Contemplating bringing in a female U2 to free fly with Amigo...

[Mare Miller]

Amigo has not come into the house, to sleep at night, for at least three weeks now. He prefers his hole in the tree, which is just off our deck, but still...it's not his safe, in the house, cage. He will still come in during the day, to say hi and visit, (I'll have Sassy in her cage at that time), he doesn't seem to have any issues other than just preferring to be outside. He is a fully feathered, healthy umbrella cockatoo.

My husband and I have been discussing, off and on, about bringing in a mate for Amigo. There are many concerns. Will they take to each other, being one. Will he fly off with her and not come back, being another. Would a tame, female cockatoo be better, for him, than a more wild one? I suppose we should bond with her first, but then, I think...why? I don't know...just thinking about companionship for Amigo. He seems so alone out there and I know these are flock oriented birds.

Any thoughts?

 

[PortaPerch]

Go for it. There are feral flocks of parrots all over, but I've been told all of them are American, not Asian, Australian or African. If any Too could make it in the wild of the lower Sierra, I bet it would be the U2.

But even if they don't achieve independence, you will have done a great thing in providing the opportunity. Does Amigo forage for food? Can Toos eat the acorns that once fed the Native Americans of the Sierra?

Yes, get another U2. If Amigo doesn't accept her and teach her to be free, at least you will have tried.

P-P

 

[greycloud]

This is an iffy situation. I am surprised to hear he is free to come and go as he pleases. This is not an insult, just scares me. I think of predators. My worries with another Too added: He may try and kill the new bird, will the new bird be able to handle such a free style type of captivity, what happens if they decide to breed? All important questions to consider. Male Toos can be formidable opponents. If he decides he does like this new bird after a certain time how will you handle the situation?
I am not familiar with the type of lifestyle you allow with Amigo but I do know Toos. I definite think this is something that should not be stepped into lightly.

 

[KatherineI]

From what I "know" of Mare already from my short time here, is that she isn't one to take this kind of thing lightly, to rush in or out if a situation and gives tremendous thought to everything that involves her Fids. She's not one you have to worry about.

I obviously have no advice to give, although I wish I did. It took you quite a bit of time to work Amigo up to where he is now. Personally, I wouldn't do it. You've rocked the boat quite a bit with Sassy, and that may have something to do with his decision to sleep in the tree rather than in the house. He's still obviously very much your boy though.

 

[suebee]

i have no advice really, other then i know how you are feeling

i really would like a companion for the nut, but i do not want to be killing eggs or adding to a population of eventually unwanted parrots that seem to litter the new home adverts and bird line

also would a new bird be able to cope with the freedom like amigo has?? i feel, even if the 2 are not a perfect match, they will tolerate each other at the very least, as they won't have choice an nature will take its course, then if they have a successfull clutch, it would only be right to bring in other potential mates to prevent inbreeding.

and you are introducing a new species into an area, could the area cope with a population of Too's?? also are ther laws where you are that encourage the kulling of not non native species, as in the uk there has been talk of it (and it is not against the law to do so, as there is no law protecting them) for the wild ringnecks we have here.

 

[lene1949]

Amigo has not come into the house, to sleep at night, for at least three weeks now. He prefers his hole in the tree, which is just off our deck, but still...it's not his safe, in the house, cage. He will still come in during the day, to say hi and visit, (I'll have Sassy in her cage at that time), he doesn't seem to have any issues other than just preferring to be outside. He is a fully feathered, healthy umbrella cockatoo.

My husband and I have been discussing, off and on, about bringing in a mate for Amigo. There are many concerns. Will they take to each other, being one. Will he fly off with her and not come back, being another. Would a tame, female cockatoo be better, for him, than a more wild one? I suppose we should bond with her first, but then, I think...why? I don't know...just thinking about companionship for Amigo. He seems so alone out there and I know these are flock oriented birds.

Any thoughts?

He might prefer to be alone, after all you guys are his flock, and have been for many years.

I had hoped that Sassy might have given him some companionship, but it seems that he has distanced himself even further from you since you got her.

Amigo doesn't know about the large flocks of cockatoos in the rest of the world - he doesn't know that things probably could be different.

Amigo is fully feathered and happy... He's got you, if he's feeling lonely.. I honestly think that he enjoys his life.

