It remained fairly cold in Denver, so Phoebe had to stay in the warm rooms and away from his big cage and his windows. When I took him to his big cage for dinner, he didn’t want to leave. I have to bribe/trick/persuade him to come with me in those circumstances.

Tomorrow it will be hot enough to go outside again, and his routine will be back to normal.

What do you think is the most common question that people ask me about Phoebe?

The number one question is: “Does he talk?”

Not exactly with English words. He can say a few things that sound very similar to English. “Hello.” “Peekaboo.” “Hey Phoebe.”

Some parrots have very advanced mimicking skills. Phoebe hasn’t picked up any English, though.

He still makes bird noises. And I still generally understand him. He also makes a few funny noises, which I’m not sure where he picked up. For example, he can bark like a small dog. He can sort of gobble like a turkey. He can screech like an eagle.

But with his regular roster of noises, I can tell when he’s content, when he wants me to come into a room, and when he’s anxious. He’s pretty easy to read.