My Smallest Bird Surprise

fiona

Here in Dubai, I have only one'boby', a tiny Java rice finch or sparrow named Javagirl(you can click the link below to see what her species looks like).

From the tip of her big red beak to the end of her black tail feathers, she measures no more than three inches. In the past,I've never dare take my small birds out of their cages or hold them in my hand,which I've always done with my bigger birds: I thought the small birds too fragile and,quite frankly,uninterested in bonding with me,despite my having learned that  birds-all birds---are extremely social beings. Well, Javagirl has taught me how wrong I was.

   After two years of wishing that I could interact with her, I decided to start reaching into Javagirl's cage to pet her,just to see what would happen.She was at first very afriad of my big hand,but,within just a few weeks,she was constantly hanging on the side of her cage, staring at me, and begging for my attention and more petting,which I gladly gave her. This become our ritural,until last year when I finally decided to try taking her out of her cage to hold her and pet her in my hand.

She was again fearful at first, but within just one week, she began to want out with me all the time. Now whennever I'm laying on the sofa and watching t.v., she spends hours with me. At first,she struts about my chest and neck,plays with my earring,and even grooms me. For examply, she likes to 'clean' my teeth. Once she tires of all that, she then hops into my hand and sleeps there contentedly, so contentedly that, when I return her to her cage for the night, she doesn't want to get out of my hand! If she could stay with me all the time, I know that she would.

Never again will I be afriad to handle any bird, no matter how teeny, and neither should anyone else: because they need to feel warmth and love just as much as we do, but especially if they're kept all alone in their cages.

http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/8458994