Meet the colorful people devoting their lives to parrots

A photographer goes inside the wild world of people who love parrots, rescuing birds that others have given up.

Pictured are Michael Reynolds (human) and Beryl (parrot), outside of Michael's two-bedroom bungalow in the countryside of Kent, England. Beryl is a feral Indian Ring Neck that Michael found injured and subsequently tamed. The two are nearly always together when Michael is not at work. Michael keeps Beryl’s nails long so that she can grip branches and his shoulders. Although Beryl’s wings are unclipped, Michael never worries she’ll fly away as she is “well-behaved.”
Photograph by Miisha Nash

When firefighter Brian Wilson retired in 1995, he planned to fill his days teaching fire and public safety classes to children. He liked to bring along his three parrots for these public appearances; he found the birds were a crowd-pleasing way to deliver the message. He even taught his green-winged macaw, Rocco, to stop, drop, and roll.

But a devastating car accident left Wilson with serious and permanent injuries that upended his life as well as his retirement plans. He has since regained his ability to walk and talk, and he credits his birds with the progress he’s made.

“My parrots rehabilitated me,” Wilson says. “With what they did for me, I want to rescue every bird I can and make them

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