Birds of a feather flock to annual show

ST. PETERSBURG - Bird lovers had the chance to see more than 3,000 exotic at the SunCoast Avian Society’s 34th Annual Exotic Pet and Bird Show.

Most of the birds on display at the Coliseum in St. Petersburg Saturday and Sunday were rare, difficult to find or unusual, the society's president Tina Carter said.

A black palm cockatoo from Australia drew the interest of many bird lovers. The reason is the price tag of $15,000 for this rare bird. But Foxy is not for sale, she is only the attention getter, said Nick Byers, an owner from Fort Pierce.

“We bought her as a baby 10 years ago, we hand feed her, and we raise her,” he said.

There are only a very few breeders for this bird in the U.S., he said. 

>> Exotic bird show photo gallery

Some bird owners believe birds can save lives. Nanette Szumski-Mleczko says the feathery friends help give her a reason to live.

“I have dogs, but dogs are not loud enough,” she said.

She started with one love bird a couple of years ago, she ended up having 22 pairs of love birds and now she shares her home with three Amazons, two Macaws, two African Grays, she says.

The 56-year-old suffered from bronchitis and a heart attack, and says she is better because of the birds she breeds.

“My birds are therapeutic for me,” she said. “They relax me. They give a reason to get up in the morning. They need me, they are counting on me.”

Since then she rescued three dogs and became a bird breeder. But she tries to find out about the buyers before she sells the birds, she says.

“I take care of my birds. The cockatoo sleeps on my head at night. I want them to have a good home,” she said.

For her, birds are more than friends.

“They are little humans with feathers,” she said. “Every bird I had is different. They have [a] different personality. Take my home, take my car, but don’t mess with my animals.”

Among the birds on display were Blue and Gold Macaw babies, different kinds of Cockatiels, Amazons, Lovebirds, Canaries, a big variety of parrots, and other birds were.

And there was a bird for every bird lover at the expo. For instance, a Jardine Parrot for $600 but without a name. But the bird is special, owner Doug Horton trained the bird to do headstands and even become a card holder.

“If I give her a name, I have to keep it,” Horton said.

For more information about the SunCoast Avian Society, click on over to suncoastaviansociety.org .