Pictures Edgar the Greater Vasa

[Kirk]

Hi Everyone. This is our buddy, Edgar, the Greater Vasa. Three year old male. He's a busy, affectionate talker. Quite the clown.

 

[thekarens]

Beautiful vasa!

 

[zoo mom]

Beautiful @Tinta

 

[Sadieladie1994]

Glad to meet you Edgar. Petoskey (known as Pet or Oskey) is a girl greater vasa. Glad you said Edgar is a good companion as Pet is a great companion also. Pet is 3

 

[jeansie1988]

Congrats, he's a cutie!

 

[expressmailtome]

He is beautiful!

Matt

 

[Tinta]

/high pitched squee
He's gorgeous and I am so happy to have another vasa on the avenue!

 

[McSizzle]

Wow. Stunning bird! How long have you had Edgar?

 

[Kirk]

Thanks, everyone. We've had Edgar for 2.5 years. He has just been a joy. I've been very impressed with this species.

I grew up with my great-grandmother's Blue Front Amazon (Polly 1931-1986) and raised the smaller birds most of my life (parakeets, lovebirds, 'tiels). As an adult, I always wanted a larger parrot but could never settle upon a species- knowing that it would be a lifelong commitment. It was very important to have a bird that could be part of the family, minimal possessive traits/aggression and minimal neurotic behaviors. Personality and behavior came before bright plumage. Our Polly loved my great-grandmother and children but would absolutely amputate another adult's finger.

A few years ago we saw some young Vasa at a show. It was the first and last time I saw them. I was so intrigued by their color and truncated form. After researching them for some time I finally decided it was the parrot for us.

Edgar has proven to be very intelligent, affectionate and sweet- not a biter at all. Rather than bite he'll whine to let you know he doesn't approve of the situation. Each time you play with him or let him sit on your shoulder you see him watching and the wheels turning in his brain. He was also very good about learning to step up and allowing us to handle him. He is jumpy around strangers but settles once they spend time talking with him and moving slowly near his cage.

 

[Sadieladie1994]

Perfect discription. I agree about them being wonderful pets. They really don't bite! LOL, I laugh how you talk about the whining....lot better than a acaw or ekkie voicing displeasure! Edgar sounds like a great companion for the whole family.

How is Edgar at breeding time? Pet is very nesty and even wants to curl up with the long haired 3 # pup! I really have to watch for that.

 

[Kirk]

I have not seen the obvious physiological changes with Edgar during breeding time. The males can exhibit feather loss to the head (less than females), the hemipenis and horn-like protrusions on the feet. He's still fairly young. His behavior is interesting almost any time of the year. Whenever you baby talk him and get very close he will start trying to regurgitate a seed to feed you- bobbing his head, stretching his neck and opening his beak. Weird, but he usually doesn't actually produce a seed to offer us. In the wild, a female Vasa will have multiple partners and will have a personalized call for each of her men. She will call and, one by one, they will arrive. She will act like she loves them and they will feed her. We feel that Edgar is exhibiting that behavior of trying to feed us the way he would a female mate. He will also try to comb your hair with his beak, mouth you and then scrunch/cuddle while he croaks and purrs. He never actually tries to mate, though. I think its very a sweet sign that he considers us his family.

 

[RadhaVallabhi]

Adorable!

 

[Sadieladie1994]

Edgar sounds wonderful and you describe the behavior great. Pet has not lost all her head feathers either. She does make many different sounds. She really wants to snuggle next to my one dog who is black, long haired and is 3# so I have to keep her from doing that. I was eating something the other day and offered her some and she took the liquid food from the spoon as a feeding response. There calls and chortles are just darling to listen too and some what melodic. Most certainly the calls and noises are different than those of other parrots.

Love hearing about Edgar.

 

[Kirk]

His vocalizations are fun. He will occasionally assert himself and have a little jag of squawks. The rest of the time he is inventing his own little whistle song or will mimic the dogs. So far he can say, "Edgar is a good boy", "Hello", call the dog "Ollie, come here" (along with the whistle we do), whistle the theme to the Addams Family (along with the snaps, squeaky door, mimic us when we laugh and the "you-who" whistle. The quality of his voice isn't as good as a Grey or Amazon but you can still understand what he says. He can also time what he says or whistles to the appropriate moment/occasion.

Edgar's play is also fun to watch. He especially loves untying/re-tying knots, dismantling screws and chewing on chopsticks. Chicken leg bones are his favorite. He chews them up and eats the marrow. Loves tofu, chicken, turkey, etc.

 

[Kirk]

This is a good example of how a Vasa can elongate their body like a slinky. He was "goosing" his neck for a treat. Edgar's molting at the moment, so his feathers are looking a bit tatty.

 

[SandraK]

You have a beautiful, absolutely gorgeous bird that I can only admire from afar but oh, dear, you have to know he is spectacular!

 

[Yoyo'sMom]

Wow. That's an amazing bird you have.

 

[Abigail]

What a neat bird!

 

[Miss Modified]

He is a very handsome boy!

 

[VictoriaVague]