Rhode Island Parrot Rescue is a Lifeline for Exotic Birds in Need

Photography courtesy of Rhode Island Parrot Rescue.

The sound is almost literally ear-splitting, a nonstop cacophony of screeches and squawks, chirps and whistles. That din is music to Corrie Butler’s ears. It means the birds that fill this room at Rhode Island Parrot Rescue are happy and healthy.

Photography courtesy of Rhode Island Parrot Rescue.

Butler, the nonprofit organization’s executive director, moves from cage to roomy cage, each one home to a colorful species of tropical bird. Nectar, a thirty-year-old Moluccan cockatoo the color of a creamsicle, jumps up and down with excitement. “He likes you,” Butler tells me. “You probably remind him of his mama,” she adds, referring to the woman who owned him.

Nectar, like so many of the sixty-seven colorful birds residing at RIPR on this particular day — from tiny budgies in pastel blues and greens to giant macaws sporting vibrant feathers of red, turquoise or yellow — is here because his owners, a couple who doted on him, found themselves unable to care for him any longer. 

“A lot of people buy or adopt a parrot when they’re empty nesters,” Butler explains. A fifty-year-old may enjoy having a pet bird for the next two or three decades, then pass away or move into senior living. Because many birds in the parrot family can live anywhere from thirty to 100 years, it’s a sad reality that even the most beloved bird can find itself in need of a new home. 

Unfortunately, some are refugees from large-scale breeding operations. In 2016, the organization was contacted by animal control in Connecticut about dozens of exotic birds abandoned by a breeder. Butler, who was facility manager at the time, recalls the overwhelming stench and the sorry state of the 117 birds who were well enough to bring back to Rhode Island to save. “We spent more than $20,000 on veterinarian bills, but ninety-nine of them survived,” she says. “It took us five years to find homes for them all.” 

Photography courtesy of Rhode Island Parrot Rescue.

Most of the residents at RIPR are awaiting adoption, while a few elderly ones are living out their remaining years in comfort, doted on by Butler, her staff of three and more than sixty volunteers. On average, the organization adopts out eighty-five birds each year. For as long as they live here, each bird enjoys a nutritious diet, twice-weekly showers, continual cleaning of their cages and plenty of mental stimulation. “They’re as smart as a five- or six-year-old child,” Butler says. “Their cognitive skills never cease to amaze me. They need a lot to keep them busy so they don’t go insane.”

The organization is steadily growing. Earlier this year it moved from its cramped Warwick headquarters to a spacious two-story building in West Warwick. Fundraising efforts are underway to continue renovations on the facility, but if the sound of birdsong is any indication, the residents already seem to be enjoying their new digs. riparrots.org