A special perch

It's 6.30am. Fifi wakes up and wishes everybody 'Good Morning'. He then watches his foster parents doing yoga and tries to stretch his limbs like them. Unlike most young boys, Fifi loves to have his bath. When he is hungry he calls out "Mom, Fifi wants apple". He gets really excited when his dad comes home from work and keeps shouting, "How are you?" till he gets a reply. And 10.30pm is bedtime for Fifi. "Goodnight! See you tomorrow" is what Fifi says before going to sleep.

Fifi is a 20-year-old African Grey Parrot and a member of the Pereira family. His adoptive parents are Ann and Justin Pereira and his foster siblings are Derrick, 20; Effie, 18 and Kevin, 15. Fifi was gifted to the Pereira's by a family friend, who migrated to Canada 16 years ago. (It's 'young boy' for 20-year-old Fifi, since parrots live up to almost 60 years).

Ever since the family has been deeply attached to their feathered family member. Even Fifi is very fond of the family, particularly Derrick, perhaps because they are of the same age. Fifi never pecks on Derrick and perches on his shoulder only. Fifi still remembers his previous owners and sometimes sadly calls out for them "Where are you?" His previous owner played a tune on the guitar, which he still whistles. He can also sing 'Happy Birthday To You' and the nursery rhyme 'One Two Buckle My Shoe'.

"We have never trained him intentionally" says Ann. "I guess he just picked up from our conversation. He loves watching TV and can mimic anyone." Besides English, Fifi understands Tamil and Malayalam. And he actually understands what he is saying! Effie recalls being very upset one day. Fifi sensed it and asked her "How are you?". When Effie shared her sorrow with her feathered buddy, he sympathised with her.

"But he can be really moody at times" says Effie. "Especially when he is hungry." Fifi does not make a fuss over food. He likes Ann's homemade dishes and is particularly fond of pizza and ice-cream.

A remarkable thing about Fifi is that he does not require to be prompted. When somebody knocks at the door Fifi instantly says "Who's there?' and when the phone rings he keeps saying 'Hello', 'Hello' until someone attends the call. "Fifi is a real chatterbox" says Kevin. "When he creates too much racket and I ask him to shut up he gets offended and promptly replies 'You shut up'." Justin who is an ardent animal lover has many other pets; over 50 lovebirds, 40 cockatoos, six dogs and a pond full of fishes. But Fifi is special and he knows it.

He considers himself as the 'Big Boss'. He is the only bird with a cage inside the villa. He is very protective of the younger birds. He knows all the dogs by name and sometimes bullies his canine friends. "Shut up Max" is what Fifi says when Max is barking unnecessarily. And if Fifi does not approve of any dog entering his room he shouts, "Get out stupid".

"Generally Fifi is quite well mannered" says Ann defending her beloved parrot. He greets all guests when they come in or are about to leave. Fifi feels shy with new guests and hence the family has recorded his voice on a tape. "Our guests are simply astonished at Fifi's intelligence and wit," said Ann. "I am so proud of my Fifi. He is a very sensible parrot."

It's a bond of love. When the Pereiras talk about Fifi they are not talking about a pet parrot, they are talking about a family member.