- Hey guys, guess what!
Jinx merch is in!
I'm sporting my first hoodie
with Jinx's design on it.
"Your Only Limit Is You", is the quote
I chose for, Jinxie. (kisses)
And I made sure
that the design was nice
and teal, like he is.
Even though he's called a blue-throated macaw,
teal is his color.
Bubs, woo!
- [Jinx] Woo!
(laughs)
- What did we say when your merch came in?
Did we laugh,
or did we go, woo!?
(Jinx makes throaty sound)
We did a little of that, whatever that was.
(rhythmic music)
All right, I have gotten a lot
of questions about my blue-throated macaw, Jinx,
so I thought I would take a minute,
or a few minutes,
or however many minutes this video ends up being,
and answer some of your questions about Jinxie.
Number one,
how old is he
and how old was he when I got you?
- [Jinx] Woo!
- Woo!
(upbeat rhythmic music)
He is currently. (Jinx caws)
(upbeat rhythmic music)
Bubba!
As far as how old Jinx was when we got him,
he was just a little babe.
He was the cutest little fluff monster
in the whole freaking universe.
(Jamieleigh sighs)
I don't exactly remember how many months you were,
but you were little.
(Jinx purrs)
He was the cutest baby.
I also thought you guys might like a video
with Jinx on a more mellow day.
This is him being mellow.
Blue-throats, as a species,
I would say, are a little more high-strung
(laughs)
than your typical macaw species.
As long as you don't include the militaries in there,
they're also high-strung.
But blue-throats are very twitchy,
they can be kind of,
a little bit more fast-moving
than your typical macaws,
more easily heightened.
But I would say, Militaries fit
that bill as well.
So that's why I get a lot
of comments saying
that he reminds people
of a robot when he gets super excited.
He starts getting twitchy
and robotic movements.
Which I can't do, obviously.
And that's more species-specific.
That's not just all macaws,
that's these guys.
And it's actually
what first made me want a blue-throated macaw,
is I met a friend
of mine who had two
and I fell in love with them.
Originally, we wanted all blue-throat macaws
for Freeflight.
We just thought, that would be awesome.
What if we had two
or three blue-throated macaws.
At the time that we got him, they were $2,500 each.
While our camelot macaws were only $750.
So we couldn't really justify spending
that much money on macaws.
So we went for two camelots,
and we only got one blue-throat.
And we did get all three
of our Macaws at the exact same time.
But they came from different sources in Florida.
But Jinx is from Florida.
All right, I don't know
how many questions I've already answered so far,
so I'm gonna stop numbering them.
Because I only numbered one
and then answered like, five.
Has Jinx ever bit me hard?
Have you ever bit me?
Super duper hard?
He has.
And I will always remember it,
because it's only happened one time,
knock on wood.
I don't have a scar from it or anything.
And I think it mostly hurt my feelings.
(crowd grumbles)
I left him with a friend over the summer.
So he was initially okay,
but kind of standoffish.
And I should have read that,
but I was so happy to see him,
that I just kind of thought,
"You can't be anything but happy to see me, too."
And that just wasn't the case.
He needed a hot second
to be like, "I'm gonna punish you first."
That was just a misread on my part
because I let my emotion of wanting to see him
and wanting to just like,
be back to our normal selves
after this stint,
which I thought,
my perception was,
I'm doing something so nice for you,
I'm putting you out at this place,
where you're gonna have fresh air
and be able to be outside
where the temperature's really nice.
Whereas, where I was staying, it was super hot.
And he just, didn't have the same perception
of the whole thing.
So, when I got him back,
he bit me hard on the hand.
And it was once he was already on my hand, he bit.
And I think it was
because, I don't fully remember,
but I think I was probably trying
to either pet him,
maybe put him on his back,
do something where it required a few more
pennies in the birdie bank account
than I had put in recently.
So, I was trying to jump the gun
and go back to our relationship just immediately,
and he was like, "Yeah, we're not there yet."
(kisses)
We're back to content.
If I'm in a room all by myself
and somebody walks in, will Jinx attack them?
Nope.
How did I choose Jinx
over all the other little baby, blue-throated macaws?
I did not.
It was never like that.
Normally, when you go to buy a bird,
(laughs)
you are not really, at least for me,
I've never shown up to a bunch
of little baby birds running around,
kinda like we would envision with puppies
and picked one.
