Birds are often overlooked as credible animals for our consideration. They are small and insignificant, they are not soft and cuddly, they are never excited to see us, and they don't have opposable thumbs with which to impress us with skills reserved only for human beings and monkeys who can fling their own faeces. They are more often seen as pests; a species of such abundance that we don't need to stop if we hit one with our car, or that we can cull if they start to encroach on 'our' land and eat our fruit trees.

But let's face it, birds have the closest personalities to humans of all the animal species. They are sarcastic little so and so's with wicked senses of humour, who literally believe in some situations that they are in fact human beings. They are also far more loyal than humans; even without the sanctum of marriage, they mate for life, which is why you so often see kamikaze crows mourning over their road kill spouse.

How can we so easily disregard a creature like this?  

My appreciation of these creatures started when I lived in Ecuador for 6 months.  I would very much like to share those reasons with you...

Fun story; A story of the most incredible interaction I have seen between two animals. Lets forget for one moment that one of those animals is a hideous murderer.

From 100 metres away I heard blood curdling macaw screams mixed with sounds of high pitched squirrel monkey squawks. The macaws are about twice the size of the monkeys, thus the unusual discrepancy in the sound description. I ran over to find the macaw on the outside had just been attacked by a troop of squirrel monkeys. Perhaps as a means of teasing and taunting his prisoner friend who was helplessly behind bars.

As I neared, the monkeys dispersed. So I stood back to observe if any injuries had been sustained. What I witnessed was unforgettable.

A converstaion ensued between macannibal and his friend. The friend, clearly shaken up started ranting, seemingly giving macannibal a play by play description of the events that just occurred. The whole while, macannibal just listened, and at every appropriate moment, I swear to god, he kept saying in an aggreeable and comforting tone “oh i knoooow... I know....”. Call me crazy, but I swear that's what was happening.