Parrot Nation

You’ll see these at most any bird-related festival, expo, conference, meeting, bird club get-together, or seminar.  It’s usually their favorite species, or one they they happen to have parked in their living room, bird room, or the one currently sitting on their shoulder, discreetly crapping down their back.

And for the uninitiated, please don’t tell us we have bird poop down the back of our shirt.  We know we have bird poop on our shirt. We knew it the second the bird dumped on us. But at that particular point in time, there isn’t much we can do about it but ignore it or we’d do something about it.  And we prefer that you do the same unless you have a tissue and are willing to clean it off.

Most “Bird friends” don’t make a big deal about it. We just tell the afflicted person, “Here, let me get that.” whip out a tissue, do a quick wipe up and it’s done.  We don’t think a thing of it, really.

However, just because you are “wearing” that particular design with that species does not prevent you from “cross-species friendships.” You are allowed to place a bird of a different species on your hand or shoulder despite your own “gear preference.” We do not discriminate due to your clothing.

I have seen earrings, capes, shoes, purses, bags, and dresses.

It’s actually a big industry, feeding us with all of the parrot-paraphernalia we need to acquire. These are hot items at parrot fairs and shows. T-shirts are always popular:

And of course, it’s cool to not only wear a t-shirt of your favorite bird, it’s even more cool wear the actual favorite bird on the favorite t-shirt of your favorite bird.

Some people have custom shirts made. This is a t-shirt Bart Henry’s Mom has that was designed by King Crayon’s Parental Units. They have this really cool book series out called, The Black Beak Pirate Saga. Not only are King Crayon’s Parents good at photoshopping, they’re hellishly good illustrators. The illustration is from “Black Beak’s Revenge,” Book Six of the Black Beak Pirate Saga written by Barbara Altenberendt, illustrated by Catherine Van Riper and published by Black Beak Press. It’s not Pirates and Parrots. It’s Pirates as Parrots!

Sometimes it isn’t just the people wearing bird shirts. Occasionally, you’ll see a bird shirt on a bird. Here’s Bart from one of my earlier posts wearing quite the festive outfit:

Bart’s mom did the photoshopping on this one. Notice she cut the back of the Vans shoes out to make room for Bart’s talons. So, Bird People like their bird stuff. And we’ve just scratched the surface on the type of bird stuff Bird People like. I myself do not look good in Bird gear. I’ve discussed this before and most of you are aware of my physical appearance. Suffice it to say that if I had Bart’s shirt on, you would see a shirt walking around by itself.  I disappear in large, colorful prints so I shy away from wearing them.  I prefer shirts with “Bird Places” rather than the actual birds. My choices tend to run to black with a logo. That way you not only see me, you can see where I’ve been.

But the “Bird Shirt” is here to stay. It will thrive, survive and keep coming back as a staple among those who count beaks instead of noses at lights out.