bright yellow birds

Parrot Garden: Birds in paradise

The Parrot Garden is the one place at the Sanctuary where you can talk to an animal and someone will answer back — in English!

Many of our rescued parrots have been through multiple homes and may have special needs to boot. Because parrots live such a long time (some up to 100 years), they are likely to lose their homes many times over the course of their lives, but at the Parrot Garden they can rest and heal.

In a light-filled tropical environment, Parrot Garden residents enjoy nutritious meals, top-notch vet care, mental and social stimulation, and the attention they need to recover and thrive.

Welcome to the Parrot Garden

Parrot Garden headquarters and central aviary

This bright, safe space is designed specifically to enhance and improve the lives of our birds.

The new Parrot Garden headquarters, built in the fall of 2018, features a sturdy concrete foundation, along with updated electrical and plumbing systems.

Created with high-quality materials chosen to stand the test of time (as well as curious beaks), the brighter, safer space is designed specifically to enhance and improve the lives of our birds, however long they are with us.

Each bird who lives here has a story and each one has a unique and distinctive personality. From African greys to Amazons, from parakeets to rosellas, and from cockatiels to conures to macaws, the feathered fliers of the Parrot Garden make up a remarkably diverse and gorgeous flock.

Group of budgies perched on a branch

Parrot care and enrichment

Story time, shower socials, and even dance parties all help make time fly.

What’s a typical day for a parrot? Parrots normally eat their breakfast first thing in the morning. In fact, according to caregivers, they can become quite vocal if they don’t feel you are moving fast enough!

About an hour after breakfast, depending on weather, they are usually moved to their outdoor enclosures where they remain until the afternoon. 

During the day, the birds get plenty of attention from caregivers, volunteers and visitors. Volunteers often play music and dance with them or give them showers in the afternoon. Even shy birds who remain inside get special attention. They especially love to have volunteers sit next to their cages and read to them.

Just before caregivers leave for the day, all the birds receive dinner and treats.

Adopt or sponsor a bird from Parrot Garden

Looking to add a feathered friend to the family? Great! Start your search today.

See All the Birds in Parrot Garden
Animal Previews
Animal Previews
Animal Previews
Animal Previews

Tour the Parrot Garden

Schedule your tour today.

Join us on a walking tour through the Parrot Garden, where you'll meet some of the colorful birds who live there. This is the one place at the Sanctuary where you can talk to an animal and she may talk back! Tours happen daily at 11 a.m. (duration 45 minutes).

This tour takes us through sand and gravel. Navigating this tour by wheelchair, though possible, is difficult. (Service animals are not allowed on the tour.)

Book Your Tour Today
Wild Friends pinned on map

Looking for the Parrot Garden on the map?

Find it on the map
Person feeding fruit to a bird

Volunteer at the Parrot Garden

Looking for face-to-face interaction with the birds? It’s your chance to help with daily care, provide companionship and more.

Come spend some time volunteering with the birds who reside at Parrot Garden, in a beautiful, light-filled tropical environment.

Volunteers with disabilities are welcome! Contact us to learn about volunteering with a temporary or permanent disability. Email volunteers@bestfriends.org or call 435-319-0622.

If you’ve volunteered with Best Friends before, go to the volunteer portal to see opportunities available to you.

Person holding a content bird

Sponsor a Parrot Garden resident

Touched by a parrot’s story or feel a special connection to a bird here at the Sanctuary? Provide a little extra TLC with the gift of sponsorship.
Sponsor a Parrot
Parrot with red, green, and blue feathers perched on a rope

Let’s be friends!

Connect with us on our Parrot Garden Facebook group to stay in the loop about our residents.
Join the Group
3 parrots on branch graphic

Read about the birds

Jen Cunha holding letters A and B for Ellie the Goffin’s cockatoo to see

When parrots go to school

Jen Cunha’s work with parrots is revealing how intelligent they are — and how eager they are to communicate with us.
Their incredible success at communicating
Best Friends Magazine
Smiling person surrounded by baby Quaker parrots, including one on her head

Animals from closed zoo find safety at Best Friends

After a zoo in Puerto Rico closed, hundreds of animals needed new places to live — and help getting there.
Their futures are bright
Feature
Tilly the sulfur-crested cockatoo with wings outspread and head cocked to the side

Wallflower cockatoo blossoms into dancing king

Tilly was shy when he arrived at the Sanctuary, and after trying everything to get him to open up, caregivers found his true love: ’80s women pop artists.
See him move to the groove
Video