BIRDS

BIRDS are fascinating to watch, and they often think the same about you. They're intelligent and have personality. They have evolved to flock, so they are naturally social: You can flock together even if your feathers don't match theirs.

PROS

THEY—–OR RATHER, THEIR CAGES—–DON'T TAKE UP MUCH ROOM.

THE cost to house and feed a bird is modest compared to room and board for other pets.

SOME birds say funny things or say things that are funny in a certain context. Like little brothers. Or like city folk when they visit a farm.

BIRDS like macaws can live up to 100 years, which means that you can leave them to your favorite (or least favorite) nephew or niece.

CONS

BIRDS can be messy and never clean up after themselves.

THEIR feed attracts mice.

THEY fly away.

BIRDS may well be gateway pets toward owning a snake, as 25 percent of snake owners also own a bird.

IF birds get sick, there are avian veterinarians, but it's not every vet practice that has a bird specialist on hand. In fact, find one on hand and they are worth two in the bush. 

Jack Savage lives with his wife on Skydog Farm in New Hampshire, where they have been blessed with a menagerie of pets, farm animals, and surrounding wildlife.