Thinking of getting a bird? It just might outlive you

[Bob]

Mai Klooster, a petite, brown-haired 7-year-old, spent most of the time at the Big Bend Bird Club meeting flitting from place to place, meeting new birds.

"She pestered me for a year before I would buy her a bird," said her dad, Dan. When he finally gave in, Mai scraped together all of her saved-up allowance and donations from family members and bought a cockatiel.

Mai and more than 30 other bird enthusiasts gathered at Dorothy B. Oven Park for the Big Bend Bird Club's question-and-answer session Sunday.

The meeting allowed current and prospective bird owners to pose questions to a group of experts. The panel of experts, some of whom were members of the bird club's board, gave advice on the care, maintenance and training of parrots and other exotic birds.

Pat and Barbara Henstebeck gave advice on caring for the largest species of parrot, the macaw. While macaws can make wonderful pets, the Henstebecks cautioned people against buying one of the birds without knowing what they are getting into.

"Getting a macaw is a huge, huge commitment," said Barbara, who owns four macaws. "If I had to do it all over again, I wouldn't get this species of bird."

Macaws can live for up to 80 years, which means they often outlive their owners. Barbara and Pat said that after they die, their macaws will go to Foster Parrots, Ltd. bird sanctuary in Massachusetts. The sanctuary charges $2 a day for the birds' maintenance, which adds up when you figure that the birds may live an additional 40 or 50 years each.