 

[Molcan2]

I kind of go with subee on this one. My honest opinion, i think he would love a female companion. Since they would be loose, its highly unlikely that he would hurt her. Usually that type of aggression is when two toos are kept in confined areas. Really i think a new too would do well. My only issue would be the breeding. If their up in the tree, laying a clutch of 3 every every year, that will soon turn out to be a lot of toos. How would you tame the babies? Should there really be anymire toos bred? IMPO if there are still some in rescues then we shouldnt be producing more and there are literatly thousands that are in need of homes. If you do collect the eggs and destroy them, how will you get them? Eventually i think both birds would become aggressive toward you because their main focus is going to be rearing chicks, theyare not going to take it likely to someone removing the eggs or chicks. If the eggs dont get removed and hatch out then what? If your unable to get them and they raise them themselves, what will ultimately happen to that bird (that can live 80 yrs)? If they do get upset with you removing eggs or chicks and fly off, then what? Introducing a new species is an epidemic to whatever environment. Southern cal will not take lightly to wild toos, they are just to large and invasive you would risk them either being captured or shot.

I really think that he would love a new bird, thats how they ae supposed to live. I think the two of them would get along just fine. I think them doung what they are naturally suppised to do is the issue. I dont see how you could truly control the breeding if they were loose.

 

[RescueMe]

I know that much has gone into your thought process to this point and that you only want whats best for Amigo, I personally would not recommend a mate for Amigo for many of the reasons stated. A breeding population of toos is something that would not be good for the environment, Amigo may leave you completely, he may not bond with her at all, ect. I think that Kathrine is most likely right about little Sassy being the reason that Amigo is choosing to sleep elsewhere. This also may be the natural progression of him becoming more "wild". I am glad that Amigo is still his happy self, at this point I would work on reinforcing the bond you have with him and hold off on another bird. I don't know where you stand on keeping miss Sassy, but Amigo may feel as if he is being replaced to a point, though I shouldn't be putting words in his mouth. I hope that you find the answer for your lovely boy,

 

[Mare Miller]

Thank you for the input, everyone. Yes, we are Amigo's flock, this is true. The last thing I would want is to have a feral flock of wild U2's running rampant on the country side! They would for sure end up getting shot, being as destructive as they are. After we got Amigo, I discovered he is an endangered species, (?), we were checking into seeing what would be involved if taking him to Mexico and back. My husband's comment was, "Yeah, I can see why, they can be such a pest!".

Maybe I'm just feeling guilty for bringing in another bird, although, I don't feel as if Sassy is replacing Amigo in any way, I'm just afraid that HE may feel that way. He still gets lots of attention outside and in, when he wants.

You've given me lots of good advice and things to think about. Once our outdoor aviary is finished, (we've hit a few roadblocks), I may think more seriously about bringing in a female. That way I would have more control over things that could potentially happen. Thanks, again.

 

[PortaPerch]

From wiki:

Conservation status

The White Cockatoo is considered vulnerable by the IUCN. Its numbers in the wild have declined owing to capture for the cage bird trade and habitat loss.[2] It is listed in appendix II of the CITES list which gives it protection by restricting export and import of wild-caught birds. BirdLife International indicates that catch quotas issued by the Indonesian government were 'exceeded by up to 18 times in some localities' in 1991, with at least 6,600 Umbrella Cockatoos being taken from the wild by trappers - although fewer birds have been taken from the wild in recent years, both in numerical terms and when taken as a proportion of the entire population.[2] RSPCA supported surveys by the Indonesian NGO ProFauna suggest that significant levels of trade in wild-caught White Cockatoos still occur, with 200+ taken from the wild in north Halmahera in 2007.[3] Approximately 40% of the parrots (White Cockatoo, Chattering Lory, Violet-necked Lory and Eclectus Parrot) caught in Halmahera are smuggled to the Philippines, while approximately 60% go to the domestic Indonesian trade, especially via bird markets in Surabaya and Jakarta.[3]
The illegal trade of protected parrots violates the Indonesian legislation passed in 1990 (a wildlife law concerning Natural Resources and the Ecosystems Conservations).[citation needed] Accordingly, the perpetrators are liable to a maximum five-year prison term and a maximum 100-million Rupiah fine.[citation needed]
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There seems to be a surplus of large cockatoo pets here, while the Galah is plentiful in the wild, but kind of rare in the US. Would the U2 really be a pest in the Sierra foothills? Would there be enough food for them year-round?

