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When Stephen Fry goes in search of the rare kakapo - "the old night parrot of New Zealand" - he finds himself privy to an unusual mating ritual which is "one of the funniest things he has ever seen".

Ralph Nader has been many things: lawyer, consumer-rights bulldog, political activist and perennial third-party presidential candidate. He has now added a new title to his business card: fiction writer. His latest book, Only the Super-Rich Can Save Us!, is a 700-page populist fantasy in which a small group of billionaires and media moguls — led by Warren Buffett and including Ted Turner, George Soros, Bill Cosby, Yoko Ono and Phil Donahue — pool their massive resources to reform the U.S. With the help of a $15 billion war chest and a p.r. campaign starring a talking parrot, the group successfully...

Polly wants a passport — and isn't above stealing one. A brazen parrot, which spotted a Scottish man's passport in a colored bag in the luggage compartment under a tour bus, nabbed the document and made off into dense bush with it, the Southland Times newspaper reported Friday. The bird — a parrot of the Kea variety — made its move while the bus was stopped along the highway to Milford Sound on South Island, and the driver was looking through the compartment. Milford Sound, which runs inland from the Tasman Sea and is surrounded by sheer rock face, is...

Claims of the whereabouts of Osama bin Laden seem to be as common as sightings of David Duchovny at porn shops. It is tempting to dismiss all such accounts as hearsay and rumors, but current reports focus on three areas of the world as the most likely hideout for the globe’s most wanted man: Parachinar, Pakistan; Chitra, Pakistan; and most shockingly, the Islamic Republic of Iran. While it is often argued bin Laden would never receive harbor on Iranian territory, this is the location most identified by eyewitness reports available to the public, allowing for a detailed chronology of his...

A birdnapper snatched Gordo the skateboarding parrot. The 30-year-old green Guatemalan parrot, a popular attraction for a decade in the San Gabriel Valley community of Baldwin Park, was taken from his front porch cage Wednesday morning...Mireles says the birdnapper is "up against a can of worms" because Gordo isn't used to strangers and will start biting.

DENVER – A parrot that alerted his owner about a baby who was choking was recognized as a hero by the Red Cross. Willie the parrot was given the Animal Lifesaver Award during the "Breakfast of Champions" event attended by Gov. Bill Ritter and Mayor John Hickenlooper. .. Willie repeatedly yelled "Mama, baby" when Howard went to the bathroom and the toddler started to choke on her breakfast.

Barney, an African Grey Parrot, calls Margaret Sullivan's three dogs – Harry, Tilly and Bluey – by name. The bird, 10, squawks out orders like "come here" and even offers praise to his favourites such as "good dog". Mrs Sullivan, 65, who lives in Tredworth, Gloucestershire, with partner Ken Kersey, 62, admitted that Barney has a "very high opinion of himself".

Scientist Irene Pepperberg was about to board a plane for Tucson, Ariz., when a peevish reservations clerk refused to let her on with a bird cage. No matter that her avian companion, "Alex Pepperberg," the famous African Grey parrot, had his own ticket — and the papers to prove he was a valuable research subject and TV celebrity. "And I suppose you ordered him a meal?" the agent sniped, after being overruled by a supervisor. "Yes, as a matter of fact, I did," Pepperberg said without missing a beat. "He's getting the fruit plate."

A parrot is taking Prozac for depression following the death of its owner. Fred, an African Grey parrot, was owned by George Dance, who had rasied him from a chick. After Mr Dance died nine months ago, Fred became depressed and bit off all of his neck feathers. He also began to bob his head up and down all day as a result of his low mood. The bird has now been prescribed a twice-daily liquid dose of a bird-friendly version of Prozac, called Clomicalm. George's widow Helen, from Somerset, told The Sun: "He has been in quite a state...

