Screech Bird !

Let me introduce Screechbird, alias Polly

Now that's a strange picture by way of introduction, you may ask?

This is what my finger looked like after one of the farm staff picked up this half dead, starving green bundle of feathers in the bush. He had quite a way to walk to get to me and I think it had started recovering from the warmth of his hand as his hand was intact when he passed it to me!
As I took it, the bird came to life, and latched onto my finger in a rage. The power of that beak was totally out of all proportion to the size of the bird, as was the piercing sound issuing from its beak. Especially as my finger filled most of that beak!
I started learning things about this little parrot species fast and painfully. The sound didn't diminish in the five to ten minutes we took to remove the thumb from its beak and return it to its rightful owner. Me!
And the vice like grip which kept his beak buried in my finger so effectively didn't loose any power whatsoever!

Screechbird is a ringnecked coniour, not indigenous to South Africa and also unable to survive in the wild. He had obviously been born and bred in captivity and escaped, and nearly died in the process!
He was in bad condition and in an even worse mood! A fierce mood which continued unabated for many weeks despite my best attempts to tame him. My fingers got somewhat torn and battered in the process, but I persisted. And Screachbird started taming

Dog pellets is one of the things he loves, which I give him on rare occasions
He took about a year to tame. @craigcryptoking, my son, on a visit to me, taught him to come when called. I have certain times in the day that I open his cage. And he follows my voice to whichever room I call him from, lands on my shoulder, nibbles my hair and chatters away happily

One of the farm employees is Polly's favorite. When he hears Lungi's voice or he comes near the cage Polly goes ballistic, living up to his other name of Screechbird! This little parrot allows Lungi's hand into his cage and he tosses himself sideways into it!
Photos to follow on my next Polly blog