This month's Celebirdy is Calpurnia's Kevin! 
Here's what she had to say:
Thanks so much for the award! Of course I just love getting a chance to talk about Kevin (since who doesn't love to gush about their birds?).
To start (with question 2):
2. What is your bird's name, age and sex?
Kevin is an almost 3 year old male Ivory-billed Aracari.
Here's Kevin.
1. How did you acquire your bird?
We got him as a newly weaned baby from a small, specialized breeder in Massachusetts. Look at how cute he was.
Such a tiny beak!
What a nubby tail!
3. Does your bird do any special tricks?
Yes!! Like most aracaris/toucans he's very proficient at "catch".
We've also managed to perfect "lying on his back" in my hand or lap. It's most adorable when he does it in the shower and lets the warm water pitter-patter gently on his tummy. Knocks him out faster than a tranquilizer dart.
4. What are some of your bird's favorite foods?
Fresh black and blueberries are pretty high up there. Along with kiwi and red grapes.
But Kevin's true love is none of these things. The one food that makes him go absolutely crazy is..... fresh greens!
He only gets a couple leaves sparingly (1-2 times per week), but if we forget for too long he gets cranky and starts demanding his treat. He will continuously fly into the kitchen, onto the counters (where he's not allowed), and squawk loudly until we notice. Spoiled brat.
5. What is the funniest thing your bird has done?
Omg where to start! Kevin is a total goofball. He has to be to make us smile and laugh every day while cleaning up all that fruit poop.
I love how he plays. Toys are of shaking, jabbing, wrestling, and jingling. He has a couple favorite toys that still haven't gone out of style.
And a year and a half later:
6. How has your bird enriched your life?
We have and have had a bunch of different parrots. They are all fun, social, and loving companions. But Kevin is super special.
Simon the parrotlet was our first baby. We got him not long after my SO and I got together, so he ended up playing a huge part in the growth of our relationship. It really felt like we were two parents raising their first child. And so when he passed we were devastated. While grieving, Kevin was our rock. He was an uncomplaining accepter of hugs and cuddles. Even when all I wanted to do was wrap him up like a burrito, kiss his beak, and cry on him he would sit there without complaint.
After this period I think I started appreciating Kevin a lot more. He just has such an awesome personality. He could never hold a grudge against anyone. He isn't ever moody or temperamental. He's adaptable and yet always a constant comfort. I definitely can't say the say about any of our rather opinionated parrots haha.
But I think the best part is Kevin and my SO share a very special bond. Probably in part because my SO is more noise-sensitive and so the parrots can start wearing on his nerves with their constant shrieking and chatter.
But it's mostly something I've never been able to figure out. My SO was never a bird owner until he met me. And honestly it's still debatable about whether or not he is even a true "bird person" today. But Kevin will always have an extra special place in his heart. It certainly makes a girl feel good watching two of her favorite boys learn to love each other so much. 
7. What would you tell people who are considering this species?
Aracaris can be wonderful pets. BUT you've gotta know what you're getting into! I'm a pretty clean (some might say anal-retentive
) person. I don't mind a little clutter but dirt, grime, and other gross stuff lying around bothers me. So the fact that Kevin poops fruit-smoothie and has NO qualms about doing it everywhere can be stressful. Luckily we were finally able to move to a house with no carpet and we now have minimal cloth furniture. Unfortunately I'm still stuck scrubbing his cage for a half hour every weekend.
Diet is another big issue. Like many softbills aracaris are predisposed to hemochromatosis or iron-storage disease. If fed foods high in iron for too long it builds up in their livers and eventually kills them. So low-iron softbill pellets, fruit, and veggies are a must. But if you aren't accustomed to always having on hand fresh, expensive and exotic fruits their diet can be a bit of a pain.
His diet and mess also can make it much more difficult to travel or find bird sitters. I'm still not comfortable leaving Kevin for more than a week at a time simply because his cage gets too filthy and I don't want to try and force a bird sitter to clean it. It's already difficult enough finding people that are willing to come and chop fruit at 7:30 every morning, making sure everything is prepped just right (one of Kevin's downsides is the fact that he can be pretty picky about how his food is prepared and presented). It can be even harder finding someone who is willing to come back to the house a couple more times each day to make sure Kevin still has enough food as well as remove it at night.
