I'm Scarlet McCaw and this is my story.

I'm beautiful and I know it. My plumage is red, yellow and blue so I'm extremely colorful. A large parrot they say at 35 inches but only weigh two to three pounds. By now, you've likely went, "Oh, I know what you are now." You think I'm that damn cereal bird. That's a Toucan. My name should have given it to you... Scarlet. McCaw. Yeah my first owner thought my breed was my name. What can you expect from an eight year old.

The Eight Year Old

But seriously, who buys an expensive exotic bird like me for an eight year old? I was to teach him responsibility. Well, that little failed experiment nearly cost me my life. I was only three years old at the time. I had spent my previous years in the care of my parents. My species can live up to eighty years under the right care and conditions. Most of us are lucky to last forty or fifty years in captivity. You see what a commitment that is? Most people aren't going to stay intrigued by us that long. That was my situation anyway.

People get tired of us after the novelty wears off. The attention span of an eight year old didn't even last six months. Suddenly he wanted a cat, like that could possibly work out for me. I was happy to hear Mom tell little Mr. he couldn't have a cat because he had me. That's when I nearly lost my life. See, little Mr. decided if I was out of the way, he could have his cat. So he grabbed me by my tail and slammed me against the wall. He tried anyway. I flew and avoided full impact. As he chased me around I screamed and squawked. When he managed to grab me again, I bit him.

Guess what happened then? Mom ran in and got it all wrong. To her, it looked like I was the bad guy attacking little Mr. Of course he wasn't going to tell what he did to me. He was bleeding and I wasn't, so it was decided I had to go. By now I was thinking good riddance to them anyway.

(age 3.5)

The Apartment Lady

They sold me to a twenty-something woman that lived in an apartment. She and I got along great actually. It was a good life for about five years. Then she got a boyfriend and spent more time with him than me. I tried talking to her when he was over so she'd remember me. But instead of listening to me and including me, she put me in the guest room and put a cover over me. She started leaving the cover over me all the time. I hated the dark and being alone. When she took time to care for me he was always with her. She would just hand me off to him. He didn't like me. If I moved one bit he'd fling me and say I tried to bite him. It wasn't true.

I got so frustrated and bored I started pulling my feathers out. People chew their fingernails right? So I plucked my feathers. I didn't mean to get so bald and scary looking. I didn't even know I was until I heard the boyfriend say I was sick and ugly looking.

Then they started rubbing her belly a lot and talking about names. And needing to set up a nursery in the spare room. Which was where I was. Not sounding good.

I knew something was up when I saw all my supplies gathered up in a box by the door. She sat me cage and all on the floor by the box. The doorbell rang. Some older guy handed her a hundred dollar bill. Then he took me and my box of supplies and stuffed me in the back of a van amongst a bunch of flowers.

(age 8.5)

The Flower Guy

So here I wasn't even ten years old and I'm already with a third owner. This guy was pretty neat though. He ran a flower shop and kept me there. Lots of people talked to me. Some even petted me. After hours, Ricardo would let me out to fly. That was awesome. I learned to say his name. "Rik awwrrr do". That seemed to make him happy.

Ricardo and I were together twelve years. He was in his fifties and I was about half his age at around twenty-two. Silly guy called me his Scarlett Lady. I'm actually a male but being able to tell is not obvious. They say sexing us Scarlett McCaws requires genetic testing or surgery. Thankfully Ricardo didn't care one way or the other. He loved me just like I was and took really good care of me. My favorite event of the week was when he'd bathe me with the flower mister. I loved baths.

But one day Ricardo went on a delivery and didn't come back. I heard people talking about a wreck. They said Ricardo died. I was heart broken. The shop closed permanently. After a few weeks of random caretakers, an exotic bird rescue lady came and took me away.

(age 21)

The Bird Rescue Lady

I just didn't care anymore. I didn't sing. I didn't eat. I'd say "Rik awwrrr do" but it was no use because Ricardo wasn't coming back.

