"Quick! The boss is out. Throw on some Elvis!!!" The birds at Best Friends have been enjoying some tunes lately. The staff at the Parrot Garden (formerly known as Feathered Friends) have set up speakers all around the inside of the parrot building. Birds love listening to music. Or watching TV. Or playing video games (alright, so maybe they just like to watch the video games). They're junkies for all things entertainment. A lot of people with pet birds find that leaving the radio or TV on when they step out really helps the birds feel happier.

Beyond that, music is just plain fun. Birds dance and sway to a good beat, or become more relaxed with a soothing song. When bird manager Suzanne Cordrey is around, the music is mostly relaxing or classical. A great choice, really. Calming music can be a great asset when you have a whole bunch of noisy neighbors. (Ever heard a roomful of macaws try to out-screech each other?) Helps keep the staff relaxed, too.

For a long time, the birds had just a boom box for the whole building. Now it's all about surround sound! Anything to keep the parrots interested and occupied. And of course, while classical music is great most of the time, every now and again there¹s nothing like good ol' rock and roll! As the saying goes, when the classical music lovers are away, the King comes out to play ...

Story by David Dickson
Photo by Molly Wald

Want to come dance with the parrots in person? Learn more about visiting Best Friends.