That's, you just really wanna be up.
That's just not how it worked for us.
We wanted a blue-throat,
so we contacted Bell's Aviary in Florida
and we said we wanted one
and they reserved one for us.
Or, she reserved one for us,
because Katherine runs that, solo.
But yeah, she reserved one for us
and then we just showed up to meet him.
And then eventually (Jinx chirps)
we took him home.
But there was no, sort of like, picking him out
of a clutch of birds,
or anything like that, so.
Yeah, I don't think I could do that.
I would be like, "I will take them all."
What is my favorite thing about Jinxie?
When Jinx gets super lovey-dovey, dovey, dovey
he sometimes will give me a little baby wing flap.
Hi Jinxie, (Jinx chirping)
(Jinx's sounds drown out Jameieleigh's words)
(birds chirping)
Tusa.
(Tusa caws)
Hi, baby.
(birds chirping)
(macaw caws)
Is that a rainstorm outside?
(macaw caws)
Obviously when macaws are babies,
they do it all the time.
It actually startles people
and they feel like this bird has something wrong with it.
Because it has this involuntary,
like uncontrollable twitch, or wing flap.
And it's just, it's adorable.
It's a baby bird thing.
Thanks for fixin' my hair, Jinxie.
What are Jinx's bad habits?
One of them is playing with my hair.
It's only bad if you don't like it.
And I find it endearing.
(Jinx chirps)
That's the problem for me,
is that a lot of really obnoxious behaviors
that my birds do,
I just find adorable and endearing.
Like this one.
Favorite trick that Jinx does.
(Jinx caws)
(laughs) (imitates Jinx)
Definitely the woo.
When he goes, "Woo!" (Jinx makes "Woo!" sound)
I love that.
When he lays on his back, I love that.
What's your nickname?
- [Jinx] Bubba! (Jinx yells)
- [Jamieleigh] What's your nickname?
- [Jinx] Bubba! (jinx yells)
- [Jamieleigh] What's your nickname?
- [Jinx] Bubba! (Jinx yells)
- [Jamieleigh] Can I have a kiss?
(Jinx makes a kiss sound)
- [Jinx] Bubba!
- Yes sir, yes sir, yes sir,
yes sir, yes sir. (mumbles)
Bub, bub-bub-bub-bub-bub.
(Jinx murmurs)
(laughs)
Bub-bub-bub-bub-bub.
That's another favorite.
But it's not on cue, either.
Is like, you pat his head
and go, bub-bub-bub-bub-bub
and he does it sometimes back.
Otherwise he doesn't
and he just makes me look lame.
Bubs?
You got anything to say?
Nope.
So he's normally a lot more talkative.
You guys have seen him in other videos
where he's just nuts.
This is Jinx on a fairly mellow day.
This is a mellow blue-throated macaw day.
Which, I feel like, is very rare.
Kind of like their species in the wild.
Which by the way,
for a lot of you that comment about
how endangered these guys are in the wild,
that is very true.
I think there's only been a max
of about 400 of them left in the wild.
However, in captivity they are thriving.
So if they ever needed to be rereleased,
or bred to be released into the wild,
they could do that successfully.
However, there's just nowhere to release them.
Unfortunately in the pet trade,
people capture them,
they are fighting over nesting sites,
and all the things.
Habitat, so there's just nowhere
to release them.
There's already barely enough space
for the ones that are out there in the wild.
And when we first got him, I have to say,
it wasn't like that.
So it gradually got worse
and worse and worse
for them in the wild,
for them to be endangered.
And then eventually he was put on ESA,
Which is the Endangered Species Act.
And we stopped being able
to travel with him internationally for shows.
So it really affected us,
and I have to say,
if we knew it was going that route,
I'm not sure
that we would have ever gotten a blue-throat, just
because the restrictions are so intense.
However, it's just kind of going there
for all species of parrots, to be honest.
So, I'm not sure that it's really something
that you can avoid.
However, I am glad
that there's breeding programs
and a lot of different bloodlines in captivity
for them to do awesome, if ever needing
to be rereleased into the wild.
So, there's that.
I don't know if you would make a good boyfriend, though.
I mean, you're handsome enough,
but your preening could use some work.
(whispers) It's a little rough.
Why is he so cute?
Right?
He isn't as cute when he's just chillin' and mellow.
He's more cute when he's his psycho self.