One day though, I heard a shocking sound. I heard another Scarlett McCaw! Beverly, the bird rescue lady, introduced me to Clementine. She was a female Scarlett McCaw. Once I figured out Clementine was friendly, I started to perk up. I didn't have Ricardo anymore but now I had Beverly and Clementine. We were a great trio for sixteen years.

(age 37)

Clementine got sick and passed away. I was heart broken again. I have loved and lost so many in my life. I got depressed and started pulling feathers again. Then Beverly brought home Billy. He was just a youngster at seven years old. I was excited to have company again but man, Billy was messed up. He wasn't in the mood for friendship. Looking at him was worrisome. Severely underweight, nearly bald, he would bite. So it took a long time to get him healthy. Beverly spent a lot of time with Billy. It was understandable but still I was lonely.

Billy had quite a story. He lived in the wild until a smuggler caught him. That guy sold him to a trafficker and somehow he ended up in America. I had no idea there was anywhere else or that the wild existed. Billy had a mate named Rose but she died in the round up. Something about getting caught in a net and it broke her neck... Billy doesn't like to talk about it much. I understand because I know how much it hurt to lose Clementine. I'm still not over her. Or Ricardo. I loved both of them for different reasons. I guess I love Beverly too. Without her, I wouldn't have had Clementine in my life. And I wouldn't have Billy as a friend. He keeps saying he is leaving first chance he gets so he keeps flying into the windows when he picks his cage open. I worry that he is going to hurt himself really bad.

So, after almost two years, Billy is leaving. Beverly told her friend that Billy wasn't adapting to pet life or being with us. He is still angry about Rose and being inside. He raves all the time about the wild. Beverly made a deal for him to go to a sanctuary. She said it was the closest to the wild Billy will ever get. He will be safe from poachers and predators. I kind of wish I could go with him. Beverly made it sound really nice. It has other parrots there.

I guess it's gonna be just me and Beverly now.

(age 39)

Bye Bye Beverly

It's been five years since Billy left. Beverly doesn't have any other birds now except me. She used to foster birds and rehabilitate them, get them healthy and then help them get adopted out to permanent homes. She never did that for me. I guess she liked me. She calls me Red. I had only ever learned one word, "Rik awwrrr do" my flower guy's name. But I surprised her one day and said, "Bev lee." It was weird. She cried. She said they were happy tears. In all the years we were together, I don't know why I hadn't done it sooner. I honestly think it was the reason she kept me though.

(age 44)

I started to notice things about Beverly. She coughs a lot. She is really slow, losing weight and when she was combing her hair, big hunks of hair came out. It made me wonder if people molt? Ricardo was bald so I never thought about it before. But something isn't right. Beverly talks to me and her voice is raspy and she has burns on her neck and chest. When you spend a lot of years with someone you really notice things like this. I've been with Beverly half my life. And I never really thought about it until today, but Beverly was 58 when she got me, and we've been together 26 years, so gosh, she is 84!

(age 47)

....

It's been six months now and Beverly is not doing well. She isn't getting out of bed hardly at all. A guy named James come to check on her. A nephew she said. He's ok I guess. He is only about 30. But he is attentive to detail. He fixes my food just like Beverly tells him. And he talks to me and spends time with me. I heard Beverly talking to him and she asked him to promise he would take me and not let anything happen to me. She said I was the best bird she ever had. I had no idea! I'm going to say "Bev lee" a gazillion times so she'll know how much I love her. I really do love her. Something must be really wrong if she is giving me away.

(age 47.5)

James is crying. Beverly isn't talking. I hear sirens and there are people rushing through the door. I think Beverly is gone now like Clementine. I've had a long life and it's mostly been good. I guess I'll be going home with James now.

As you can see, I'm not quite 50 yet. Now some of us Scarlett McCaws would be at end of life. But if I go on to live the full life span of 80 years or close to that, who knows how many more people will come into my life. I can only hope that they will be good people like Ricardo and Beverly. And though I don't know James very well yet, I'm pretty sure he's going to be a great guy. I can tell by the way he took care of Beverly. And how he has taken care of me. I hope he doesn't get tired of me and pass me off. I think I will start trying to say his name "Jimmms." That's not James exactly but maybe he'll like it.

So, here's to the next thirty years.

********

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