Stats Full Name: Confetti
Date of Hatching: December 30, 1997
Color: Pied, with a great deal of white.
Uncommon Fact: Any babies of Confetti's that are born with a hooded head, like his, also have a single black feather right on top. Like his.

Confetti was sick when we got him. He was four weeks old, and the poor baby ended up in the hospital! After we finally got him well, he started to learn to sing--songs we knew! He's extraordinarily smart. After he'd mastered all the whistling tunes on the tape we got for him, he started learning variants to those tunes. For instance, my dad sings an . . . interesting . . . version of "Dixie," so Confetti learned it. Then he learned the cupboard squeaks. Then he learned that he could watch us, and when any of us started opening the squeaky cupboards he would squeak with it. I guess he supposed that was no fun, because he changed his tactics. Whenever he saw us going to a cupboard that didn't squeak, he squeaked for it!

Confetti learned the alarm beep, and beeps whenever we open a door. He learned the beeping of the telephone when we dial, and starts beeping whenever we pick up the phone. I was told that after a 'tiel learned to chirp, they wouldn't ever learn to talk. I guess Fetti's contrary, because he taught himself to say "Come here, Confetti!" "Oh, good bird," "I love you, too," "Fwoosh, Fris-Bird!" and various other things. 'Tiels don't speak well, so only people who recognize the odd tone they use ever realizes he's doing more than making noise, though!

I taught him the Twilight Zone theme song--several versions of it--and tried to teach him Darth Vader's theme, but it was too low. Now I'm working on "Zippity Do Dah"! If I would remember to sing it, he'd learn it a lot faster! He knows to come--in fact, he tells me to come often! When he was younger he vocalized a lot more. For instance, if I turned toward his cage, he would tell me I'm a good bird! Now, he mostly just says "Come here, Confetti" and "Fwoosh, Fris-bird!" (his favorite by far!). He likes to serenade Kris when she's sitting on eggs--and it drives her nuts. 'Tiels are supposed to be shy, but Confetti--and all his boys--try and show off whenever there's company, or they're someplace new! He's also learned that if I want to teach him a new song, I'll say "Okay, listen!" and he does! Cocks his head and looks at me very intently, then tries to mimic what I do or sing with me!

Confetti is very good at learning tricks. I'm teaching him to follow me right now, and he knows how to come very well. If I tell him "Shhh! We have to be sneaky!" then he hunkers down on my shoulder and doesn't make a peep! He gives kisses and laughs at me--mimics my laugh, and bobs his head whenever he does it! He even learned to open his cage door, so I have to keep him happy so that he doesn't go letting himself out! Thankfully, he doesn't do it very often, and he hasn't taught Chex how to yet!

Most recently, Confetti learned how to 'tell secrets.' He puts his beak right next to my cheek, and moves it really quickly like he's talking. Cracks me up.

Confetti is nothing if not a flirt. People who come into the house are fair game, though his favorite audience is me. He sings and talks to me, and I just crack up. He kills me! One of his favorite games is to string bits of songs together to make a new song--he's pretty good at it, too!

That's Confetti now--only, now, his tail is grown out! (There's a really pretty picture of Confetti in my room, at the bottom of the page!) He's pied--that's where they have big spots like that--and his dad was also white-faced, which is why he's so white all over, instead of yellow! Someone in the supermarket offered me three hundred dollars for him once, after he'd finished singing "Charge" for the people in line. I got a kick out of that, though I'd never sell Kris or Confetti! ('Tiels normally go for about seventy dollars around here, so three hundred amazed me!)

Confetti, however, is almost as stubborn as I am. He hates his leash, and bites. I can't think of any other time when he bites people, except when I'm trying to put his leash on him! Consequently, we have a lot of battles over it, and he usually ends up in his cage, alone, wearing his leash until he's nicer to me. Confetti is also very, very jealous. He gives kisses--bumps his beak against people's mouth--when he wants to tell you he loves you. One day Older Sister was playing with Chex, and I was holding Confetti. As soon as Chex left Confetti leapt over to Older Sister, climbed up her body and kissed her repeatedly! Then ran off, without even waiting for a head-scratching! It was the funniest thing I'd ever seen--and he's since proven his jealousy in many other ways! (Little Sister dubbed him "Loverboy" because of this!)