwelfare.org/shelters/pdf/NBD_shelters_before_adopting.pdf

01/06/2025

We believe that a bird's wings should never be clipped unless medically necessary. The ability to fly provides a crucial component to a bird's daily exercise and mental well being. It also allows them a better opportunity to escape danger, whether that be another household pet indoors, or a predator if they happen to escape outdoors.

Ask any person on the street what behavior birds are best known for, and their overwhelming answer would be "FLIGHT." A bird in flight often represents the very symbol of freedom.

Unfortunately, many birds in captivity spend their lives confined to cages; some may never know the joy of free flight.

As bird caretakers, we need to provide birds with safe out-of-cage time and ample space to express their active and inquisitive nature. An indoor or sheltered outdoor aviary or a flight safe room (windows covered or other areas of escape, no cats or dogs/no ceiling fans, etc.) that will allow the bird(s) to fly is great for exercise! Those birds that for safety or medical reasons need to be clipped, can get exercise by climbing, swinging, and flapping, if provided with ample space, toys, and climbing structures.

Follow us for Step 3 of our "5 Steps to Better Bird Welfare.”

01/05/2025

Happy National Bird Day! We will be sharing some helpful and informative posts this week from our friends at Avian Welfare Coalition, so make sure to check in frequently!

National Bird Day is about creating a better world for birds. This means creating a world where no one wants to see a bird in a cage, but it also means improving the welfare of those birds who are already in captivity. Thousands of birds live in captive situations that could, and need to be, vastly improved.

We created these "5 Steps to better bird welfare" to help change individual birds' lives.

Let's start with Step 1. Birds need a varied diet and fresh food! Did you know the vast majority of birds are fed all seed diets? All seed diets lead to multiple health problems not to mention boring for birds. Share this message and check back tomorrow for Step 2.

12/25/2024

12/25/2024

We at HARP hope you and your flock (humans, fuzzies, and birds!) are having a wonderful holiday! Sweet Pea brought you a present! Be merry and warm and enjoy your day.

12/19/2024

Good morning! Here is some good info for when you are looking at cages for your flock. We hope you are having a good week!

12/16/2024

We wanted to give a little update on Popeye, the double yellow-headed Amazon parrot who has been in foster care since the beginning of March. Last weekend he went to his forever home, and his wonderful new family sent us these photos to share! Popeye’s amazing foster family spent months allowing him to become his best self, and loving him every step of the way. His forever family has been spoiling him a little (as all good families do!) as they get to know him and he, in turn, gets to know them. We are so grateful to our fosters, our adopters, and all of our supporters who have helped make this first year for Heartland Avian Rescue Project so successful!

12/03/2024

Small, local nonprofits are always in need of funds, and this first year, Heartland Avian Rescue Project has operated on a shoestring budget of several kind individual donations, generous foster families, and a whole heap of luck! As we head into the new year, we will need to replace that shoestring, so we are asking for your help! Would you please take a moment today and vote for us in the Scheel’s giving campaign? We want to be prepared to help even more parrots and people in 2025! The deadline for submissions is midnight tonight (December 3), so please help share the word!

SCHEELS OM Giving Campaign 2024 Omaha SCHEELS is humbled by the opportunity to support so many incredible organizations in the Omaha and surrounding Communities each year. During this holiday season, we're donating $20,000 to the community and need your help deciding which organizations to donate to...

12/01/2024

We have a couple of new feathered friends to introduce to you today! As always, if you would like to adopt one of our sweet parrots, please visit us at www.heartlandavianrescueproject.org and click on "available birds" to complete an adoption application.

11/26/2024

There are so many good deals for everyone on your gift list this season -- including your parrots! Check out this STAINLESS STEEL cage from Chewy: with their discounts, it is less than $550 before tax (and, we believe, free shipping!)! Stainless steel cages last longer than powder coated cages, and are typically sturdier. Keep in mind the bar spacing is 1 inch, so this cage would be for your medium-large birds who spend a good part of the day outside of their cage.

