Current Residents

Pidgey was the first bird taken on by Mariah and Amber as a team in 2017. He was spotted by Amber after appearing to have fallen onto anti-bird spikes atop a grocery store. He was immobile on the ground, bleeding from a puncture wound. As people passed in and out of the store disregarding the bird, she quickly scooped him up and into her purse. He was taken to our workplace rehabilitation facility at the time and upon further inspection, the wing was fractured in a precarious spot. If a bird were expected to achieve flight for successful return to the wild then this was a euthanizable offense. However, not only was Pidgey a fighter, he was also a fair-mannered feral (not technically wild) pigeon. He was doing well in-care, the injury did not impede normal mentation or activity (save flight), and it was clear he deserved a second chance at life. Mariah took him in her care and while he hasn’t adapted to flight again, he has never stopped trying.

Mariah named this sweet, blue-eyed baby pigeon ‘Amber’ in an attempt to annoy human co-founder Amber. Which worked. There was no better name for her though, given her beautiful copper tones. Mariah rescued her from a school in Oakland, where she had fallen from her nest (which was too high to for her to be re-nested to) and managed to get stuck between some outdoor plumbing. She was extremely emaciated, dehydrated, and cold. Mariah rushed to get her stabilized and within a few days she bounded back stronger than ever.

Pobby is a small and sassy Green-Cheeked Conure rescued from a pet store in 2019. Initially, Amber took home a visibly sickly parrot neighboring Pobby. After a few days, the initial parrot, Bort, passed away with what an avian vet suspects was a virus (RIP). Because of this, Amber asked the pet store to have Pobby looked at by a vet in case she also had the virus - which they refused. They also refused to allow Amber to purchase Pobby, likely suspicious that an incident with another under-cared for parrot would further vilify them. After a bit of time deliberating, Mariah went to spring Pobby from her shackles and Amber took her to an avian vet where she received a clean bill of health. Pobby lived with Amber for some time, but as it turns out, Mariah was her true love, so Amber conceded.

Charlie is a Double Yellow-Headed Amazon parrot of unknown age - but we do know he was born before 1993. Sadly, Charlie was caught as an adult and thrust into the pet trade, ultimately robbed of his life in the wild. He has a special band signifying that he is a wild-caught adult, a practice that is thankfully banned now. His “wife” is Aggie, and they have been together since the early 2000s.

Aggie is a Yellow-Headed Amazon parrot that was hatched in captivity in 1975(!). We don’t know if her parents were wild caught or bred in captivity. She has a number of chronic health issues that likely stem from nutritional deficiencies suffered early in life. Most notable is her podo-dermatitis, which is a constant inflammation and shedding of the skin on her feet. It can be quite painful for her, so ensuring that she is comfortable and minimizing her pain is paramount. She and her “husband” Charlie have been shuffled through a number of caretakers, but will live out their senior days in peace at BBS.

Pudzy is a domestic pigeon that was brought into a wildlife hospital after being hit by a car in 2020. Amber was a tech who assumed part of the long-term treatment plan for his many injuries. He sustained a wing fracture, maloccluded beak, and a traumatic brain injury that left him blind in his right eye. While he’s still a bit dull in mentation, he IS flighted again - which was quite a surprise because the fracture left his right wing permanently tilted. Often, people who breed or race pigeons either lose their birds or release them once they decide they no longer want to care for them. These birds are not suited for the wild and usually end up injured by the environment or vulnerable to diurnal raptors. Now, Pudzy lives a slow-paced and safe life in Amber’s permanent care where he enjoys window preening, karaoke in the shower, and napping in soft blankets.

Benny is a retired racing pigeon that is glad to have his racing days behind him. On his last flight he suffered a blow that fractured his right wing, and he ended up at our bird vet hospital. He had surgery performed in the hopes of allowing him to fly again, but as with many bird wing fractures this ultimately wasn’t possible.

Ducky is a Goffin’s Cockatoo that came to the sanctuary in May of 2023. He’s settling in well so far.