Topic: Cockatoo talking

[Nichi]

"Crazy cockatoo tells me how it is" is the title.
First, you have to watch it for its face value: it's a cockatoo who has obviously lived amongst a group who has made generous use of the word "flower". The owner writes that the bird has lived in 10 different homes in 20 years, and came to live in his current (forever) home already seasoned with all the expletives. The bird is reacting to the fact that he just had his nails trimmed by the owner. So it's rather amusing.

But secondly, you have to watch for the syntax. The bird is talking. Unintelligibly to us, perhaps, but he is telling a story. You can really see it at :30 on. I wish the owner had filmed a little longer. He even has arm gestures in sync with his tone. I suspect he's sharing some sad autobiography.  The whole thing fascinates me.

It fascinates me for all of the above reasons, but also because I have felt like this cockatoo so many times in my life. Squeezing out words, knowing they are incoherent. Using everything in my body to make my point. Especially in dreams.

<span data-s9e-mediaembed="youtube" style="display:inline-block;width:100%;max-width:640px"><span style="display:block;overflow:hidden;position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%"><iframe allowfullscreen="" loading="lazy" scrolling="no" style="background:url(https://i.ytimg.com/vi/nsLmQF29OgU/hqdefault.jpg) 50% 50% / cover;border:0;height:100%;left:0;position:absolute;width:100%" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/nsLmQF29OgU"></iframe></span></span><br /><a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/nsLmQF29OgU" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/nsLmQF29OgU</a>

[Nichi]

The obvious thing here is that cockatoos need to be flying in their trees, chatting with their own kind, preferably in Australia. It's a sad reality that they have become household pets. I could never take one on myself - I'd never get over the wrongness and the imprisonment therein of making these glorious birds pets. Not to mention, it's a lifelong commitment, when you consider that they (and other similar birds) have a life expectancy of 60-80 years. And ... they are a lot of work -- a lot of work.

Here's an example of a different cockatoo, different owner, having a power struggle over going to the vet to have his nails trimmed. (The pet cockatoos must really hate that event, I gather.) The owner gets out the carrier to take him, and the cockatoo knows what is happening. He stresses about it quite vividly. If you watch this video, watch it all the way through, because the first half is his maniacal chanting: the second half is his comical transition into a tantrum. I could swear he says he would "die" if he has to go. This video has over 4 million hits.

(This owner, by the way, has given his home over to the cockatoo. I viewed a few of his other videos, and the damage along the molding in his house is dramatic in some rooms.)

<span data-s9e-mediaembed="youtube" style="display:inline-block;width:100%;max-width:640px"><span style="display:block;overflow:hidden;position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%"><iframe allowfullscreen="" loading="lazy" scrolling="no" style="background:url(https://i.ytimg.com/vi/5UUjJysUMTw/hqdefault.jpg) 50% 50% / cover;border:0;height:100%;left:0;position:absolute;width:100%" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5UUjJysUMTw"></iframe></span></span><br /><a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/5UUjJysUMTw" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/5UUjJysUMTw</a>

[runningstream]

reminds me of "imprinting"

and the incoherent imprinting , i have also witnessed in dreaming . also quite disturbing , even scary.

also distressing for the fever pitch of its environment.

sounds much nicer "who's a pretty boy " coming back at you

feels like he must be a receptor for the distress too to witness



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salmon-crested_cockatoo


i wonder if it is one of this variety as i did not first recognize it ,

the ones most common here being the sulfur crested "yellow crest"

[runningstream]

i think he has an australian accent though


also they seem to make a lot of cross breeds these days

[Nichi]

reminds me of "imprinting"

and the incoherent imprinting , i have also witnessed in dreaming . also quite disturbing , even scary.

also distressing for the fever pitch of its environment.

sounds much nicer "who's a pretty boy " coming back at you

feels like he must be a receptor for the distress too to witness



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salmon-crested_cockatoo


i wonder if it is one of this variety as i did not first recognize it ,

the ones most common here being the sulfur crested "yellow crest"

I think you're right: a salmon-crested.



My bad - seems they come from Indonesia, not Australia!

And yes, the first one ("Pebble") has been exposed to a lot of fighting, alas. Poor guy.

[Nichi]

i think he has an australian accent though

 

[runningstream]

no bad

he could just as easily be a cross of some sort

like major mitchell , or corella , or anything with a cocky , galah , they seem to just cross them

im no expert either , just very curious . 

[Nichi]

"Crazy cockatoo tells me how it is" is the title.
First, you have to watch it for its face value: it's a cockatoo who has obviously lived amongst a group who has made generous use of the word "flower". The owner writes that the bird has lived in 10 different homes in 20 years, and came to live in his current (forever) home already seasoned with all the expletives. The bird is reacting to the fact that he just had his nails trimmed by the owner. So it's rather amusing.

But secondly, you have to watch for the syntax. The bird is talking. Unintelligibly to us, perhaps, but he is telling a story. You can really see it at :30 on. I wish the owner had filmed a little longer. He even has arm gestures in sync with his tone. I suspect he's sharing some sad autobiography.  The whole thing fascinates me.

It fascinates me for all of the above reasons, but also because I have felt like this cockatoo so many times in my life. Squeezing out words, knowing they are incoherent. Using everything in my body to make my point. Especially in dreams.

<span data-s9e-mediaembed="youtube" style="display:inline-block;width:100%;max-width:640px"><span style="display:block;overflow:hidden;position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%"><iframe allowfullscreen="" loading="lazy" scrolling="no" style="background:url(https://i.ytimg.com/vi/nsLmQF29OgU/hqdefault.jpg) 50% 50% / cover;border:0;height:100%;left:0;position:absolute;width:100%" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/nsLmQF29OgU"></iframe></span></span><br /><a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/nsLmQF29OgU" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/nsLmQF29OgU</a>

Again, here she is, and you cannot convince me that she is not telling us a story, albeit in a crippled-english way. I hear real concern in her voice, to get her point across. And.. it is a sad story.

<span data-s9e-mediaembed="youtube" style="display:inline-block;width:100%;max-width:640px"><span style="display:block;overflow:hidden;position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%"><iframe allowfullscreen="" loading="lazy" scrolling="no" style="background:url(https://i.ytimg.com/vi/lDcGdUl9Ktk/hqdefault.jpg) 50% 50% / cover;border:0;height:100%;left:0;position:absolute;width:100%" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/lDcGdUl9Ktk"></iframe></span></span><br /><a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/lDcGdUl9Ktk" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/lDcGdUl9Ktk</a>

Call me crazy, s'okay.

[Ke-ke wan]

Awww
So cute

[Ke-ke wan]

Sounds to me, a bit like Pebble is unimpressed with her human. 

[Michael]

 
I know exactly how he feels.

[Nichi]

I know exactly how he feels.

Me too.