Sundial,

A lot of people in the bird world feel that cockatoos should not be kept in captivity, and consequently suffer a lot of behavioral problems such as plucking, screaming, biting, etc.

I had little birds for years, like finches, parakeets, and canaries. Our first parrot (Bambu, a Senegal parrot), was purchased as a baby a little over 10 years ago, and he can be unpredictable, and bites hard without warning. He usually loves me, but bites my DH at every opportunity. His bites are far more painful than our Blue & Gold macaw, BeeGee! She was adopted from a rescue in Philadelphia last summer, and was turned into them after being confiscated from a police raid on a crack house. She had been kept in a dark basement, and fed a crappy diet of peanuts and sunflower seeds. Now she is a beautiful girl in perfect health, and a sweet, loving, goofy character. We also have a moustached parakeet (Moe Green) that we adopted from a friend's family where the couple both died of cancer in their 40s. There is also a canary and one parakeet in our current flock.

As you can tell, I am pretty passionate about birds and avian rescue and adoption. There are just far too many people who buy a baby bird on impulse, and then don't want to deal with it after the first few months. It is indeed like having a perpetual 3-year-old in your house that never grows up. But there is also a strong bond of unconditional love, constant entertainment (and messes), and I cannot imagine a life without birds!

I don't know where you are located, but there are number of bird rescue and adoption facilities throughout the country, and most are full to capacity with birds that have lost their homes for various reasons like family illness or changing financial circumstances. If you contact them, and go to visit with an open mind and heart, you might just fall in love with a new, feathered family member. If you want some recommendations, please PM me, and I'll try to point you to a rescue in your area.

Wendy