MARCO'S STORY

MARCO

Hi.  My name is Marco and I am an imprinted pet European Starling.  Imprinted means that I was raised by myself and knew no one else but my human Mom.  If released into the wild I would not know how to feed myself, defend myself, and the other starlings would not like me because I wouldn't know their songs or their ways.  At least that's what I understand "imprinting" to mean.  Anyway, here's my story and I'm sticking to it.

BABY MARCO

I was hatched May, 2001 in Marco Island, Florida.  My real parents had made a nest in an aluminum shutter in a high rise condo.  A guy named Bill was working on the shutters and he saw the nest.  He immediately looked in and saw me, the only one alive.  He told my Mom that it stunk really badly.  He took me out of the nest and put me in a coffee cup.  He didn't have anything to feed me during the day, so all he could do is hope that I survived that day.  When he got home he told his Mom, my Mom's friend, Debbi, to take me to Mom's house.  She did and when she got here I was very hungry.  I saw my Mom and opened up my mouth very large and began to cry.  She was ready for me and she had baby parrot formula to feed me.  She did not know what kind of bird I was.  The baby bird formula is not the right thing to feed any baby sing bird, but Mom didn't know.

MY LEAF!

Mom put me into a glass tank with a heating pad on the bottom and fed me all day and night.  I was so hungry that it didn't matter to me what I ate.  Mom even gave me things that I should never have eaten, like fishing worms and raw hamburger.  Yuck!  Then Mom got smart and someone told her that I might be a starling.  She looked on the internet and found http://starlingtalk.com and http://starlingcentral.net . These sites were so helpful with information about what to feed me and what I liked and needed.  Mom got me on the right diet.

MARCO LOVES BATHS!

Mom was going to release me, not knowing about imprinting and all, but I had other ideas.  I just clung to Mom's shoulders and head and wouldn't let go!  I lived on the screen porch for three to four months.  I had a cage that I went into at night.  One day I flew into the glass doors and suffered a concussion.  The vet said I was really lucky I survived and got better.  After that I was brought indoors for good.  I now have a large cage and I get time out a couple of hours a day.

One time when they were trying to teach me to eat by myself they put crickets in my glass cage.  There was a cricket on the side of the glass.  I hopped over to him, opened my mouth and hollered very loudly.  I couldn't understand why that cricket wouldn't hop into my mouth!  Every time I hollered at Mom with my mouth open, food would pop in there.  I just didn't understand.

They still didn't really believe starlings could talk.  Mom used to kiss me and I'd bite her lip (like all teenager starlings do).  She'd holler, "Ouch, that hurts!"  Then I began to say that.  They couldn't believe their ears!  I also began to cough, sneeze and clear my throat, just like Mom.

I have a very large vocabulary now and I say new things all the time.  I also have two new brothers who live in the house.  They don't look like me, as they are Pacific parrotlets.  I don't like them very much but I tolerate them because Mom thinks they are cute and sweet.

MARCO'S PHONE

I really like living with Mom and Dad, and even being a wild bird I don't think I'd want to go back outdoors.  Why would I?  I have everything any bird could ever want here!

Story and photographs contributed by Marco's Mom, Pat Roberts.
Copyright © 2007, Pat Roberts