Baby cockatoo leans how to use his voice and wings

Onni Cockatoo is 4 months old and is being hand raised. He is still considered a "chick" ... just a baby. And as a baby he is discovering a whole new world, as well as his voice! He sounds like an adorable squeaky toy when he experiments with it.Show more

The baby cockatoo becomes so excited by the different sounds he learned to make, he jumps around and nearly falls off his human dad. In the midst of the excitement he flaps his wings wildly with joy. You can hear the power of them beating in the air. He then discovers that if he flaps his wings hard enough he can experience some lift! Again, he nearly topples over as his owners giggle. Who wouldn't giggle? And who wouldn't shout with glee finding out that you can squeak out so many different sounds let alone learn what your wings are supposed to really do.

Today, this "little" cockatoo is all grown up at 5 years of age and he adeptly flies through the house, even with clipped wings. The owners explain that his powerful wings are clipped slightly so if he gets outside he can't fly away for miles at a time. "I must say, it sure was cute when he learned to use his voice for all different things...even to talk, but it sure wasn't cute when it evolved to the typical screaming that cockatoos do!"

Umbrella Cockatoos, native to the Indonesian Rainforest, have a scream that is equal to that of a jet engine. It can certainly cause some ear damage. "We use ear plugs sometimes," says his human dad, Scott. This natural behavior makes keeping them in apartments or condos impossible and dealing with it can be challenging even under the best circumstances.

It's so hard to not to have an ear to ear grin watching this little guy flap and chatter with complete joy. What a wonderful thing to experience and see.