What is that awful sound?

People living in American cities must have wondered this when red-crowned parrots moved into town. The noisy birds gather in large flocks. Then they start making a racket—especially in the morning and evening. The groups let out loud screeches as they travel to new feeding spots. That’s all well and good—unless a feeding spot is on your front lawn while you’re trying to get some sleep!

People complain about the parrots’ noise. Some even take matters into their own hands by harming the birds. Brooke Durham runs a parrot rescue center in Jamul, California. She cares for red-crowned parrots with broken bones and pellet-gun wounds. She says the people hurting the birds don’t know they’re endangered. What else might the birds’ new neighbors not know about them?

It’s true that red-crowned parrots are not easy to live with. Training them takes a lot of work. To red-crowned parrots, everything looks like a toy. They will chew on and explore anything you leave lying around. If they don’t have good discipline, some of the birds even chew on electrical wires. That could cause house fires.

But these intelligent birds aren’t just nuisances. They are incredible creatures made by God. They can make very playful and affectionate pets. They mimic sounds, and some talk. Like all birds, they have mostly hollow and thin bones. That allows them to fly. Their curved beaks help them climb and pick things up. They have four toes on each foot. Two of the toes point forward and two point backward. This arrangement helps them climb and grasp. When a parrot crouches, its legs automatically clasp whatever it is perching on. Its feet and legs are built to stand for long periods of time—since the birds never sit down. Then, once the birds are ready to fly again, their feet unclamp. Off they go!