- Species: Conure - Black Capped (See species list for details)
- Location: Staunton, Virginia, United States 24401
- Date Lost: May 8, 2025
- Banded: No
- Microchipped: No
Scrubbie is not an escaped bird per se. Scrubbie is an (approx.) ten-year-old, free-flying black-capped parakeet (also called a conure) who is primarily dark green about the size of a robin with emergency wild-foraging training. Scrubbie normally never frightens at even the loudest noises (loud noise training), and he has several ‘safe zones’ he can pick to fly to when something does startle him. However, on Thursday morning May 8, 2025, during our typical morning routine and while outside, something made Scrubbie give two squeaks of danger and he bolted. He did not go to any of his usual perches or safe zones. About an hour later while calling for him, there was a very big, all-yellow bee in our yard the size of a thumb that began batting me on my head and would not let up, and I think this bee spooked or even chased Scrubbie beyond his usual range and Scrubbie got lost. I’ve never seen a bee of this type before in my life, and so, neither had Scrubbie. PLEASE help get Scrubbie back home! Scrubbie is a VERY BONDED, FULL-FLEDGED MEMBER of our household and is loved to the moon and back. Scrubbie’s most identifying feature is that he knows and can say his name and about twenty other phrases WHEN he feels secure enough to talk. (Note: He never talks when he’s frightened, and right now, I doubt he’s up in the trees chattering away. He’s probably spending most of his time finding food). Scrubbie knows how to recognize and gather wild foods like grass seeds, dandelions, berries, worms from fruits and bark, etc., can recognize a wild bird feeder, is sociable (vocally) with wild birds (wild birds don’t frighten him) and has taken baths and drinks of water from shallow creeks, etc; and so, with those skills, I am hopeful he is taking his cues from, and flocking with, songbirds near someone’s feeder and otherwise finding enough to eat with the skills he has learned. Scrubbie is sociable and may fly to a stranger’s shoulder, but Scrubbie may then become wary of an inexperienced handler (you have to know bird body language), so offering a stick for Scrubbie to step up onto is preferable to reaching back at him with bare hands. If you do use bare hands, offer only a finger and let him decide if he wants to step up. Head down at his feet means ‘no,’ and he expects to be respected or he will remind you that he has a sharp beak. Note, while we call Scrubbie a ‘he,’ we have never had him tested. Scrubbie is primarily a dark green bird with a black cap, red wing accents and looks like he is wearing a fancy black and white turtleneck. There are no dark-green, native wild birds in this area, so if you see one matching that description anywhere: at your feeder, in the trees, or flocking with wild birds species, PLEASE take the time to let us know, because it’s probably Scrubbie! If I can get within calling distance of him (no matter how tall the tree) he will fly right to my shoulder.