FAQ’s

To surrender a bird, please fill out our surrender application located in the Surrender section of the website.

While we appreciate when cages are donated, the ability to provide a cage with a surrendered bird does not effect our ability to intake a bird.

All of our birds live in approved foster homes. In order to be a foster with STAR, a foster must pass a background check, a vet check (for other pets) and have a completed home visit. We make sure all of our fosters have had training on important and vital things to remember when caring for a parrot.

PLEASE! We appreciate supply and cage donations.

Because we rely on our foster network to house the birds in our care, the wait time can vary. This process is dependent upon the species, number of birds being surrendered and foster availability. Once a foster home is available, our intake team will reach out to you to make arrangements to drop off the bird and any cages/toys/food you wish to donate.

Our birds are housed in the homes of volunteer fosters. We are not able to set up meetings until applicants are pre-approved to adopt. If you are interested in meeting one of our birds, please fill out an adoption application.

Yes! Once your application is approved for adoption, our Adoption Team will work with you to find the perfect bird to welcome into your home. While some of our birds require prior experience, there are lots of birds who would do great for first time bird owners. We just ask that you do plenty of research to help us find exactly what bird would be the best fit for you!

While every bird is different, we will typically not recommend adopting a larger bird for households with children under the age of 5. The birds in our foster program come from all different backgrounds and therefore their behavior can be unpredictable. We do our best to present these challenges to their adopters, but young children are unable to fully understand the risks of having an animal that is not fully domesticated in their home. If you currently have young children and are interested in adopting a larger bird species, it may be better to wait until they are a little bit older and can be around these larger birds safely.

Unfortunately, we are not able to make exceptions to our 100-mile adoption radius at this time. If you have questions, please email adopt@staravian.org

No. STAR does not ship birds.

The adoption process can take several weeks. Often, the biggest hold up is vet info for other family pets. The faster we can get ahold of your vet and confirm your other pets are current on vaccines, the faster we can perform the home visit and get you approved!

Home visits are conducted to ensure that the environment our birds are potentially being placed in is safe, clean, and properly set up to welcome a new feathered family member. Reviewing the living situation provides our team with much needed information to determine what bird would be a good fit, what further education needs to be provided, and if the environment would be safe for our adoptable friends. For more information regarding home visits, please see our Adoption Process page under the Adopt tab.

One of the most common illnesses that birds experience in captivity is known as “Teflon Toxicity.” This refers to exposure from the fumes of a product that is coated with PTFE (Polytetrafluoroethylene), a chemical that makes up the “non-stick” coating, along with a binding agent that is used to adhere the nonstick coating to the product, called perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA). According to the Pet Poison Helpline, the toxins that can cause this illness represents one of five common toxins that can harm birds in the average household. Most often this occurs when a bird is present while food is being prepared in a non-stick pot or pan. Fumes are not only released when the product is burned, but also when heated to a certain degree. Symptoms of Teflon toxicity are usually quick to arise and, unfortunately, often result in death. Products that are coated with PTFE and contain PFOA should never be used in the same household as a bird. These products should instead be replaced with a safe alternative (such as ceramic, cast iron, or stainless steel).

Some species of bird have a waiting list of pre-approved applicants. We utilize the waiting list when an applicant wishes to adopt a particular species of bird, but we do not have any available at that time. Sometimes it’s a perfect match and the bird is adopted out very quickly. If you are interested in adopting a specific species, please fill out an adoption application here: https://staravian.org/adoption-application/ Please note that being placed on the waiting list is not a guarantee that an applicant will be approved to adopt the first available bird of the inquired species. STAR prides itself on ensuring that every bird is placed into a home that suits his/her personality and specific needs. If the bird and potential adopter are not a good match, we will move on to the next applicant in line.

Adoption fees vary by the species and breed of the bird. Adoption fees are listed on our website within the biography of the adoptable bird. You can view our adoptable birds at https://staravian.org/adopt/

Adoption fees help cover the veterinary costs for the birds in our care. Some birds are healthy and require just one visit to an avian vet, but there are birds in the rescue who have medical bills that are much higher than any possible adoption fee. And, there are some birds whose adoption fees do not even cover the cost of a single trip to the vet.

The adoption fee does not cover anything aside from the bird. As a nonprofit, our cages are utilized for the foster birds in our care and are primarily obtained by donations. Sometimes we have cages available for purchase for smaller birds (like cockatiels or budgies), but we always encourage applicants to prepare for the cost of having a bird, including the cage. For larger birds like cockatoos and macaws, this can mean a large purchase of $500 or above. For links to some recommended cages, please see our Cage Requirements page, located under the Adopt Tab.

We ALWAYS need more fosters. Please fill out a Foster Application. For more information regarding fostering, please see the foster section at https://staravian.org/volunteer/

Yes! Our Foster Team will make sure you are equipped with the knowledge and skills to care for your foster bird.

While there are many ways to help, cleaning cages and caring for birds is not one of them. STAR does not have a brick and mortar location. Cage cleaning and bird care are performed by our foster families in their personal homes.

We are run entirely by volunteers, so there are many ways you can help. We need individuals to help with an abundance of daily tasks required to operate the rescue. Whatever your skill set or interests are, we can help find a place for you to help. Please visit our volunteer page to learn more.

Glad you asked! We appreciate supply and cage donations, depending on the size, condition and availability in our storage facility. To ensure the health and safety of our parrots, cages must be rust free and damage free. If there are broken bars or doors, we will not be able to accept the cage. If the cage is in safe condition, please send us a picture, approximate size & let us know what area you live in (zip code). We will connect you with a nearby volunteer to arrange drop off of the donation. For more information see the DONATE section of our website.

One of our favorite things do to at STAR is interact with the community and educate the public on parrots and parrot care. We love showing off our birds! We are always looking for outreach opportunities. Whether an outreach/educational event at schools & community programs or fundraising at markets, fairs, or restaurants, we are always happy to take our birds places and introduce them to the world! If you’re interested in hosting us at an event or education program, please contact us, we’d love to come. Email our event team at partner@staravian.org to discuss your idea!

The base of a parrots diet should consist of a high quality pellet with fresh vegetables and fruit daily. We encourage all potential adopters to research the individual needs of the species they are interested in adopting and learning about their nutritional requirements.

If you have not made a lost bird flyer yet, please do so & post to Social Media (tagging STAR). Please also fill out our Lost Bird Notification at http://go.staravian.org/lostbirdform . If you have any other questions, please email lostandfound@staravian.org.

If you are able to care for the bird while looking for the owner, we are able to loan you a cage and provide information regarding proper care. If you are not able to care for the bird, space permitting, we are happy to place the bird with a foster family while we try to locate the owner. Please fill out our Found Bird Notification Form at http://go.staravian.org/foundbirdform . If you have any questions, please email lostandfound@staravian.org.

Wild Bird Rehabilitation can help with wild songbirds. Please visit www.wildbirdrehab.org/help-ifoundabird. World Bird Sanctuary can help with wild raptors. Please visit www.worldbirdsanctuary.org/contact-us.