It would be a great thing for there to be a sanctuary for Toos that would allow them to return to the wild, even if not in their native land.

I would get a female U2, and let nature take its course.

 

[Mare Miller]

Hi PortaPerch, thanks for the info. I feed Amigo twice a day, he has a large outdoor cage that I keep his fresh food and water in. I will see him munching on some of the wild grass roots, he may have more than that to eat out there but I've never witnessed him eating acorns. He will hang out on our grape and berry bushes when they are ripe. He's also all over the apricot trees and pomegranates when they are ready to eat but as far as feeding himself in the wild, not sure if he's capable of finding good food. He's always been dependent on the diet we feed him.

There is a sanctuary in Napa Valley, CA area, called Cockatoo Downs. These two women have had their cockatoos free for some time now. They come into their outdoor cages at night and to eat and drink. Once in a while a neighbor will call and say one of them is being a pest and the woman will drive over and take it back home. I need to read up on them again. Last I heard, they were starting free flight training classes.

As far as them being destructive to a territory, one can change the terrain, to his liking, pretty quickly. A bunch of them could be AWESOME and not in a good way!

 

[aliray]

AS nice as it sounds to do I would think it would be illegal to indroduce a breeding population of a non native species and could possibly cause some destruction in the native bird populations. I live in florida and the introduction of non native species is causing Kaos in the everglades and all over parts of florida. ie: fire ants, tegu lizards, Iguanas, Burmese pythons, rock pythons, killer bees lots of agricultural pests, lionfish in the gulf of mexico wild hogs ect. When you take something from the envirement that they are native to you change the natural check s and balances. Just my opinion Alison and sweetie pie

 

[PortaPerch]

"There is a sanctuary in Napa Valley, CA area, called Cockatoo Downs.."

Can't find it on goolge maps, and we'll be driving up that way next month. Can you give me a better lead to it, Mare?

Thanks.

 

[god61021]

Im concerned with the legal and conservation issues. I know it is illegal to release any animal into the wild in every state in the usa without a permit.

then there is the issue of what native plants would they be eating that might not have natural predators of that type,and how much damage could a future breeding flock of toos do to those plants?

having said all that I think its amazing that your bird lives the life it does and would love to see it first hand, but I really think encouraging them to reproduce in the wild is a really bad idea (atleast in areas that did not evolve the ability to deal with cockatoos)

 

[Mare Miller]

Hi PortaPerch, after writing that, I got on line, (it had been a couple years since I had investigated them). They were actually in Grass Valley, near Sacramento and had 30 free flying cockatoos. Since then, they have moved to Texas, with their flock, I hope!

Google in Cockatoo Downs. You might have to do some digging to see how they started. It was fascinating, for me, because I had not started to free fly Amigo at that time.

Hello god61021, just want you to know, I really have no intentions to have a flock of wild cockatoos on my property. Out of curiosity, I might check with the USDA on their laws. That would be interesting to know.

 

[PortaPerch]

Want a list of things no longer found in the Sierra foothills? Native Americans whose staple diet was acorns, for one. What's eating the acorns now?

Monterey Pine is down to a few groves in the US, and is thriving as a crop in New Zealand.

The pine boring beetle is killing forests all over the US and Canada. They have killed a billion trees. Is there a bird that will eat that beetle? Wouldn't it be worth importing such a bird?

We have messed with Nature beyond recognition. So the question is: would cockatoos wreak havoc on native species, or just non-native plants, like vineyards?

 

[Mare Miller]

I don't think they would harm native species, Amigo likes to crop the oaks in the area just for landing and take-off perches. If he were truly wild, I'm not sure what he would eat? Now that I think about it, he does love the manzanita berries when they ripen.

I've heard of cockatoos, in their native habitat, taking out huge chunks on vegetable crops and that they are killed for doing this. Imagine a large flock of cockatoos descending on your corn field, it would be like locust! When Amigo goes after our grapes he is respectful of the vines, he just picks off the grapes. I doubt if grape farmers would be tolerant.

Besides Amigo chomping on the oak trees, fruit trees, and grapes,,,he also loves to chew on our wood house and deck railing, when un-noticed. DEFINITELY going to get himself shot someday!