(TOKYO - When Yosuke the parrot flew out of his cage and got lost, he did exactly what he had been taught - recite his name and address to a stranger willing to help. Police rescued the African grey parrot two weeks ago from a neighbor’s roof in the city of Nagareyama, near Tokyo. After spending a night at the station, he was transferred to a nearby veterinary hospital while police searched for clues, local policeman Shinjiro Uemura said.) I imagine, while being kept at the police station, the parrot was banging his cage with a tin cup yelling, “Let...

TOKYO - When Yosuke the parrot flew out of his cage and got lost, he did exactly what he had been taught — recite his name and address to a stranger willing to help. ADVERTISEMENT Police rescued the African grey parrot two weeks ago from a neighbor's roof in the city of Nagareyama, near Tokyo. After spending a night at the station, he was transferred to a nearby veterinary hospital while police searched for clues, local policeman Shinjiro Uemura said. He kept mum with the cops, but began chatting after a few days with the vet. "I'm Mr. Yosuke Nakamura,"...

TOKYO - When Yosuke the parrot flew out of his cage and got lost, he did exactly what he had been taught — recite his name and address to a stranger willing to help. Police rescued the African grey parrot two weeks ago from a neighbor's roof in the city of Nagareyama, near Tokyo. After spending a night at the station, he was transferred to a nearby veterinary hospital while police searched for clues, local policeman Shinjiro Uemura said. He kept mum with the cops, but began chatting after a few days with the vet. "I'm Mr. Yosuke Nakamura," the...

Dr David Waterhouse, assistant curator of Natural History at Norfolk Museums and Archaeology Service, could not resist the Monty Python associations after the discovery of a fossil which he says is the oldest parrot ever found. The dead parrot in the classic sketch was a Norwegian Blue, but the one which Dr Waterhouse has been studying was found on the isle of Morse in the northwest of Denmark... Officially named Mopsitta tanta, the bird has already been nicknamed the Danish Blue, and like John Cleese in the sketch, his first task was to establish it actually was a parrot. He...

CUSTOMER: "Look, matey, I know a dead parrot when I see one, and I'm looking at one right now." PET-SHOP OWNER: "No, no he's not dead, he's -- he's resting! Remarkable bird, the Norwegian blue, isn't it, aye? Beautiful plumage!" -- From "Monty Python's Flying Circus" 11:45 a.m., Melrose Hotel, Foggy Bottom: It's Day 7 of the Clinton Campaign Death Watch -- a full week since the official arbiter of the Democratic primary, Tim Russert, declared the campaign over and Barack Obama the nominee. Hillary Clinton's advisers continue to insist that the candidate's prospects are very much alive, but the...

My animated parrot, with a nice hello, will sing it song. Revski

MUNCIE, Ind. - A noisy parrot that likes to imitate sounds helped save a man and his son from a house fire by mocking a smoke alarm, the bird's owner says. ADVERTISEMENT Shannon Conwell, 33, said he and his 9-year-old son fell asleep on the couch while watching a movie. They awoke about 3 a.m. Friday to find their home on fire after hearing the family's Amazon parrot, Peanut, imitating a fire alarm."He was really screaming his head off," Conwell said.The smoke alarm had activated, but it was the bird's call that caught Conwell's attention."I grabbed my son and my...

Muncie - A family's new pet likely saved their lives Friday night. Shannon Conwell and his 9-year-old son fell asleep on the couch while watching a movie. Around 3 a.m., they were awakened to find their home on fire after hearing the family's parrot, Peanut, imitating a smoke alarm. "The bird just started squawking, and he mocks everything he hears," Conwell said. "He was really screaming his head off." While the smoke alarm was going off, it was the bird's call that caught Conwell's attention. "I sit up, smoke everywhere and then I get up and I see fire starting....