Finally, making sure you have enough space is important. That and ensuring you can afford a large enough cage. I honestly feel like these guys deserve an aviary at the very least, same as any of the large parrots. They are just too active, and need plenty of room to hop about since they lack the ability to climb cage bars.
On that note, you should also never clip an aracari (again because they can't climb or get around easily without their wings) so expect them to get into everything! Kevin is the worst about eating small, inedible objects. Hair ties, rubber bands, and foam earplugs are his scare-tactics of choice.
Overall though, I think aracaris can be underrated as pets. Even more so when I tell people how Kevin really isn't like a parrot at all. He isn't super clingy or trick-trainable. To many his face isn't super expressive, or just seems "blank". Some people might see these as downsides but I really appreciate Kevin's unique and wild nature.
8. What is the activity and noise level of your bird?
Aracaris in general can be pretty active little birds. Some people refer to them as "energizer bunnies". Lucky for us, Kevin is VERY laid back, almost comically so. He's very much a "people watcher", and prefers to hang out on the periphery keeping an eye on his family and flock, vs being up in everyone's business. Only a few times a day does he get's the itch to explore and will come investigate the floor around our desks or more likely, try to find inappropriate things to eat on our bedroom dressers.
Most of the time he just chills (or eats himself into a food coma):
Which is pretty nice when you have 3 other attention-whoring parrots clambering over you and begging for scritches at any one time. Not to mention flying all over the house to see just what sort of mischief they can get into next.
Noise-wise he's definitely the quietest of all our birds. No high pitched shrieks, screams, or whistles here. He makes lots of low arfs, purrs, caws, and growls for the most part. Truly LOUD calls are rare and only when he sees a hawk circling outside the window.
9. What are some of your bird's quirks?
All aracaris have one very special quirk. They "sunbathe", whether that be in the actual sun:
or near hot air sources. I love when you try and snuggle him with your nose as he literally melts in your hands.
Another aracari quirk is their love of baths. Kevin bathes daily, and it's always a huge affair. He literally jumps in his bowl, sits down up to his neck in the water, then splashes around as hard as he can. He always comes out soaked to the skin.
Kevin turns into a little glob of putty for scritches. Even just the IDEA of scritches is enough to have him squealing with joy.
Finally, my absolute favorite and most endearing quality of Kevin's: his unexpected and inexplicable friendship with both of our parrotlets, Simon and Julian.
Aracaris are not known to cohabitate well with other species, especially ones that are smaller than themselves. One big warning you will see plastered all over is "NEVER let them near small birds or other small animals". They have a peculiar predatory drive, one that encourages them to seek out, catch, and kill small fluttering or scurrying creatures. Kevin is certainly no exception. He gets sadistic pleasure he gets from chasing moths, only to catch them then release them, then catch them again.... over and over and over until the bug is left mauled and twitching (only THEN will he try to eat it). In another instance he went into full shrieking divebomb mode after a mouse managed to get inside our house and scurried across the bird room floor. Nearly gave himself a concussion slamming into the wall trying to chase after the thing.
It makes sense given in the wild toucans are known to be voracious nest predators, and will also catch and consume small rodents or reptiles if given the chance. And I've certainly read plenty of horror stories of peoples captive aracaris/toucans going after their finches or whatnot.
So you would think that having Kevin plus a houseful of small birds (budgies, parrotlets, now a linnie) would be a recipe for disaster. But the truth is just the opposite. Maybe it's because Kevin is just so laid back. But more likely it's because he grew up with Simon as a "big brother". And once he'd gotten the idea that parrotlets are BFFs he was happy to welcome Julian under his wing when we brought him home.
Julian preening himself on Kevin's beak:
Foraging for his breakfast:
Much derp:
That moment when you wake up and realize you forgot to lock the bird cages properly last night:
Simon, Kevin, and the SO. All looking properly majestic.
