Who needs gay penguins when you have parrots?

[jgraz]

Meet Anza and Gnocchi. Both are male and of different (but closely-related) species. They've been pair-bonded (birdie life partners) for a year now. They feed each other, groom each other and insist on sharing a sleep cage. If one has to go away for a vet visit, both of them spend their entire time doing loud "contact calls" until they're reunited.




Now meet Clipper and Pixley. These two wild girls come from the San Francisco flock (as does Anza) and they are inseparable. Clipper had a neurological parasite that left her disabled and she relies on Pixley for a lot of her care. It's Pixley who checks out all new food, toys and perches, and she often brings tastes back to Clipper before helping her over to the food dish. Even though Pixley is the smaller bird, she never hesitates to put her body in between Clipper and any bird (or human) who might seem the least bit threatening.



Just like Anza and Gnocchi, they show all the signs of a permanent pair bond: mutual grooming, food sharing and close sleeping arrangements.


Out of 14 parrots that we've fostered, we've seen 4 pair bonds develop. Three were same-sex and the only heterosexual bond was more of a parent-child relationship between a medium-sized conure and a tiny lovebird.

Anyone who has kept a parrot flock knows this. The birds are almost oblivious to gender when it comes to pairing up for life. Since it's impossible to determine the sex of these birds by sight, I wonder how many of the observed "male/female" pairs in the wild are actually same-sex couples.

Is this what they mean by Polly-Amory?

[Beetwasher]

1. Parakeets Too!

I speak from experience.

[jgraz]

3. Yep. Our other bonded pair was two female budgies.

They were abandoned (separately) at a shelter and became glued to each other.

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

8. I had bisexual parakeets

The male-female pairs were fiercely dedicated to each other, but the females and males would mate with each other. They didn't form actual same-sex pairs, though.

I also had incestuous lesbian hamsters once.

[jgraz]

9. Groups of budgies aren't called "flocks"

They're called "soap operas".

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

10. Yeah, seriously

I had 6 in a big flight cage. It was a soap opera.

I kept one of their babies, and it ended up bonded to a cockateil. My cockateil was funny. I got him as a baby before he was weaned, and finished his handfeeding. He used to always want to be fed when baby budgies were getting fed, and the one budgie dad would actually do it.

[Jim Lane]

19. I think that "Incestuous Lesbian Hamsters" would be a great name for a band (n/t)

[HeresyLives]

2. Really good item!

Really BAD pun. Groan.

[defendandprotect]

4. Elephants, parrots, penguins . . .what next, humans ?????

[TahitiNut]

5. Pinin' for the gay fjords?

[jgraz]

7. These little guys are very much alive, thanks. ;)

And right now, they're pining for dinner.

[ihavenobias]

6. Very cute.

I'll have to share this with my GF.

[elshiva]

11. Thanks for sharing.

Sort of OT, but we've had two male cats mate before. Also, male cats usually are hostile to kittens, but we had a "transgendered" sort of male cat who used to lie down like a mother cat nursing and let all the kittens try to nurse and walk over him.

[jgraz]

16. Almost every animal lover has a "gay pet" story

When I was a kid, we had two male dogs who spent most of their adult lives ignoring the female and humping each other. They slept in the same bed and spent most of their time together.

[SnoopDog]

12. From my experience, all parrots take care of each other...

I have two girls and two boys. They *all* preen each other and take care of each other - boy-boy, girl-girl, and boy-girl.

In captivity, I am guessing, they become very good friends because that's who is in the same cage.

Not doubt thou there are homosexual birds... as there are with all animals...

[jgraz]

13. It depends on the species. And the individuals

Gnocchi and Anza are particularly interesting because Anza had his choice of females that were not only from his same species, but from the flock he grew up in. Still, he was unable to resist Gnocchi's many charms.

I think conures may be more likely to do same-sex pairing, since they tend to be fairly promiscuous at times. We once observed a wild female "visit" with three different males before returning to the bird who was obviously her "mate". I think that many of the so-called male/female parrot families are same-sex pairings.

Again, YMMV. What kind of parrots do you have?

[SnoopDog]

14. I have 3 Suns and 1 Jenday...

I do not claim, at all, to be an expert. I am going on my *limited* experience.

Yes, my oldest female did get it on with both males and then finally 'nested' with SnoopDog (yes, my screen name came from my bird's name).
Had eggs and they took care of them but nothing happened - since this was their first time, I think they were just inexperienced.

Anyway, are you somehow associated with the Parrot Movie they made about the Cherry Headed conures in San Fran?

[jgraz]

15. Want another? ;)

Meet Linus, one of my three foster birds: http://mickaboo.org/our-birds/frame2363.html



Unfortunately, Linus may need a one-bird household. He really demands a lot of attention. But, he's a typical Jenday -- fun, spunky and very, very loud.



Anyway, are you somehow associated with the Parrot Movie they made about the Cherry Headed conures in San Fran?

I'm not associated with the movie per se, but the group I work with takes in any sick or injured members of the San Francisco Flock. We're first call when any of the Bay Area shelters take in a parrot, and my specialty has been rehab'ing and taming disabled members of the wild flock.

Our San Fran volunteers interact with Mark Bittner quite a bit. I'm in Berkeley, so I usually get the birds after they're released from the hospital.

[SnoopDog]

17. Thanks but I do have my hands full...!

If I could I would have an aviary full of birds.

Birds are amazing creatures... They have so many 'human' emotions like jealousy, protective of one another, laugh, feel bad, play. Just proves, I think, that all animals, including humans, came from the same root creature.

[jgraz]

18. heh -- I totally understand that feeling.