We are deeply saddened to announce Alex died Friday morning, September 7, 2007, of unknown causes. We will have a formal press release on Monday when we know the cause of death. He was absolutely fine yesterday and he was found dead this morning. Dr. Pepperberg will take the weekend to mourn his death. We hope to have more information on Monday We miss him so much. Thank you, Arlene Levin-Rowe - Pepperberg Lab Manager and the Pepperberg Lab Staff    

Like every devoted mother bird, Pippa the silver crested cockatoo is ready to defend her clutch of eggs to the death. Sadly for her, however, they will never hatch. For Pippa has adopted a bowl containing 20 Cadbury's Creme Eggs, which her owner Geoff Grewcock had intended to hand to friends and family over Easter. The 17-year-old bird squawks and flaps whenever anyone approaches. "When I first saw her perched there I thought it was hilarious but now I'm a bit worried about her," he said at his home in Nuneaton, Warwickshire.

A giant escaped parrot has been caught by police after a violent struggle in which it tore up the uniform of one of the arresting officers, police said. Walkers in a forest near the town of Walldürn in southwestern Germany had alerted police that a huge bird with a colorful plumage was sitting in a tree. Two policemen dispatched to the scene caught sight of the parrot, which was about 90 centimeters (about three feet) long. "He didn't say anything, and definitely didn't provide his name and address. He just screeched deafeningly," said a spokesman for the Walldürn police. "It...

Cohen family, who lives near town's rocket alert system's speakers, says its pet parrot constantly screams 'Red Dawn' Cookie the parrot, who belongs to the Cohen family in Sderot, has apparently undergone a trauma as a result of the ongoing rocket barrage the town has been subjected to in the last months. The proximity of the Cohen's house to the town's rocket alert system's loudspeakers, which go off whenever a Qassam is launched at the area and sound the words "Red Dawn," seems to have affected the parrot badly. "Once he used to curse and talk like a parrot, but...

A talkative parrot stolen from a Shreveport home was found Thursday while police were investigating complaints about drug dealing. Police said the parrot, who likes to drink Coke, may have been traded by somebody who wanted coke of the illegal variety. The 15-year-old blue and gold Macaw Parrot, named Bubba, was stolen this past Saturday from a house on Ravendale Drive. A police officer and probation officers found him as they investigated complaints about drug crimes on a street in North Shreveport. Police Cpl. Mary Coburn said they went into a house on Simpkins Drive and found $9,000 worth of...

Feathers fly over wind farm ban By Liz Minchin, Nassim Khadem and Peter Ker April 6, 2006 THE future of wind energy in Australia is under a cloud after the Federal Government blocked a proposed $220 million wind farm in South Gippsland to protect a rare parrot — despite a report showing that the bird has rarely flown near the site. Federal Environment Minister Ian Campbell yesterday sparked a slanging match after overturning the Victorian Government's approval of the Bald Hills wind farm, near Tarwin Lower, on the grounds that it may affect the endangered orange-bellied parrot. Senator Campbell said...

<p>LONDON, England -- A computer programmer found out his girlfriend was having an affair when his pet parrot kept repeating her lover's name, British media reported Tuesday.</p> <p>The African grey parrot kept squawking "I love you, Gary" as his owner, Chris Taylor, sat with girlfriend Suzy Collins on the sofa of their shared flat in Leeds, northern England.</p>

There were, to coin a phrase, three of them in the relationship - plus a parrot called Ziggy.For Chris Taylor, however, the only cloud on his horizon was that his girlfriend did not share his fondness for the eight-year-old African grey he had bought as a chick. But if relations between Suzy Collins and Ziggy were always on the cool side, it seems fair to say that now they must be deep frozen after the parrot's mimicry revealed the existence of Miss Collins's secret lover, known only as Gary. At first, 30-year-old Mr Taylor was amused when Ziggy started screeching...

LONDON - Chris Taylor, a 30-year-old British computer programmer, grew suspicious of his live-in girlfriend when his pet parrot began to imitate her saying, “I love you, Gary.” Ziggy, an 8-year-old African gray parrot, would also make kissing noises whenever the name Gary was mentioned on TV and would mimic Suzy Collins saying, “Hiya, Gary,” every time she answered her mobile phone.