Here's what she had to say:Thanks so much for the award! Of course I just love getting a chance to talk about Kevin (since who doesn't love to gush about their birds?).
To start (with question 2):
2. What is your bird's name, age and sex?
Kevin is an almost 3 year old male Ivory-billed Aracari.
Here's Kevin.
1. How did you acquire your bird?
We got him as a newly weaned baby from a small, specialized breeder in Massachusetts. Look at how cute he was.
Such a tiny beak!
What a nubby tail!
3. Does your bird do any special tricks?
Yes!!
Like most aracaris/toucans he's very proficient at "catch".We've also managed to perfect "lying on his back" in my hand or lap. It's most adorable when he does it in the shower and lets the warm water pitter-patter gently on his tummy. Knocks him out faster than a tranquilizer dart.
4. What are some of your bird's favorite foods?
Fresh black and blueberries are pretty high up there. Along with kiwi and red grapes.
But Kevin's true love is none of these things. The one food that makes him go absolutely crazy is..... fresh greens!
He only gets a couple leaves sparingly (1-2 times per week), but if we forget for too long he gets cranky and starts demanding his treat. He will continuously fly into the kitchen, onto the counters (where he's not allowed), and squawk loudly until we notice. Spoiled brat.
5. What is the funniest thing your bird has done?
Omg where to start! Kevin is a total goofball. He has to be to make us smile and laugh every day while cleaning up all that fruit poop.
I love how he plays. Toys are of shaking, jabbing, wrestling, and jingling. He has a couple favorite toys that still haven't gone out of style.
And a year and a half later:
6. How has your bird enriched your life?
We have and have had a bunch of different parrots. They are all fun, social, and loving companions. But Kevin is super special.
Simon the parrotlet was our first baby. We got him not long after my SO and I got together, so he ended up playing a huge part in the growth of our relationship. It really felt like we were two parents raising their first child. And so when he passed we were devastated. While grieving, Kevin was our rock. He was an uncomplaining accepter of hugs and cuddles. Even when all I wanted to do was wrap him up like a burrito, kiss his beak, and cry on him he would sit there without complaint.
After this period I think I started appreciating Kevin a lot more. He just has such an awesome personality. He could never hold a grudge against anyone. He isn't ever moody or temperamental. He's adaptable and yet always a constant comfort. I definitely can't say the say about any of our rather opinionated parrots haha.
But I think the best part is Kevin and my SO share a very special bond. Probably in part because my SO is more noise-sensitive and so the parrots can start wearing on his nerves with their constant shrieking and chatter.
But it's mostly something I've never been able to figure out. My SO was never a bird owner until he met me. And honestly it's still debatable about whether or not he is even a true "bird person" today. But Kevin will always have an extra special place in his heart. It certainly makes a girl feel good watching two of her favorite boys learn to love each other so much. 7. What would you tell people who are considering this species?
Aracaris can be wonderful pets. BUT you've gotta know what you're getting into! I'm a pretty clean (some might say anal-retentive
) person. I don't mind a little clutter but dirt, grime, and other gross stuff lying around bothers me. So the fact that Kevin poops fruit-smoothie and has NO qualms about doing it everywhere can be stressful. Luckily we were finally able to move to a house with no carpet and we now have minimal cloth furniture. Unfortunately I'm still stuck scrubbing his cage for a half hour every weekend.Diet is another big issue. Like many softbills aracaris are predisposed to hemochromatosis or iron-storage disease. If fed foods high in iron for too long it builds up in their livers and eventually kills them. So low-iron softbill pellets, fruit, and veggies are a must. But if you aren't accustomed to always having on hand fresh, expensive and exotic fruits their diet can be a bit of a pain.
His diet and mess also can make it much more difficult to travel or find bird sitters. I'm still not comfortable leaving Kevin for more than a week at a time simply because his cage gets too filthy and I don't want to try and force a bird sitter to clean it. It's already difficult enough finding people that are willing to come and chop fruit at 7:30 every morning, making sure everything is prepped just right (one of Kevin's downsides is the fact that he can be pretty picky about how his food is prepared and presented). It can be even harder finding someone who is willing to come back to the house a couple more times each day to make sure Kevin still has enough food as well as remove it at night.
