My father, it appears, has begun collecting birds.
This all started a couple of years ago when he found an injured black bird in the middle of the road and brought it home to nurse it back to health. Overtime, he came to love the bird, even buying it its own cage and affectionately naming it "Blackie." (True story).
(Although black, this is not "Blackie," but the resemblance is uncanny!)
Once Blackie had recovered from her injuries she was set free, and, not wanting to leave his newly purchased bird cage empty, my dad went out and bought two budgies. Budgies, in case you were wondering, are incredibly cute birds that DO NOT shut up.
(Standard Budgie. Picture does not do noise justice.)
It has been several years since the first budgie was purchased (a few have died, so he buys replacement budgies) and it appears that my dad is outgrowing the tedium of budgie care. He is now in the market for....a macaw. Yes, a giant parrot that can be trained to speak, often found on the shoulder of pirates.
(Newest member of the McFadden family?)
He told me a friend of a friend found one in his backyard, and that he is looking for someone who might want it. My dad's friend promised him she would look into how he could go about acquiring said macaw, but my dad is skeptical because his friend had had a lot of wine before she started making promises concerning exotic birds.