We all know that oranges are good for you, and for one lucky Amazon parrot an enormous, luscious orange tree proved to be not only a safe haven from predators, but was also chock full of easy-access nourishment! Evidence of his long-time diet was seen in the piles of half-eaten oranges under the tree. He had struck gold with this location! View PDF in new window

Every organization needs a good information technology (“IT”) team to keep work flowing. Mickaboo is no different, with the need to track hundreds of birds, applications for adoption/fostering, bird care class attendees, phone interviews, and home visits, just to name a few of the items volunteers must enter and access in our databases. That’s why it is a pleasure to highlight one of our IT support volunteers in this article. View PDF in new window

 Mieli the budgie is one of Mickaboo's success stories, after a lot of good luck along the way. He came to San Francisco Animal Care and Control (SFACC) as a stray in April of 2010 and was treated for a bad case of scaly mites at Bay Area Bird Hospital. Although he made a full recovery, his beak now grows abnormally, especially the lower beak, so he was labeled as a "special needs" bird on the assumption that he would require frequent visits to the vet for beak trimming. View PDF in new window

Many people are surprised to learn that Bay Area shelters get in domestic (unreleasable) pigeons and doves all the time that, for lack of adopters, are at high risk of being killed. MickaCoo has saved more than 500 of these gentle birds in the past five years by helping adopters create beautiful, lifesaving aviaries.   View PDF in new window

 Want to help pay for the veterinary bills of our foster flock – and lacking the ready cash to do so? Some businesses donate a portion of their profits to Mickaboo if our supporters use certain programs. Read on for details on these programs, and how you can join them. View PDF in new window

Edie here. The yellow scallops on my wings and head mean that I'm a pearled cockatiel, which in turn means that I'm a female. Male cockatiels may have a pearling, or opaline, gene, but something about the sex-linked recessive nature of this gene prevents the pearl pattern from lasting past the first few molts in males. (I would not have know this but the guy who came and took my picture the other day explained it to me.)   Read More