Yep. We are currently in possession of a Sun Conure , a tropical bird about three times the size of a budgie and multi-coloured in the yellow/red/orange/green spectrum. She’s just over a year old, not full-grown, and had a terrible fright – she’s evidently escaped from someone’s home and was all muddy and shaking when she burst out of a hedge my husband was trimming in the West Island. He took her to a clinic or two, who all said they couldn’t help him either by taking the bird or by locating an owner, since they don’t treat birds, then to the Nature pet store up by Fairview to ask for what kind of food to give her. They identified the breed for him, noted that it had a breeder’s band, and he brought her home with a phone number or two of bird shelters to report her. He drove home with her on his shoulder; she’s evidently a shoulder bird, and cuddles close to the neck, talking to herself. She’s a bit afraid of hands at the moment, and who can blame her – something that’s lived inside all its life, lost in the big wide world for who knows how long? I’m surpised she’s not more freaked out. My husband says she’s a lot calmer than she was this afternoon, though.

Now, the craziest thing is, when we go to pet stores and look at the birds, this is the bird that we call “the Buchanan bird” because it is, I kid thee not, the exact same colours as those in my husband’s kilt. For him to find one of these things loose and scared, and to have it cling to him so completely, is just, well, odd – out of all the tropical birds he could have run into outside, it was this one. She tried to fly after him when he went downstairs to get the birdcage. While she sat on my shoulder, waiting for him to come back, she was nodding off; she could barely keep her eyes open. We fed her and gave her water, and I think she’s asleep now.

Turns out my husband broke Cardinal Rule #1 today as well. He calls her Cail. (Or Kael, for those who know the RSW spelling.)