Hawk-Head Parrot         Contrary to some opinions I have read on the net,  Hawkheaded Parrots make excellent pets. They are affectionate, very silly with their dances and mannerisms, very easy to train to do tricks, and they learn to talk very easily.                                             This is Peter and he is 4 months old.  Just a baby, but what a personality!!!!!!         They remind me much of Caiques - another clownish type of bird. As a matter of fact, years ago Hawkheaded Parrots used to be called Hawkheaded Caiques. Most Hawkheads will easily learn to lie on their backs in your hand and let you tickle their bellies. They can be taught to dance on your shoulder (very cute!) and most anything that other larger Parrots can learn. Almost all of my Hawkheaded Parrots talk by the time they are weaned.      They do have a phase when they are rather spooky, This coincides with the time when their parents in the wild would chase them off, when they are well weaned. In captivity this occurs when they are between 6 months and 1 year of age. At this time they anticipate that you will turn on them and bite to chase them away, and they spook very easily. It is rarely a good idea to buy an  unweaned baby bird, but in the case of Hawkheads it is extremely unadvisable since they will become scared of the one who raised them, at least for those 6 months or so.      A habit of theirs that has scared many people and earned them the reputation of being aggressive, is their fondness of hanging upside down and striking at you. If you keep your hand steady the beak will strike towards it with lightning speed and - amazingly - when it reaches you it will be but a gentle tap. This mostly happens as a game when hanging upside down - but can occur in other positions also. Of course - like any other living being - if a  Hawkhead feels threatened he will strike for real. If your bird is scared of you, don't invite a strike.        Hawkheads should have a spacious cage. 31 inches tall, 22 inches deep and 18 inches wide is a decent size for a single Hawkhead, and bigger is better. Cages with playgrounds on top are nice, but when closed the cage should provide space for our friend to hang upside down and flap his wings. This is something they just love to do.      To keep the nails nice and trim, one of the perches should be a concrete perch. The other perches should be of varying sizes. Just imagine having to stand on your feet all the time! It is very helpful to a caged bird to have perches that vary in thickness, texture and shape.      All my Hawkheads drink from bottles. This keeps the water nice and clean. If given a water bowl they will quickly throw fruit and veggies and nutshells in, then they'll relieve themselves in it for good measure, and within an hour you've got bacteria soup instead of nice, clean water.      Hawkheads enjoy a variety of toys, but, like many other parrots, may be scared of a new toy at first. In that case, introduce the toy gradually, first placing it at a distance in view, then closer, then on the outside of the cage, and then finally inside. Keep in mind, in nature the environment doesn't change very much, and certainly rarely suddenly. Trees don't walk away, new branches take a long time to grow. Sudden changes are scary. So, put your toys in the cage before your bird arrives.      There are two types of toys that I consider basic furnishings for Hawkhead cages. One is a skewer that hangs in the cage. It unscrews at the top and you can stick the days fruit and veggie chunks on it. It keeps them clean and available and off the floor. Get one to have in the cage and one to be cleaned and you're in great shape for these voracious fruit eaters.      The other one looks like a little round cage made of plastic. There is a piece of the top that can be pulled up and dry treats can be inserted. This is great for shelled nuts or peanuts or nutbread or Nutriberries or various treats that come in small chunks.        Even the most lovingly handfed Hawkheads can go a bit wild if they go for a while without personal attention, or when they are between 6 and 14 months old and still at a store or breeder's. If you add in traveling and arriving at a new place with a new person or persons, you can get a pretty upset bird. The way to deal with this is slowly and with sensitivity.      The first day, just make sure your new friend has everything he needs. His cage should be in a place where he can see everyone move about. Wherever the most action in the household takes place is the best place for him/her to observe you and be entertained and comforted.      Everytime you walk past the cage, stop for a chat (no hands) and put in a grape or a slice of apple or orange. (Of course if you're going to walk past 50 times you can't pop in a grape each time - but you do can say hello each time).      If you are going to leave him/her alone in the house, please turn on a radio or TV. Complete silence is scary to birds. The only time it is completely quiet in the woods is when there is a predator. If you leave and he is alone in the silence he will be scared and very on edge. If then you show up - guess what he's going to think!      Just continue like this for a few days and let her/him settle in. Hopefully soon the bird will come over to take the grapes from your fingers. This marks good progress. Once this happens, you can slowly open the cage door and stick your hand with the grape in. S/He will probably not take it the first time. But in time it will happen. Now it is very important that the trust goes both ways - if you flinch and pull your hand back you will scare him. If you leave your hand there, you both will feel a bond after that.      The next step will be to get him to step up on your arm. Put your hand and wrist into the cage. Let him get a grape. Now you have a second one in your other hand and hold it so that s/he has to step up to get it. By now he knows you well enough to do it. He will, however, test the firmness of the new perch first. Here, again, you have to trust him as much as he must trust you. He will take your arm in his beak and test it. This will not hurt, but it will be a firm grip. Now he will step up.      A couple of days later, you can take him out (I am sure you had his wings clipped before you brought him home). It is best to take him slowly to another room. Your bedroom is good. Close the door behind you and slowly lower yourself onto the bed. now you can slowly put him down. Perhaps in preparation you have scattered some of his favorite food over the bed and put a book or magazine for yourself out. Slowly lie down and ignore him.  Sooner or later he will relax and eat some goodies, and when s/he starts climbing around, you have finished the last step of the training.