If you’ve been to Angel’s Pet World in downtown Hudson, WI, chances are you’ve been greeted by Big Bird. He is a green-winged macaw kept at the front of the store, and is the Angel’s mascot. Green-winged macaws are indigenous to the rainforests of South America, and generally mate for life. While Big Bird doesn’t have a rain forest, he’s perfectly happy watching over the store from the top of his cage and perches. As for mating for life, he’ll let most of the employees touch his tail feathers and sometimes his wings, but there are a couple special workers whom he allows to pet his head, and he will even try to throw up for them. We know it sounds a little icky, but that’s part of their mating ritual. It’s an offering of food for their prospective mate.
Although employees can get close sometimes, we encourage customers not to get too close and to watch younger children if they want to see him. He can be moody, and it wouldn’t end well if he decided to bite anyone. Green-winged macaws have a bite pressure of 500-2000+ psi (pounds per square inch). To give you an idea, humans only have about 150 psi.
These birds can also live for over 80 years in captivity. Big Bird is still young with only 12 years under his belt. Similar to a toddler, he doesn’t like to share his toys. The bell hanging in his cage is his favorite thing he has. If you ever notice him in his cage with his wing wrapped up in the bell, he’s not stuck or hurt, that’s just how he cuddles and plays with it.
Big Bird’s favorite snacks are peanuts, and he always gets some in the morning, at night, and before he goes to bed when the store closes. If his peanuts aren’t on time, he’ll let you know with loud screeching until you bring them to him.
He only talks when he wants to, but he has a few favorite phrases such as ‘Big Bird’, ‘peek-a-boo’, ‘pretty bird’, ‘hello’, and he’ll even whisper ‘hi’. Big Bird’s favorite song is Blurred Lines, and he’ll always start dancing if it’s playing on the radio. Sometimes he’ll even start flapping his wings.
Don’t worry if he looks like he’s going to fly. Big Bird would be able to fly, we haven’t cut his flight feathers (which doesn’t hurt at all), he just never learned how to fly. In the wild, a bird’s mom will teach them to fly, but Big Bird was raised in captivity, so he never learned, and he’s perfectly happy watching everything from his place at the front of the store.
