Hello. Paulie here. Green-wing Macaw. Extra-large. Extra-observant. Hatched in 1995, and carrying the full weight of a life lived in chapters.

Before Parrot Partners, I spent many years as the mascot in a cabinet-making shop in Toronto. The humans there adored me. They genuinely believed that keeping me in the office protected me from the sawdust, varnish fumes, and industrial haze drifting through the building. Their intentions were kind. The air was not.

Macaw lungs and air sacs are sensitive, far more than most people realize. Years of exposure left me with a form of COPD, the chronic kind that shapes how I breathe every day now. When your lungs work harder than they’re built for, your whole body feels it.

My feather plucking began during those years. It wasn’t “behavioural” in the way people often assume. It was discomfort. When you can’t breathe cleanly, when your air sacs burn or feel tight, a bird tries to self-soothe. For me, that meant over-preening until my feathers thinned. Even now, when my respiratory system flares, I feel that urge return.

This is why I’m a permanent resident. I don’t just need affection. I need specialized care, stable humidity, clean air, careful veterinary oversight, and people who understand what respiratory discomfort looks like in a bird built on air itself.

Since arriving in 2019, I’ve been given all of that. My breathing is monitored, my environment kept safe, and my enrichment tailored so my mind stays busy and my body stays calm. And when I do pluck, the staff know it’s not “misbehaviour” but a message.

Macaws like me don’t give trust lightly. When I look at someone and soften, when I offer that low macaw purr, it’s deliberate. I choose my people.

Your sponsorship supports my respiratory care, my ongoing medical needs, the enrichment that helps regulate my body and mind, and the dignified, predictable life a bird like me needs to age well.

If you choose me, I’ll acknowledge you. Maybe it’s a slow blink. Maybe a small feather ruffle in your direction. I’m not theatrical. I’m sincere.

I’m Paulie. My lungs carry a hard history, but my life now is steady, respected, and safe. Your support keeps it that way.