A beloved Halifax mascot has finally made a friend and his health appears to be improving, according to an Ontario nature park where he is being rehabilitated.
For 20 years, Merlin the Rainbow Macaw greeted visitors to the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic until he had to retire due to failing health.
During COVID, Merlin had less interaction with his human friends. He ruffled his own feathers, a behavior some birds exhibit when stressed.
Her caretakers decided to find Marilyn a new home last spring so she could recover. Maybe he can make new flying friends and learn to be a bird after being surrounded by humans all his life.
Taryn Hipkiss, general manager of Safari Niagara, said the merlin's feathers have grown back and he now shares a staff-only enclosure with the female blue-and-gold macaw Kiki.
“We think Marilyn is making some good progress,” she said, adding that if her progress continues she could be on outdoor display open to the public this summer.
Merlin the Macaw has been greeting visitors to the Halifax Museum for nearly 20 years. But the museum staff say that although their relative is young, his health is deteriorating. Merlin will soon move to a zoo in Ontario so he can live around other exotic birds and learn to fly.
Concerns over mobility, diet, hygiene
When Merlin arrived, Hipkiss said there were concerns about his mobility because he was reluctant to leave his perch.
While Merlin can't fly yet, Hipkiss said his caretakers plan to walk him around his enclosure as much as possible.
“His and Kiki's food is strategically placed to encourage him to travel with locomotion,” she said.
The staff had to diversify Marilyn's diet and encourage her to bathe.
“We've also introduced easy bait options to help get him interested in exploring the whole space,” she said. “So it's to teach him and to feed and encourage free natural parrot behavior.
“(Bathing) was something that Marilyn was very hesitant about and showed no interest at first.”
make friends
Hipkiss said the Safari Niagara team also paid attention to Merlin's social life.
Parrots are very social birds that can become depressed if left alone, she said.
This meant that Marilyn had to overcome her social awkwardness as part of her recovery.
Hipkiss said that Marilyn initially ignored Kiki because she had spent her life around humans.
“They were sharing the enclosure but not really interacting with each other much,” she said.
“Kiki would come and look for him and he would allow that, but he wouldn't go near him.”
Zookeepers encouraged Merlin to interact with Kiki by sharing food and water.
They also placed a flock of six macaws next to Merlin so he could see other birds interacting, Hipkiss said.
This seems to improve her social skills, as Marilyn now often interacts with Kiki.
“They get along very well,” she said.
A 'prime example' of recovery
Hipkiss said Merlin's progress has made her a “prime example” of bird rehabilitation at zoos.
She added that macaws typically live into their 80s, which means Merlin, who is in his 20s, has several years ahead of him to adapt to his new life.
“He's making his transition,” she said. “He's doing very, very well. We take all our cues from Merlin, so Merlin basically decides how fast or slow his progress is.”
