Cockatoo tells mom to put it down "like that."

Thank you for watching Benjamin the Best Bird! Benji is an extraordinary bird who sadly must rely on humans for his entire existence. That is not how a bird should live. Birds should be free, flying in the skies and living in the trees. But not all are lucky enough to be living the life that they should be living. Instead they are existing in the lives that people have forced them into.

Benji was in a stressful situation for 2 years, and in that time, he plucked his feathers so often that the follicles died. He has only half the usual number of feathers, and will never fly. He will need someone to watch over him for the rest of his life. Sadly, there are far more failures in cockatoo ownership than there are successes, and the ones paying the price are the birds - who are also, ironically, the only ones who are not at fault in this situation.

If you are watching bird videos and thinking, "Wow, I want one!" please realize that you are only seeing a few minutes in a day with a cockatoo...
Cockatoos destroy anything and everything they can - their destruction is so intense that they are officially declared "pests" in their native countries, where they destroy trees, crops, homes, outdoor furniture, and have even been known to damage cars. They also scream. It's not just loud, but also anger-provoking. It's like being punched in the face with sound. The noise is unlike anything I have ever experienced before, and if I didn't live with Benji, I would say that I didn't really care to ever hear it again. It is a sound that, if heard frequently, could move a peaceful monk to seek out a clock tower with an automatic rifle tucked under his arm. Seriously folks, it's horrible. But it's their sound. It's what nature gave them to be able to communicate with each other while living in the treetops of nature - not in people's homes. It is a sound meant to travel miles, and it does.

The decibel level of a cockatoo scream is 120-135db - on par with a military jet taking off (130db), a rock concert (90-120db) and an auto race (99-109db). Hearing damage happens at 120db, so the lowest level cockatoo scream will cause hearing damage.

If you have (or anyone in your household has) a temper of any kind at all, this bird is not for you. It will destroy things dear to you, and that will incite anger. It will scream, and that will ignite your temper. The more you yell at the bird, the more, and louder, it will scream. It doesn't understand that you are upset that it is screaming - it thinks you are paying attention to it, and playing a game. "Woohoo! This is fun - who can scream louder?!?!" The increased volume and frequency from the bird will only increase your adrenaline, making you angrier. You will blame the bird - but it's really you at fault. So only if you can control your temper, while providing the bird all of its needs, would this be a good match.

These birds require many hours outside of their enclosure. If you leave the bird in a cage too long, it will scream, pluck its feathers, and in extreme circumstances, it will chew holes into its skin.

They are very emotional creatures, who mate for life. Their need for bonding, for having a being in their life that is "theirs," is very strong. They cannot be listed on your taxes as a dependent, but believe me, you will have one. They will depend on you every day, in sickness and in health, til death do you part. Frequent re-homing is extremely stressful to them, and can create deep depression.

There are hundreds of thousands of these birds in rescues and sanctuaries all over the world, who were violently trapped, netted, grabbed... kidnapped from their homes, and forced to live with humans who later discarded them. Most still have decades left to live, and need loving homes. There are more who were bred by people who think that it's okay to do that. But it's not. Selling these birds to live in people's homes is like selling fish to live in the desert. It's just not right. People acquire them because they are indeed adorable. But many quickly learn that living with them is a life altering situation, fraught with negatives, and no longer want the bird. Sanctuaries have to turn away hundreds daily, because they are already at capacity.

We need to provide homes to the birds who are trapped in this life with humans because they have no alternative. Let's let the rest live in the wild where they're supposed to be. If you wish to jump into bird ownership, please educate yourself, and then go to a rescue and save a lonely bird who needs loving care. We must get pet shops to stop buying these birds and putting them up for sale. We must get breeders to stop breeding and selling them. These birds are not meant to live with humans, and when they do, it takes very dedicated, patient people willing to do the work for decades. If you think you are up for it, please adopt a rescue bird. It will do its best to love you for life.