Subject: Starling for a Pet?
Date: Oct 24 07:19:54 1995
From: Jan Vafa - pendari at u.washington.edu



> use for starlings besides raptor food! (Actually I always wanted to have
> one for a pet - train it to talk). Plus if you had a pet starling, you'd
> break no laws obtaining it, you'd decrease the wild population by 1 bird,
> and if it ever got away, you're not introducing a new critter (in most
> areas). How about it tweets, fess up - any of you ever 'had' a starling
> or house sparrow? I know one who has had the latter as a pet. Hmmmm,
> I'm certainly going off on a tangent, aren't I?
> -------------
> Michael R. Smith

I never had an injured bird survive long enough to be a pet. However
back in Wyoming, a friend rescued a baby magpie that had fallen (?) out
of its nest. She raised it, it did learn to talk, and I swear that bird
loved to tease. It would mimick Julie and call the cat and dog for food,
then laugh at them! One day my sister was trying to get it to say a
specific word, and it wouldn't, responding with other words it knew.
Finally it responded with NO followed by maniacal laughter. My sister
left very quickly. Are there any magpies out here? I don't recall
seeing any.

Jan