A TALKATIVE parrot was being blamed for the break-up of a couple's relationship after squawking the name of the woman's secret lover, British newspapers reported today. Ziggy, an eight-year-old African grey, prompted a confession from 25-year-old call centre worker Suzy Collins that she was having a four-month fling with a former colleague when the pet blurted out: "Gary, I love you." The bird had previously said "Hiya, Gary" when Collins' mobile phone rang and made kissing noises when the name was mentioned on radio or television but its owner, Chris Taylor, from Leeds, northern England, laughed it off. But the...

WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. (AP) -- Polly want a burglar? A pet parrot attacked a man who broke into its owner's apartment, and the bite and blood marks helped police identify a suspect. The blue and gold macaw hybrid named Sunshine attacked Michael L. Deeter, 44, after he broke into the apartment, police said. Sunshine had blood on its beak and Deeter had marks on his hand consistent with those made by a parrot. Deeter, of Williamsport, told police the bird bit him very hard after he entered James Erb's apartment and he still had the marks to prove it when he...

A cheating husband was exposed after his wife's parrot mimicked his voice calling out another woman's name. Frank Ficker, 50, has now been kicked out of the family home by wife Petra, also 50, after she heard their 12-year-old parrot Hugo impersonating him on the phone to another woman.Petra, of Freiburg, Germany, said: "Hugo always liked to mimic Frank and he could do his voice perfectly."Frank asking who's at the door, Frank yelling at our nephews, Frank telling me he loved me. And then one day I heard him doing Frank's voice, but saying "Uta, Uta"."Petra turned the house upside...

A Royal navy parrot with a reputation for embarrassing top brass with her foul mouth has been ordered ashore. But it was not Sunny's swearing that led to her being taken off the British frigate, Lancaster. She has been given extended shore leave on medical advice after plucking out her feathers and looking withdrawn. Sunny a six-year-old African grey with the official service number of RN Parrot No 1, has a habit of squawking "arse" and "bollocks" at inappropriate moments. During a visit in 2001 by the First Sea Lord, Sunny was banished to a cupboard but could still be...

Parrot worker left untreated for days By Philip Edwards (Filed: 13/11/2005) Crucial treatment for a hospital worker exposed to Britain's first case of deadly bird flu through his other job as a quarantine worker was delayed by at least three days because of a blunder by government officials, the Sunday Telegraph has learnt. Officials at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs are understood to have risked an outbreak of the disease by failing to alert local health authorities that Howard Savage urgently needed antiviral treatment. Mr Savage, who runs the quarantine centre where two infected parrots died, approached...

A FOUL-mouthed parrot previously owned by a lorry driver has been banished from public areas in a British animal sanctuary after repeatedly embarrassing his keepers. Barney, a five-year-old Macaw, is now kept indoors at Warwickshire Animal Sanctuary in Nuneaton, central England, when outsiders visit after abusing dignitaries with swearword-littered insults. "He's told a lady mayoress to f--- off and he told a lady vicar: 'And you can f--- off as well'," sanctuary worker Stacey Clark said. Nor did the forces of law and order escape, she added. "Two policemen came to have a look at the centre. He told them:...

Researchers explore whether parrot has concept of zeroA bird seems to have hit on a concept that eluded mathematicians for centuries - possibly during a temper tantrum.June 22, 2005 Special to World Science Researchers are exploring whether a parrot has developed a numerical concept that eluded mathematicians for centuries: zero.Oddly, it seems he may have achieved the feat during a temper tantrum, the researchers say. Although zero is an obvious notion to most of us, it wasn't to people long ago. Scholars say it came into widespread use in the West only in the 1600s by way of India, which...

http://www.dailynews.com/Stories/0,1413,200~28822~2888206,00.html Nearly 100 exotic birds stolen from home aviaryBy Angie Valencia-Martinez, Staff Writer May 26, 2005 Nearly 100 parrots and other orphaned exotic birds were stolen from an aviary in Box Canyon operated by an 85-year-old bird lover, officials said Wednesday. The birds, including Rosellas, Mexican Redheads and Patagonias, were stolen from the back yard of June Matthews' mobile home, where she has cared for rescued birds since 1984. The Ventura County Sheriff's Department said Matthews reported the birds stolen on Monday, but that an investigation showed they might have been taken from the aviary over the weekend. Matthews...

