Our rescued & adopted green cheeked conure (parrot) came with no history. We don’t know if she was ever out of the cage, or if she even was able to fly. Some have had their “primaries” main flight feathers clipped so they cannot fly. We took a chance after a month or more of letting her adjust to us and to the house and then left the cage door open. She CAN fly, and (per the references) loves being out of her cage. Handling care and SLOW movement is essential, as is a certain tolerance to being bitten. She has such amazing control over her beak that it is like having a third hand. Out of the cage, she came onto my hand and was comfortable enough to sleep standing on my hand, and to sleep on my shoulder with her head tucked in under my hair. So far her flight is measured in yards. I believe that if she breaks skin with a bite, that is what she meant to do. When she’s (aggressively) grooming the back of my hand, she uses my skin as a “stop bar” and sticks to grooming the hair above the skin. And tries to pull each hair. When two conures “chat,” they may use their “light bite” as part of their language with each other. Most of the “nibbles” are not panic or attack, but are birds being birds. I am learning to ignore being bitten (if it is not too hard) and she is learning, I think, that my tolerance for being “beaked” is not as high as another bird’s might be. I also am not flinching every time she approaches me while opening her beak.

I do keep a piece of paper towel handy, since in or out of the cage, she makes “deposits” frequently, and I then wipe them up. No worries! Of the two of us, we know who the bird brain is.

Conures are generally not English speakers, so I’ve been learning to understand and speak “bird.” I can understand her most basic speech, like “FRESH WATER,” “PLEASE CHANGE THE WATER!” and “NEW FRESH WATER NOW!”   I can tell her “alarm” scream and her “insistent” scream. She rings one of her bells every time Debi comes into the room, and complains if we don’t say hi (whistle) when we enter the room. She was happier, I believe, with us learning that part of the bird communications.  She usually rings one bell for “hi Debi,” and another bell for “Good morning Lenny. Now get me fresh water!”

Of course anthropomorphizing is hard to avoid, I generally try hard to do that. I do not always succeed.

photo credits: Lenny Frieling

Leonard Frieling
  • Senior Counsel Emeritus to the Boulder Law firm Dolan + Zimmerman LLP : (720)-610-0951
  • Former Judge
  • Photographer of the Year, AboutBoulder 2023
  • First Chair and Originator of the Colorado Bar Association’s Cannabis Law Committee, a National first.
  • Previous Chair, Boulder Criminal Defense Bar (8 years)
  • Twice chair Executive Counsel, Colorado Bar Association Criminal Law Section
  • NORML Distinguished Counsel Circle
  • Life Member, NORML Legal Committee
  • Life Member, Colorado Criminal Defense Bar
  • Board Member Emeritus, Colorado NORML
  • Chair, Colorado NORML, 7 years including during the successful effort to legalize recreational pot in Colorado
  • Media work, including episodes of Fox’s Power of Attorney, well in excess of many hundreds media interviews, appearances, articles, and podcasts, including co-hosting Time For Hemp for two years.
  • Board member, Author, and Editor for Criminal Law Articles for the Colorado Lawyer, primary publication of the Colorado Bar Assoc. 7 Years, in addition to having 2 Colorado Lawyer cover photos, and numerous articles for the Colorado Lawyer monthly publication.
  • LEAP Speaker, multi-published author, University lectures Univ. of Colorado, Boulder, Denver University Law School, Univ. of New Mexico, Las Vegas NM, and many other schools at all levels.
  • http://www.Lfrieling.com
See More Articles From Leonard Frieling