Buy Prevue Pet Products Playtop Bird Cage, Stainless Steel, Large at Chewy.com. FREE shipping and the BEST customer service!

11/25/2024

The holidays are beginning! Here is your holiday cooking reminder, shared from our friends at STAR!

SAFETY REMINDER - HOLIDAY COOKING

Kitchen Reminders

As we enter the holiday season, don't forget to avoid the following for your birds' health & safety:

Teflon / Nonstick Cookware - Heated PFOA/PTFE/Teflon and other treated/coated non-stick items can kill parrots IN MINUTES.

Turkey Roasting Bags & Non-Stick Foil - These are both extremely dangerous and should not be used in a house with birds!

Holiday Foods - We all want our birds to join in meals with us, but foods high in oils, fats, sugar and salt aren't healthy for them. Try keeping a few bites of parrot-safe foods on the edge of your plate to share with them during your feast! Remember, just because you can eat it doesn't mean they can tolerate the same thing.

Holiday Decorations - Tree trimmings, ornament hangers, tinsel, tree lights, window lights, electrical cords, holiday plants ...etc. are all potential hazards. Always be mindful when decorating for the holidays.

Candles, Oil lamps, Air Fresheners - If it burns or has a flame, it gives off toxic combustion byproducts. Essential oils, scented wax warmers, plug-in diffusers, air fresheners, and anything aerosol should be avoided to keep your parrots safe.

Having family over? - be watchful of any cookware brought over by friends & family to ensure it is bird safe when heated.

11/21/2024

Meet the flock! We have a small flock of budgies (aka parakeets) looking for a forever home for the holidays!

For the health and happiness of our budgies, we prefer to adopt them to an existing flock or as a pair.

We do have a few that have paired up and need to be placed together.

$10 per budgie or a pair for $15.

Bachelor Budgies:
Borealis
Kiwi
Alejandro

Mates/pairs:
Sora & Banana Taffy
Icicle & Glacier

Bachelorette Budgie:
Miss Peep

If you are interested in any of our amazing flock please go to our website and fill out an adoption application.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdg0YOCbWK27rldZ23SNctTqfLemAhvXevSC9DG-gXKMDL-Ew/viewform

11/17/2024

Pepe, now Pimento, was adopted today! He joins his new brother, Pebbles, in his new home. It makes us so happy to see our fosters placed in a wonderful new home that's suited for them! Happy adoption day, Pimento!

11/10/2024

We at HARP have had a busy week! We have pending adoptions for Casper and Pepe! Swara went to her new home today. We are working hard to get through our wait-list of surrenders and will be scheduling the next round of home visits for potential adopters. As always, thanks for being patient!

Send a message to learn more

11/04/2024

We received a wonderful surprise for the parrots on Saturday: a box from Chewy with items from our wish list! Toys like the preening fan help birds who tend to pluck by giving them another outlet; the wood keyboards with cork inserts are great for parrots who need a "job" (once they've plucked them out, it comes with a little package of more replacements!); and we love soft rope perches for tender rescue feet, but they do need to be replaced often. We are so very grateful for this donation -- a big thank you to our supportive community! If you would like to make a donation, our wish list is at this link: https://www.chewy.com/g/heartland-avian-rescue-project_b124628005 -list&wishlistsortby=DEFAULT.

10/29/2024

If you need help determining what kind of enrichment your bird might find engaging, please message us and we can offer some suggestions!

PART 1: Novelty is considered a strong stimulus for fear reactions in animals. Exposure to environmental enrichment that increases exposure to novelty during development has been used in various species of mammals and birds to help reduce fear responses. For example, in an experiment involving 16 juvenile orange-winged Amazon parrots (Amazona amazonica), researchers found that parrots housed in cages with enrichment were less fearful of novel objects placed in their cages.