Facts About Henry's The Parrot

Henry is based at Broome Park, he lives wild in the gardens, and is rarely seen, mainly by the gardener and the kitchen porter, sometimes just before sunset or at dawn.

He is male, called Henry Herbert Kitchener and is approximately 11 years old. He is a descendant of Herbert, his Great Great Grandfather.

Background of Lord Kitchener

Horatio Herbert Kitchener, was the 1st Earl Kitchener, born 24 June 1850, died 5 June 1916 at sea. He was a senior British Army officer and colonial administrator. Lord Kitchener came to prominence for his imperial campaigns.

Lord Kitchener became Governor-General of the Sudan in September 1898 and began a programme of restoring good governance. The programme had a strong foundation, based on education at Gordon Memorial College as its centrepiece – and not simply for the children of the local elites, but children from anywhere could apply to study. He ordered the mosques of Khartoum rebuilt, instituted reforms which recognised Friday – the Muslim holy day – as the official day of rest, and guaranteed freedom of religion to all citizens of Sudan.

Henry's Characteristics

Henry is mainly lime green in colour with flashes of red and yellow on his wings, which is why he is difficult to find on the grounds.

The Moluccan Eclectus (Eclectus roratus) is a parrot native to the Maluku Islands (Moluccas the colours of the plumage the male has a mostly bright emerald green plumage. They have a lifespan of 50 years in the wild.

The Maluku are an archipelago in the eastern part of Indonesia. Located east of Sulawesi, west of New Guinea, and north and east of Timor The Moluccas have been considered as a geographical and cultural intersection of Asia and Oceania. The islands were known as the Spice Islands because of the nutmeg, mace, and cloves that were exclusively found there, the presence of which sparked colonial interest in Europe in the 16th century.

Henry's Great Great Grandfather, Herbert lived in the Maluku Island of Indonesia.

He hopped a lift on a cargo ship carrying spices to trade from the Maluku Islands to Indonesia, Ceylon (now known as Sri Lanka) to India. He earned his passage by assisting the crew as a lookout from the bird's nest at the top of the mast.

Whilst crossing the Bandi Sea he saw they were being followed by pirates and he informed the Captain.

The captain continued with his course from the Bandi Sea and into the Indian Ocean.

Somewhere in the Indian Ocean during a wild storm, the pirates took the ship and changed the course of the vessel into the Arabian Sea with a plan to sell the cargo to Saudi Arabia for higher prices.

When the ship entered the Arabian Sea the crew were able to free themselves from the forward hold where they were being held captive, they managed to overthrow the pirates, cast them adrift in a small boat and set sail to the Gulf of Aden to get assistance.

From the Gulf of Aden, they travelled up to the Red Sea. On docking in Sudan, Herbert left the ship, vowing never to set sail again.

On the 8^th of November 1902, he met Lord Kitchener at the opening of Gordon Memorial College in Khartoum Sudan. Herbert was sitting in a tree overlooking the gardens when Lord Kitchener came upon him.

Herbert told him all about his adventures at sea, so fascinated was Lord Kitchener he invited him for dinner, that very same evening. Herbert dined on roasted peanuts and banana leaves and a firm friendship was made.

Herbert stayed with Lord Kitchener as his companion returning to England despite his vow never to set sail again. However, there was a glint in his eye this time as Kitchener was returning with pirate treasure.

Herbert lived many happy years making Broome Park his home and having a family and many grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Q: What do parrots eat?

A: An adult parrot's diet should consist of 70 to 90% pellet food and 10 to 30% fresh foods, including fruits, vegetables, seeds, treats, and nuts.

Q: How do Parrots eat?

A: Parrots are the only birds that can eat with their feet. They have four toes on each foot and a curved beak. All parrots have two toes facing forward and two toes facing backwards, which are used for feeding, climbing, and grabbing branches or toys. This is known as zygodactyl. Another prominent feature is a curved beak that helps open up seeds, nuts, and hard fruits.

Q: When do parrots sleep?

A: A wild parrot's sleep pattern is that they go to roost just before sunset and wake at dawn. This means they live a 24-hour cycle of 12 hours sleeping, and 12 hours awake.

Q: How do parrots sleep?

A: Standing up: The parrot will tuck one foot up into its body feathers. The tendon in the other leg locks around the branch so that the bird doesn't fall off the perch. The one-legged bird is stable. Tucking head into feathers: The second most common movement is to rotate and tuck the head into the neck feather.

Q: Where is Henry’s nest?

A: We are not sure as while the sites used by nesting wild parrots do differ, most breed in some sort of cavity or hollow that hides the nest and provides a measure of protection against the weather. Most parrots nest in tree cavities.

Q: Do parrots learn to talk?

A: Having no vocal cords like humans, they talk by using the muscles in their throats to direct airflow in a certain way, which allows them to mimic different sounds and tones. Studies show that Alex, a famous African grey parrot, had a vocabulary of about 100 words and phrases.

However, Henry has been encouraged to talk by using certain phrases frequently around him and associating words with objects or actions.

Q: What can Henry say?

A: Hello - Good morning – Good evening - Broome Park - Lord Kitchener – Golf Course – More weeds - Lost treasure – and Nuts nuts nuts!

Q: What does Henry do for fun?

A: Parrots hail from rainforests and relish the rainwater. Henry enjoys frequent baths from a spray bottle or shower. And is often found tapping on the windows of the Hotel to seek out companionship or perching on his favourite tree, somewhere in the 240 acres grounds.

Q: Are parrots clever?

A: Parrots are among the most intelligent animals in the world and are known for being extremely smart, using tools to solve complex mechanical problems. Extensive research has shown that some parrots have the intelligence of a 4-year-old toddler and can be taught memory games, tricks, and skits. It is no surprise that Hollywood often chooses to put parrots in movies for entertainment. It is such an amazing sight to see! Many magicians also incorporate parrots into their performances.

Q: Do parrots make great friends?

A: The most fun thing about parrots is their ability to make amazing companions. Parrots thrive as members of the family outside of their cage. They are attention seekers and like to be with you. Although they can be silly, intelligent, and chatty, it’s fascinating to watch a parrot do parrot things.

Q: How long do parrots live?

A: Parrots have a long life expectancy of 40 to 80 years or more. It is considered a great milestone for humans to reach, but it is also the lifespan of some parrots. However, it is difficult to give an average lifespan for a parrot because every species is vastly different. The bigger the parrot, the longer its lifespan.

Q: What is a group of parrots called?

A: A group of parrots is called a pandemonium. This is quite a befitting name for this group of chatterboxes because the word “pandemonium” simply means “noisy and wild.”