Finally, making sure you have enough space is important. That and ensuring you can afford a large enough cage. I honestly feel like these guys deserve an aviary at the very least, same as any of the large parrots. They are just too active, and need plenty of room to hop about since they lack the ability to climb cage bars.
On that note, you should also never clip an aracari (again because they can't climb or get around easily without their wings) so expect them to get into everything! Kevin is the worst about eating small, inedible objects. Hair ties, rubber bands, and foam earplugs are his scare-tactics of choice.
Overall though, I think aracaris can be underrated as pets. Even more so when I tell people how Kevin really isn't like a parrot at all. He isn't super clingy or trick-trainable. To many his face isn't super expressive, or just seems "blank". Some people might see these as downsides but I really appreciate Kevin's unique and wild nature.
8. What is the activity and noise level of your bird?
Aracaris in general can be pretty active little birds. Some people refer to them as "energizer bunnies". Lucky for us, Kevin is VERY laid back, almost comically so. He's very much a "people watcher", and prefers to hang out on the periphery keeping an eye on his family and flock, vs being up in everyone's business. Only a few times a day does he get's the itch to explore and will come investigate the floor around our desks or more likely, try to find inappropriate things to eat on our bedroom dressers.
Most of the time he just chills (or eats himself into a food coma):Which is pretty nice when you have 3 other attention-whoring parrots clambering over you and begging for scritches at any one time. Not to mention flying all over the house to see just what sort of mischief they can get into next.
Noise-wise he's definitely the quietest of all our birds. No high pitched shrieks, screams, or whistles here. He makes lots of low arfs, purrs, caws, and growls for the most part. Truly LOUD calls are rare and only when he sees a hawk circling outside the window.
9. What are some of your bird's quirks?
All aracaris have one very special quirk. They "sunbathe", whether that be in the actual sun:
or near hot air sources. I love when you try and snuggle him with your nose as he literally melts in your hands.
Another aracari quirk is their love of baths. Kevin bathes daily, and it's always a huge affair. He literally jumps in his bowl, sits down up to his neck in the water, then splashes around as hard as he can. He always comes out soaked to the skin.
Kevin turns into a little glob of putty for scritches. Even just the IDEA of scritches is enough to have him squealing with joy.
Finally, my absolute favorite and most endearing quality of Kevin's: his unexpected and inexplicable friendship with both of our parrotlets, Simon and Julian.
Aracaris are not known to cohabitate well with other species, especially ones that are smaller than themselves. One big warning you will see plastered all over is "NEVER let them near small birds or other small animals". They have a peculiar predatory drive, one that encourages them to seek out, catch, and kill small fluttering or scurrying creatures. Kevin is certainly no exception. He gets sadistic pleasure he gets from chasing moths, only to catch them then release them, then catch them again.... over and over and over until the bug is left mauled and twitching (only THEN will he try to eat it). In another instance he went into full shrieking divebomb mode after a mouse managed to get inside our house and scurried across the bird room floor. Nearly gave himself a concussion slamming into the wall trying to chase after the thing.
It makes sense given in the wild toucans are known to be voracious nest predators, and will also catch and consume small rodents or reptiles if given the chance. And I've certainly read plenty of horror stories of peoples captive aracaris/toucans going after their finches or whatnot.So you would think that having Kevin plus a houseful of small birds (budgies, parrotlets, now a linnie) would be a recipe for disaster. But the truth is just the opposite. Maybe it's because Kevin is just so laid back. But more likely it's because he grew up with Simon as a "big brother". And once he'd gotten the idea that parrotlets are BFFs he was happy to welcome Julian under his wing when we brought him home.
Julian preening himself on Kevin's beak:
Foraging for his breakfast:
Much derp:
That moment when you wake up and realize you forgot to lock the bird cages properly last night:
Simon, Kevin, and the SO. All looking properly majestic.
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I spent so long uploading more videos to YT on my super slow internet! I don't want all that hard work to go to waste. Especially since I know 
