Chachas (ortalis ventura) Wild Birds at Home.

Two birds fell from the nest prematurely, and the aunt found them after hearing the commotion of the flock. For their protection, the aunt picked them up, took them home, and put them in a cage to keep them safe, since Nala the cat was also on the prowl, along with the dogs in the house.

The birds ate everything—grains, seeds, fruits. It was very easy to feed them. The aunt cared for them with such dedication, as if they were her own children, waiting for them to grow enough to be released. But something very strange and pleasant happened: every morning, the birds’ parents would come to sing very close to the cage, keeping up a fluid communication with their chicks, we assume. So the aunt’s house turned into a racket of these birds called chachalacas locally—extreme racket.

One fine day, one of the birds was released and went off with its parents. Because of that, the aunt decided to release the other bird too. And what was inevitable happened: the bird came back to the aunt’s house, as if knowing that had been its home forever. It would come, eat, and leave, and it kept that up for several days, until it didn’t return. We hope it adapted to its new home and didn’t become food for a large predator.

The other strange thing that happened was that whenever the rooster, the chickens, and the other poultry on the property crowed, she would do it too. The aunt said, “This bird thinks she’s poultry like the others, since that had been her world forever.”

Let’s love animals and take care of them. This is a unique case of accidental captivity, because if the aunt hadn’t rescued the chachalacas, the other animals would have eaten them or finished them off. In that way, they came and brought life to the aunt in passing.

Thanks for coming.