Whilst cockatoos can be a great deal of fun, there are some that can inflict serious injuries when natural instincts take over. Tony Silva, who has worked with many parrot species over the years, offers some valuable advice.

Some weeks ago, I had the honour of visiting the Bird Gardens of Naples, in Florida, which provides a home for unwanted birds. As I walked around with Keriellen Lohrman, we discussed the problem of unwanted cockatoos. Like me, she has found that males are the gender most commonly found in rescues. This is because males can become exceptionally aggressive as they reach sexual maturity, or when the unpredictable nature ingrained in their genes emerges.

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