A New Smyrna Beach man who witnesses said bit off a parrot's head during a billiards game faces animal cruelty charges, the Volusia County Sheriff's spokesman said today. Bruce J. Coates, 34, told deputies he had been drinking and couldn’t remember what happened. But witnesses told investigators that during a billiards game early Sunday morning, Coates grabbed the parrot off the shoulder of another player, put the bird’s head in his mouth and bit it off, said spokesman Gary Davidson. The incident occurred at a party the recreation room of the Saddle Club Estates community near S.R. 44 and S.R....

Foul-mouthed parrot back on board HMS Lancaster steward Jordan Taylor with Sunny Sunny the parrot has a colourful vocabulary A swearing Royal Navy parrot has rejoined her shipmates on a warship after seven months ashore. Sunny, an African Grey, had to leave Type-23 frigate HMS Lancaster while the vessel was undergoing a refit at Devonport Dockyard in Plymouth. Sunny has now resumed her place in the wardroom among the officers. Sunny first became famous in March when she met the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh during a visit to Portsmouth Naval base. Volley of abuse Her keeper, Lieutenant Mari...

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Ananova: Parrot saves owner from fire A parrot squawking and falling off its perch saved its owner from his blazing home. The noise woke Paul Broadhurst, who raced from his bedroom in Stockport, Greater Manchester, into a wall of smoke. Highways officer Paul, 28, escaped but Rocky had to be rescued by firemen. The African grey is in a vet's intensive care reports The Sun. Paul said: "If Rocky hadn't fallen, I would have been frazzled."

MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- Fearing a parrot named Marshmallow could identify them, three thieves returned to the scene of the crime to silence the bird -- only to be caught by police. After making off with a booty of DVD players, computers, radios, TVs and other electronic gear, one of the suspects realized a parrot in the home had heard him using the nickname ''J.J.'' and was repeating it. ''They were afraid the bird would 'stool' on them,'' police Maj. Billy Garrett said. ''They actually believed he could identify them.'' They decided to go back for the bird, loading it into...

Governmental Awards and Recognition of Falun Dafa from China and the World Since its public introduction in May 1992, Falun Dafa has attracted over 100 million practitioners worldwide in just ten years. Falun Dafa cultivation emphasizes that one should conduct oneself according to the principle of "Truth-Compassion-Tolerance". Regardless of gender and age, regardless of nationality and race, every practitioner who persistently cultivates his/her heart and practices the exercises has benefited tremendously. Constant diligent cultivation has brought significant changes to many practitioners in both physical conditions and moral values. At the same time, Falun Dafa is gaining worldwide understanding and appreciation,...

Papers have been flapping with new headlines about the latest in a long line of alleged dinosaur ancestors of birds. This one is claimed to be a sensational dinosaur with feathers on its hind legs, thus four ‘wings’.1 This was named Microraptor gui—the name is derived from words meaning ‘little plunderer of Gu’ after the paleontologist Gu Zhiwei. Like so many of the alleged feathered dinosaurs, it comes from Liaoning province of northeastern China. It was about 3 feet (1 meter) long from its head to the tip of its long tail, but its body was only about the size...

BBC:(Picture Below) Parrot's oratory stuns scientists By Alex Kirby BBC News Online environment correspondent The finding of a parrot with an almost unparalleled power to communicate with people has brought scientists up short. The bird, a captive African grey called N'kisi, has a vocabulary of 950 words, and shows signs of a sense of humour. He invents his own words and phrases if he is confronted with novel ideas with which his existing repertoire cannot cope - just as a human child would do. N'kisi's remarkable abilities, which are said to include telepathy, feature in the latest BBC Wildlife Magazine....

