Interview With Mattie Sue Athan
By Anne Watkins
World renowned avian behavior consultant, speaker and author Mattie Sue Athan recently took time from her busy schedule to answer a few questions for Companion Birds.
CB: How did you realize your ability to modify bird behavior?
MSA: I didn't. There was a breeder/store owner named Gale Whittington who recognized that his birds were better behaved when I was there or if I had been there recently and who encouraged me to try to find out why. I was writing a book that included two talking bird characters, and I decided to try to find out all I could about talking birds. I guess I got lost in the research. That book was never finished, but I'm now working on my sixth book on bird behavior -- on Second-hand Parrots, co-authored with Dianalee Deter-Townsend.
CB: What's your favorite bird behavioral tip and why?
MSA: If you see a behavior you don't like, replace it by stimulating and reinforcing a new one. It's really the only thing you need to know. Everything else is just technique, but loving techniques are the art of the craft.
CB: What's your best advice for first-time bird keepers in regard to choosing a parrot?
MSA: Avoid expectations. Let love and adventure guide the relationship.
CB: What is the most important thing you'd like folks who share their lives with companion birds to take to heart?
MSA: Hang in there, don't ever give up. Especially if the bird flies away; stay in the field until the bird is found. It's easy. I've done it time and time again in good weather and bad.
CB: What sort of birds share your life today?
MSA: Portia and Penelope and Saucey and Lolita (Amazons), Scarlet (macaw), Kenya-Sue (Jardine's), and Tza-Tza (Quaker).
Book Reviews
Mattie Sue Athan is the author of five books on parrot behavior and is currently completing another project with co-author Dianalee Deter-Townsend. These beautifully illustrated books are required reading for any bird enthusiast. Each volume provides insight into parrot behavior and offers general care tips and grooming information, feeding and caging notes, and personal stories that illustrate the often complex relationships between birds and humans. I'd like to heartily recommend two of Ms. Athan's books in this month's column.
Guide to a Well-Behaved Parrot, first issued in 1993, was reissued in 1999 by Barron's Educational Series, Inc. and is one of the best selling books on parrot behavior in the world. The book includes chapters on parrot socialization, bird behavioral development, what to expect from your parrot, how the companion parrot fits into the human world, and true-life bird stories drawn from Ms. Athan's experiences. A glossary of terms in the back of the book is helpful in understanding ‘parrot' terms used in the text.
Items covering caging, toys, bathing, diet, parrot body language, aggression, and talking birds are only a few of the fascinating and informative sections this book has to offer. The anecdotes interwoven throughout the book give it a personal, comfortable feel and there are many clear, full color photographs depicting typical parrot behavior. Various parrots are caught in the act of enjoying showers, stretching greetings to their owners, playing, displaying, and interacting with humans. After reading this book, you will have a clearer understanding of what makes your companion bird tick.
Guide to Companion Parrot Behavior, is, in the words of Ms. Athan, to "be considered the second half of Guide to a Well-Behaved Parrot." Issued by Barron's Educational Series, Inc., the book is chock full of brilliant color photos, clear line drawings, and well explained, easy-to-understand terms. It is must-read material for anyone considering the adoption of a companion bird.
Ms. Athan devotes chapters to each type of parrot, from tiny parakeets to majestic macaws, and every species in between. These chapters contain useful information that will aid both the first-time bird shopper and the experienced parrot owner in the selection of a pet bird. The special needs, basic physical descriptions, diet requirements, and general personality traits of each bird are covered.
Other chapters include "What is a Companion Parrot?" "Finding the Right Bird," "General Care and Other Considerations," "Behavioral Development," "Occasional Behavioral Issues," and, one of my favorite sections, "Stories About Companion Parrots." Each chapter covers in depth aspects of parrot behavior that will guide you to a better understanding of your bird.
Ms. Athan explains how to groom your companion bird with a minimum of stress in a segment titled "Low-stress Grooming: A Behavioral Perspective." Her technique advocates an approach that is minimally invasive and is much easier on a shy or frightened bird. Other sections of the book explain the importance of providing a variety of perches, discuss what happens when a bonded parrot survives its owner, what to do during the bird's first few days in its new home, and the importance of proper placement of the cage inside the home. Tips on training and rewards, screaming parrots, biting birds, feather mutilation, health issues, recovering escaped birds, and many, many more informative sections are invaluable for anyone who shares his or her life with a companion bird.
A well-written, comprehensive book that will provide hours of entertainment and education, Guide to Companion Parrot Behavior is one I highly recommend to anyone who loves birds.
To learn more about Mattie Sue Athan and her work, visit her web site, Positively Parrots.