At least to me.
Again, I just find those crazy, obnoxious
behaviors really endearing and adorable.
But I think you might be ruining my hair.
Favorite word or phrase that Jinx says.
Dave would probably say when he says Jinxie,
because it sounds really funny, it's like,
(imitating Jinx) Jinxie, Jinxie.
It's like you have to know
that he's saying it to understand him.
I love, personally, when he says, "Woo!"
That's my favorite.
A lot of people
that are new to Jinxie love his laugh.
But they usually think it's me.
Yeah, and I think his favorite
to say is, "Bubba!", currently.
- [Jinx] Bubba!
Woo!
(cawing)
Woo!
- [Jamieleigh] What's your nickname?
- [Jinx] Bubba! (Jinx laughs)
(laughs)
- Can I have a kiss? (Jinx makes kissing noise)
Good boy.
- [Jinx] Woo!
(loud click)
Woo!
(laughs)
(Jinx caws)
Woo!
(laughs)
(Jamieleigh makes laugh sound)
(Jinx laughs) (loud click)
- [Jamieleigh] Jinxie.
- [Jinx] Bubba!
- Highest value treats.
Last I checked it was almonds.
But he also is the type
of bird in a training session
to really read off
of your energy and enthusiasm.
So he is one of those birds
that likes praise, as well.
Good job-- (Jinx caws)
Well, yeah you're doin' awesome.
Jinxie.
Good boy, bubs, good boy.
(Jinx makes a "Woo woo" sound)
(Jamieleigh laughs)
- [Jinx] Woo!
(Jamieleigh laughs)
Woo!
(loud click)
(Jamieleigh laughs loudly)
- He literally said, "Woo!",
while he rolled.
And another high value treat has been me!
And just coming to me.
So originally when we started flight training him,
just coming to me was the reward.
He just likes hanging out with me.
Usually, not all the time.
I mean, who would like it all the time. (sighs)
Pickin' at my hair.
Who is my most problematic (Jinx caws) bird?
(laughs)
This is under my Jinx questions,
so they must think it's you.
In which, they would probably be correct.
I mean, other than my toucan, Rocko,
who's just difficult
because he's a toucan.
Jinx is my next most complicated case.
Why did you choose Jinx's name?
This was actually a brilliant move by Dave.
We chose the name Jinx
because we had watched my friend's
blue-throated macaws dive down
and they would do what we call jinking,
which is a predator avoidance technique.
Where the bird actually flips upside down, drops
and then goes right, back side up.
And it's to escape a predator.
So if a predator is following
on their tail really quick,
they will literally drop out of the sky
and keep going
and be able to change directions
or just kind of like lose the predator.
Jinx is really, really good at this.
It's super hard to capture on video
but I do have one of my recent flight videos
that shows it,
with Tango, the blue-and-gold,
right before he goes out of sight.
It's beautiful.
So if you didn't see my last Moab free flight trip,
go ahead and check those videos out.
And you can see that.
And Jinx is notorious for jinking.
So that's how he got his name.
- [Jinx] Hello.
- Hello.
(laughs)
That's actually Comet or Tusa's voice,
I couldn't tell which one.
- [Jinx] Hello.
(laughs)
- Bubba, bub-bub-bub-bub.
(Jinx makes "bub-bub-bub" sound)
(Jamieleigh laughs) Bub-bub-bub-bub-bub-bub.
Did you guys hear that?
One of the things
that Jinx does, it's a characteristic,
that is a annoyingly bad habit, is,
but it's not that bad.
I mean, most birds would bite,
he actually just hits you with his beak.
Like you saw him do when I went
to take him off my shoulder.
(Jamieleigh saying "Bubba" in slow motion)
Or sometimes he'll just hit you with his beak
or he'll grab your finger and move it.
But it is nicer than biting. (Jinx caws)
So that covers all your questions
that you guys asked me about Jinxie,
my blue-throated macaw.
If you have more questions
that you didn't hear the answers to in this,
please leave me a comment below,
let me know what it is.
And I will try to make sure I answer
that in a future (flapping)
woo, video.
(flapping rapidly)
(laughs)
(kisses)
Like maybe what spooks them.
(laughs)
Also, if you like this video,
please don't forget
to give it a thumbs-up
and pass it along
to your bird-loving friends.
Thanks so much guys, talk to you later.
(calm guitar music)