Parrot's oratory stuns scientists By Alex Kirby BBC News Online environment correspondent The finding of a parrot with an almost unparalleled power to communicate with people has brought scientists up short. The bird, a captive African grey called N'kisi, has a vocabulary of 950 words, and shows signs of a sense of humour. He invents his own words and phrases if he is confronted with novel ideas with which his existing repertoire cannot cope - just as a human child would do. N'kisi's remarkable abilities, which are said to include telepathy, feature in the latest BBC Wildlife Magazine. N'kisi...

The finding of a parrot with an almost unparalleled power to communicate with people has brought scientists up short. The bird, a captive African grey called N'kisi, has a vocabulary of 950 words, and shows signs of a sense of humour. He invents his own words and phrases if he is confronted with novel ideas with which his existing repertoire cannot cope - just as a human child would do. N'kisi's remarkable abilities, which are said to include telepathy, feature in the latest BBC Wildlife Magazine. N'kisi is believed to be one of the most advanced users of human language...

Her favourite sayings were "F*** Hitler" and "F*** the Nazis". And even today, 39 years after the great man's death, she can still be coaxed into repeating them with that unmistakable Churchillian inflection. Many an admiral or peer of the realm was shocked by the tirade from the bird's cage during crisis meetings with the PM. But it always brought a smile to the war leader's face. Churchill bought Charlie - giving him a boy's name despite the fact she was female - in 1937. She took pride of place in a bizarre menagerie of pets including lambs, pigs, cattle,...

<p>LONDON (AFP) - The daughter of Britain's wartime leader Winston Churchill denied that her father had ever owned a parrot which he had reportedly taught to swear about Hitler and the Nazis.</p> <p>Mary Soames said there had been a mix up between Charlie, the 104-year-old reportedly foul-mouthed female blue and gold Macaw, and Polly, an African Grey parrot which lived at Churchill's country home at Chartwell, south of London.</p>

Foul-mouth parrot mimics Churchill's wartime thoughts Mon Jan 19, 8:48 AM ET LONDON (AFP) - The inner thoughts of Britain's wartime leader Winston Churchill live on, thanks to the foul mouth of his 104-year-old parrot who lives at a garden centre in southeast England. "F*** Hitler! F*** the Nazis!" says Charlie, a female blue and gold macaw which Churchill bought in 1937, two years before the outbreak of World War II in Europe. "Parrots are remarkably adept at mimicking sounds and voices," says an article about Charlie in the February issue of Jack, a British men's magazine, which hits the...

The mayor of Ecuador's biggest city has hired a parrot to speak on his behalf when he is asked "undesirable questions." Jaime Nebot, Mayor of Guayaquil, presented the parrot to journalists at a press conference, reports Teerra.com. He said: "Here is the parrot that will be in charge to answer all the undesirable comments that I have no time to answer. "Some people only approach me with nonsense talk so the parrot will answer back in the same way because I need to use my time to work." Mr Nebot has been heavily criticised by the press and the public...

Posted on Fri, Aug. 29, 2003 Scream scary, but it's only a parrot parodyAssociated Press TUCSON, Ariz. - A parrot's parody of a damsel in distress caused quite a commotion.Tucson police and firefighters broke down a door after being called to a house and hearing a woman's screams coming from inside.But police soon realized that the sounds weren't coming from a woman in woe."The parrot's screams sounded identical to those of a distressed adult female," Officer Andrew Davies said in his report.The ruckus was the work of Oscar, a 2-year-old yellow-naped Amazon parrot.Police found him intermittently making laughing and...

Bureaucracy on the Wires The British Empire was a massive entity: It was truly global in its proportions. Communication was therefore one of the keys of successful administration. From the middle to late nineteenth century onwards it would lie to the telegraph to make this communication possible. However, even the speed of this form of communication could be slowed down immeasurably in the mass of bureacracy and form that characterised the day to day running of the empire. This amusing example is taken from an extract in The Leisure of an Egyptian Official by Lord Edward Cecil. An Official Correspondence:...