by Joni Johnson

Kuali`i, possibly RVM’s only Eclectus parrot, lives on Quail Point Circle and can often be seen wandering the street on the shoulder of one of his adoptive parents, Keith and Barbara Maxfield. Although he was hatched in San Diego, Kuali`i is named for one of Oahu’s famous chiefs.  His parents have had a long time association with the Hawaiian Islands and came to RVM directly from Oahu.

 video of my first meeting with Kuali`i.

Kuali`i is 10 years old and while considered a large parrot is only about the size of a pigeon. He is bright green with a yellow orange beak – but if he had a mate, she would be red and purple with a black beak! The bird reference says that the Eclectus are only a little cuddly, but that they are great companions and love to sit on a perch near you or on your hand. That was certainly the case when I met him outside of his cottage and got to hold him on my finger before moving into the house for our interview.  At first, I was a little anxious but he was so sweet that we got to be somewhat attached and when it was time to leave, he sat on my finger again as if didn’t want to say goodbye.  As Keith said, if you don’t pull away, he just sits there quite happily.  As long as his flight feathers are cut after each molt, he can’t fly away, so he just walks along the street with his dad.

                    Kuali`i at two weeks

Kuali`i has been part of the Maxfields’ lives for most of his.  He is their second eclectus parrot, the first one succumbing to lung failure after a pyrotechnics display in their old neighborhood.  Parrots are very sensitive to smells like perfume, Lysol, bug spray and, of course, smoke.  So the recent fires were a cause of concern.  In the house, they managed by sealing the windows with tape and using air purifiers.  During the evacuation, they luckily had an RV and were able to get away and put him in a little cage that he hated, but that kept him safe.

He loves people and hates being alone, so traveling can be an issue and finding a bird sitter is not as easy as finding a dog sitter.  Luckily, one of the Maxfields’ neighbors offered to take care of him during a trip before Covid, so they wheeled his rather large cage down the street.  Their friends loved it so much that they are eagerly awaiting another turn.

Unlike parakeets, Kuali`i eats twice a day and has a very varied diet including edamame, sweet potato balls and other vegetables and fruits, eggs, apples and peanut butter (just like the rest of us) and chicken bones at night. His species requires more calcium and vitamin A than other parrots, so the need experienced and careful owners.

 see the video of Kuali`i eating

The Maxfields had dogs before living in Hawaii, but traveling to and from the Islands with dogs can be quite an ordeal.  So now they are definitely parrot people and since parrots typically live about 65 years, they figure Kuali`i is their last and favorite pet.  It was quite wonderful watching Keith and his bird together.  The bird clearly adored him, so I asked him if he were the favorite in the family.  He said no.  They chose this particular type of parrot because it didn’t form strong bonds to only to one member of the family.  But, at the same time, he said that Barbara was the alpha parrot. I would never have guessed.