Birds of a Feather....

Above is a picture of my two cockatiels; PearlJam and LuckyBird, in front of my granddaughter, Riley; and grandson, Luke.
My son Tony, gave me LuckyBird for my birthday 17 years ago. LuckyBird, named so due to the many times he survived attacks by a ferret, a chicken hawk, and other fatal accidents, was only 5-6 weeks old when I got him. I taught him how to eat, fly, talk, give kisses, etc. I read an article once about how the scientific community has agreed that birds have human emotions. Of course, the emotions are not easy to detect; humans emotions are readily visible... our eyes, mouth, and body posture, give away our feelings and thoughts in an instant. But birds have set beaks, their eyes focus differently than ours, they have wings in place of arms and hands, and they're covered with feathers. But I can tell immediately if either of my birds are happy, sad, depressed, hungry or angry. LuckyBird can talk, so he can communicate with me with words. Female cockatiels don't talk, but PearlJam will purr when she's happy, and depending on the circumstances, she will screech loudly when unhappy, and make other sounds that lets me know what she needs or wants.
Both birds are free to fly in the house. I don't consider them ornaments in a gilded cage, that I cover up when I want them to be quiet. I have a cage in most rooms in my house, and if they're not on my shoulders, they hang in their cages.
LuckyBird wakes me up every morning with... "I love you, LuckyBird", then gives me little kisses on the cheek; and then, "Wanna take a shower?" He won't shut up until I get up and get in the shower with him. He perches on my shoulder and lets the water splash on himself. PearlJam isn't as brave. She has to have a dish outside the tub where she will bathe. Both also sit at the dinner table with me, and will eat anything I eat. They both get upset when I put my make-up and shoes on... they know I will be leaving shortly and both start "crying" and flying around me, as if to keep me from leaving. They understand commands like "go downstairs", "get in your cage", "do you want a treat?", "wait here", and more.
LuckyBird can whistle "Lord I Lift Your Name On High", some Mozart tunes, as well as whistle a wolf whistle and the Keeneland call.
I adore my little birds, and don't know what I would do without them. They're my constant companions, and I feel very blessed that God put me in charge of these two little creatures!