So, I figured I'd give a little more info about Maria and what's been going on. To the best of my knowledge, Maria is 41 years old. My cousin bought her in February 1981, and she was supposedly 2 at the time. Given the era, I'm presuming she was wild-caught, but I don't have any evidence to support that. If anyone can wager an educated guess...
As I said, she seemed to me to be rather obviously neglected. After burying my cousin on Thursday, I took her to a vet for an examination. I arranged for them to keep her for 24 hours for observation, and I had a good convo with the doc. He said she's in good health, although her rough plumage indicates a poor diet. I confirmed that she had basically been subsisting on peanuts and sunflower seeds for as long as anyone could tell. Her nails and beak were overgrown--the nails were so long that they had begun to spiral, and one of her back toes on each of her feet has curled (seems permanent) as a result, so perching has been difficult since getting them trimmed (as much as the doc was comfortable doing).
So, we got to work when I brought her home. She didn't take long to transition to a pellet diet (Zupreem fruit blend)--just a couple of days--and I've been giving her some dried fruit treats (papaya and pineapple), encouraging her to come close to me, as well as a few blueberries to get her used to fresh fruit. I tried some fresh spinach, and she didn't care for it...veggies may be something for down the road.
Perching and climbing have been tough since getting her beak and nails trimmed. She's had to re-learn even how to walk. So there were a number of falls the first day. But she's gotten loads better, and has quickly figured out how to maneuver around her cage. [The cage is a bit too small for her, but the vet recommended waiting a couple of months before introducing her to a larger cage, so as not to change too much on her all at once.]
One of the big challenges is that I have a dog in the house--an 8 year old lab/pit mix I rescued when he was 4 months old. Maria's falling and flapping has sent him into orbit, with regular panic attacks. He's calmed down, but is very curious about his new sister, and he wants to get close to explore, which doesn't help things. So I'm trying to get him to keep his distance as much as possible so that Maria can stay calm.
Regarding body language, I've moved my chair near her cage so that she can get used to my presence. She's mostly ok, but I see her shake periodically, and her feathers stay a little ruffled. But she will still approach me (randomly) and if I put my hand to the cage she'll bow down and let me stroke the top of her head. I guess it really has to be more on her terms than mine!
One thing she does that concerns me is this: She will open her mouth really wide and act like she's screaming, but no sound comes out. I thought maybe she was panting, but it honestly looks more like she's trying to scream or call, but there's just no sound. She is verbal--she'll make little sounds, and before she moved she would say a few phrases, including 'Hello,' 'Whatcha doin'?' and 'I need help!' She hasn't spoken since I got her home--I presume because of her being nervous in a new place.
She doesn't play with toys...to my knowledge she's never had any. Before getting her nails trimmed she would climb all over her cage when she'd get excited--but that's stopped because she's not as sure-footed. She used her claws for everything, rather than her toes (because the nails were soooooooooo long!).
The vet recommended bathing her, but I don't know that she's ever had a bath. I spritzed her with water, and I don't think she cared much for it.
I think that's as much of a mental dump as I can do at the moment. I really appreciate all the advice and encouragement. We both do!
Rain & Buddy 
