What's New at Mickaboo, August 2025
Mickaboo Companion Bird Rescue was born out of a deep reverence for life - the life of a bird that was neglected, forgotten and unwanted. That bird inspired a nonprofit where the smallest finch receives the same care, medical attention, and love enjoyed by the largest macaw. Mickaboo also found itself caring for parrots in a unique predicament: too wild for typical ‘pet’ rescues and not eligible for care by native wildlife groups. For nearly 30 years, Mickaboo has provided a safe haven for all these birds, from beloved companions to wild parrot flocks. We have been honored by thousands of donors, supporters, and volunteers who have shared this vision and helped us grow and evolve into the organization we are today.
Recently, Mickaboo's core values and vision have been questioned by some former volunteers. We want to assure you that our philosophy remains clear. Much like the "no-kill" movement in dog and cat rescue, we are committed to a "no-kill" approach for our birds, always ensuring their quality of life is of paramount importance. We have euthanized, and will continue to euthanize, birds due to incurable or untreatable medical issues after all reasonable avenues have been explored. We know the avian rescue community has room for varying philosophies — there are countless birds waiting to be saved!
We believe these same former volunteers misappropriated a copy of Mickaboo’s contact list and spammed many of you, without your permission. We are saddened and angered by this betrayal of trust, and we are sorry for this imposition. Please consider treating this spam as you would any other spam.
Running a rescue of Mickaboo’s size involves a lot of work and collaboration! We are proud of what our volunteers, with your invaluable support, have achieved so far this year:
- 118 rescues (excluding our very recent ~260 finch rescue)
- 112 adoptions to loving homes (excluding the same ~260 finch rescue)
- ~395 birds in foster care currently, including 90 finches and canaries, 63 budgies, 57 cockatiels, 49 San Francisco wild conures, 36 amazons, 32 conures, and smaller numbers of other species
- 160 birds had medical care
- 5 San Francisco wild conures returned to their flock
- 7 bird care classes delivered to 138 attendees
- 5 other public events hosted or attended
- 2000 email and voicemail messages managed
- 1 server upgraded
- An initiative to create an online version of our nationally-recognized avian education class re-launched
While the numbers tell part of our story, the heart of Mickaboo lies in the individual birds, each with their own remarkable journey. Let us share a couple of them:
Meet Captain Jack, a green-cheek conure who joined Mickaboo as a mere few-week-old chick, still relying on hand-feedings. The pictures above show Captain Jack's progression from when he joined Mickaboo to now.
As a baby, unsuitable nesting material had entangled his tiny legs, severely restricting circulation. When his owner's friend heard about the inability to cover his high medical costs, they connected them with Mickaboo. One leg required partial amputation; dedicated efforts were made to restore function to the other. Nurturing hand-feedings were also essential because he was so immature. Today, Captain Jack is a magnificent, self-sufficient young adult bird, joyfully learning to fly and gracefully stick his landings! He's even starting to mimic a word or two in English. We extend our deepest appreciation to the exceptionally skilled avian vet who provided Captain Jack’s life-changing emergency care and continues to provide his ongoing recovery support.
Captain Jack's tale is characteristic of our everyday rescues—helping one or two birds at a time. In contrast, we recently undertook our most ambitious rescue to date: over 260 finches!
These pictures show some of the finches' before- and after-rescue homes, and one of the tanks typical of those we used to transport them from one to the other.
We first heard about these finches through a phone call from their (human) family, describing a critical situation. A loved one's medical condition was severely aggravated by the bacteria generated by the finches' aviary. This led to doctor's orders for the owner to rehome all of the finches - immediately. With so many birds needing placement before the family member returned from the hospital, the challenge was immense. Fortunately, an angel came forward! One incredibly generous adopter offered to take all the finches, solving our space question.
With space concerns resolved, five intrepid volunteers loaded with cages and tanks descended on the family’s aviary. Two more volunteers went to the adopter’s residence to begin setting up new housing. The effort to capture the 260+ finches, identify those needing medical care, transport all of them to their new home, set up housing in their new quarters, separate the sexes to stop further breeding while moving them from their transport cages to flight cages - and drive the handful of finches needing medical attention to a vet - took more than 10 hours! A huge effort, to be sure - making a difference in hundreds of lives.
~~~ Setting The Record Straight ~~~
In July, Mickaboo’s work with the San Francisco wild parrots made the front page of the Chronicle. While we spent significant time educating the reporter and editors about our mission and operations, some key points were not acknowledged in the story. Here are some clarifications.
1. The article focused on Billy, one of the San Francisco wild parrots, who survived bromethalin poisoning thanks to Mickaboo-funded medical care. The article implied that because Billy cannot ever recover enough mobility to return to the wild flock, he should be euthanized. There is a humane alternative beyond releasing a bird into the wild or performing euthanasia: providing a comfortable life in the care of human caretakers, with the company of their own species, in an environment that is appropriate for their particular needs.
Billy and a few other San Francisco wild parrots are being provided that life. The question is then - what is the quality of that life?
Birds under stress often exhibit behaviors like feather plucking, barbering, or repetitive movements. The San Francisco wild parrots at For the Birds show none of these signs. They don't thrash or panic when humans approach. They vocalize together, play with their toys, and eagerly await their twice-a-day meals. In a perfect world, we'd love to pair them up, but the reality is that doing so would significantly complicate their healthcare. We are, of course, open to safe and less costly options for their specialized care. Indeed, all but a small, core group—representing the most medically fragile—have been placed with experienced foster homes.
This core group continues to show a strong will to live through their observable behaviors, weight maintenance, and obvious enjoyment of their varied diet and each other's company. Even with their special needs, they clearly relish life—from the fresh juiciness of an orange slice and the evening ritual flock call of their roommates to the warmth of sunshine during outdoor time and interactions with their human caregivers. Billy himself was recently seen in a video happily climbing his cage. We will, of course, take necessary steps if and when an individual's quality of life truly deteriorates - but not before then.
2. Some have expressed concern that funds used for the San Francisco wild parrots might be diverting resources from other birds needing medical care. This is not the case. Mickaboo's founding premise is that all birds, regardless of how humans financially value them, deserve the same care and love. We have not, and will not, compromise the care of any individual bird due to the support given to the San Francisco wild parrots or any other group of birds in our care.
3. The reporter was scheduled to visit the wild parrots at For the Birds on April 29. The reporter called off her visit on April 28, after the vet clinic had already cancelled customer appointments to accommodate the reporter. The story only mentions a later, last-minute attempt to visit the clinic in July, just before publication.
Mickaboo met with the reporter and her editors several times while this story was being created. The editors confirmed there would be no suggestion of neglect or improper care in the story. They also stated they did not consider the former volunteers to be whistleblowers, and their story would not portray them as such.
We are proud to have the support of our local veterinary community. You may see letters of recommendation from them here.
On behalf of ALL of Mickaboo’s birds and volunteers, we thank YOU for YOUR ongoing support. Those who would like to join us in this life-saving work may apply here. Information on how to give financially is here.