Scooter is a male Eclectus who came from a loving home, but despite being well cared for, he was naturally more reserved and spent most of his time on his window perch or quietly chewing on his foraging boxes.

Recently, Scooter attended one of our free flight events at a warehouse, and he was able to observe other birds like macaws and conures flying, exploring the space, and interacting with handlers confidently.

Then Scooter took off!

A bird that “didn’t fly” suddenly did a huge circle around the warehouse all on his own. This is a great example of social learning. Birds learn what to do by watching other birds.

Since then, Scooter has started recalling, flying to shoulders, becoming more active, and growing in confidence.

To complete this arc, Scooter’s willingness to trust humans has rubbed off on the love birds he shares a home with, and now they have started to engage with the family more thanks to Scooter’s example.