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The Museum of Hoaxes is dedicated to promoting knowledge about hoaxes. (Click here for opening hours, etc.) On our blog we post about dubious- sounding claims, and whatever else strikes our fancy. The site is also home to the Hoaxipedia (the museum's online encyclopedia of hoaxes), the Hoax Forum, and the Top 100 April Fools' Day Hoaxes.

The museum was created in 1997 by Alex Boese. He's assisted by a staff of deputy curators and docents. Alex is the author of three books, most recently Elephants on Acid: And Other Bizarre Experiments (which has nothing to do with hoaxes). Check out the list of the Top 20 Most Bizarre Experiments of All Time for a preview.

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Wow, so many personal attacks going on here! I do agree with Ed though. Pet stores have come a long way in 20 yrs. What is so wrong about buying parrots and macaws? Most people who do buy them know what they are getting into. Macaws still cost a lot of money, and then their is their cage costs to consider. I'm not saying that impulse buys don't happen, but it seems pretty rare. Come on guys settle down though why is everyone getting so upset?

Personally, I am not, nor have I been, upset. I have had a few moments over the passed few months that I have been annoyed with the constant personal attacks without substance. I have hoped to hear some proof to the claims there are so many impulse buys of large or any size for that matter of macaws. I have not seen this happen in any location, nor have I seen a huge number of parrots in rescues as the result of impulse buying specifically. I am sure that it does happen, but not in large numbers, as was originally claimed. The average cost of a single macaw, with cage and accessory items range in price from $1500 to as much as $25,000, which most people would put a little thought into parting with before jumping into the deal. The majority of people I deal with everyday just need one look at those large beak and they are on to something else smaller and easier to work with. Those that stay with the macaws are people that have researched them and want one specifically. Are there exceptions, sure. But they are rare.

Alright Ed, I do respect how adamant you are in not letting this go.

I also agree with you that PETA is crazy a small group of crazy wackos and not a good resource at all, and that any companion bird can make an amazing pet for the right person. However, I've run into lots of sanctuaries (noted that this is a biased source) that back up the claim that the larger parrots (cockatoos and macaws mostly) are purchaced with little knowledge of the amount of care they take, not on impluse per se, but just without realizing what it means to own a large bird.

I'm all for having a companion bird, especially once you've done your homework and buy from a reputable breeder or shop. I've seen more birds that are happy and healthy as a companion parrot than I have seen obviously poorly cared for birds. The information about parrots is very impressive and the hightened awarness of proper parrot care has reduced the number of rescue and abandoned birds. (Indirect quote from "freeparrots.org" pole "Are parrots good pets and from )

I will admit that I don't own a parrot myself. A friend of mine asked me to look at this from a debate stand point.
And I might note that in a formal debate, nobody here has provided a good argument yet. It takes solid statistics not personal experiences to sway people. And it seems to me that you are going off of personal experience more then anything else. All the statistics I came up with are old and out of date and/or unreliable. *shrugs* makes for a tough debate.


So in the light of my desire to make this a real debate Katie go to avianwelfare.org get some real facts and stats and "expert opinions".

Ed go to animalworld.com or any of thousands of websites that talk about macaw compatibility, check out some sanctuary websites.
Unfortunatly Ed, you have a tougher battle because the people that are against parrots as pets yell the loudest (probably due to their lack of real knowledge, ("those that don't know what they are talking about yell")). Best of luck.

so what is the truth? Did churchill have a parrot? When did it die?

Kia,
You are the first to post something to look into, and I will and respond soon. As for Winston's parrot, the family claims he didn't have one, and then some account say he did, but it was an African Grey. I think the fact is we may never really know for certain, since most of the people that might remember are very old or dead now. So the information is mostly second hand, but there are no written accounts, to my knowledge, that he ever had a parrot at all. From what I have read, he sounds more like a dog man, but who knows?

That's one thing I ran across in my research. Some people also claim that he actually owned an Amazon parrot. I shall look into this one. It would be a shame if this whole debate shouldn't have even begun on macaws, cause Churchill actually had a parakeet or the like... that would be somethin'.



Kia

Yes, the original story was about a Blue & Gold Macaw that was alledged to have been Churchill's bird. The first message was talking about how macaws are lousy companions. Some of my best friends are macaws, and so I naturally took offense to that remark. She started posting under different names, so it was hard to no who I was talking with. I have no doubt another clone will take her place in the line.

Well, I found a segment done on Charlie by NPR. The Churchill family never denied that there was a macaw owned by Winston but nobody alive recalls there being a parrot ever. The lady who works with Charlie now met with some people that claimed to have delivered the bird to Winston Churchill but that has yet to be proven by anyone.

The history channel.com has a write up that historians have dismissed the claim,

"Judith Seaward, marketing manager at Chartwell, said: "We really looked and looked and know he had a budgerigar and all sorts of other animals.

"He loved animals, he had dogs, cats, pigs - but there's no record of a parrot. "

That's what I got.

$100 dollars as throw a way money. Who do you know that can do that. I know I can't. shoot, I can't even throw away $20. I believe most people don't relize what they are getting into when the buy parrots. Most pet stores don't tell buyers that these birds can be load or even out live them. I did my research before I bought a quaker. I new what I was getting into. And I wouldn't think of living with out my two quakers.

Most people that I encounter have done research prior to coming into our shop. For the few that don't, I always give the good, bad, and the ugly speech, and never encourage a macaw as a first bird. Even the store owner, who gives far less info than I do, does tell customers about their potential for noise and destruction. I have never seen a store yet that encourages the sale of a macaw to a first time buyer, but I am sure there is a small percentage of them. Just not the number some would what us to believe. When my wife and I were first starting out, we researched everything. We still do if it is something we are not sure about. It is common sense, as is not throwing money down the drain.

It is nobler to declare oneself wrong than to insist on being right - especially when one is right.
Friedrich Nietzsche, Thus Spoke Zarathustra

You know, Nietzsche had a lot to say about life, for someone who knew so little about it.

Ed has lost his mind. How about we take up a collection and send him to a parrot filled mental institution. PETA rules!!

Coming from the likes of you, that is high praise. PETA is an organization that claims to protect the rights of animals, and in doing so has killed numerous animals to "free them from bondage". Anyone that would support such an organization is a fool.

Enough! (One more word about PETA et al and I shall choke on my own feathers!) I am most certainly alive, well, and warring against fascism - these days of the Islamaniac variety - at my blog http://www.churchillsparrot.com. You'll get the whole story in the About Me section.

Cheers,

Charlie

Sorry, Charlie, but PETA's troops are desperate to put down anyone who wishes to share their lives with any parrot, or any animal at all for that matter. They are a true terrorist organization without doubr, and that is a simple fact. I look forward to reading your blog, I think. You are welcome to join my group on Yahoo Groups call American Voice to express your thoughts as well, it is at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/americanvoice/.

Ed, my friend, I have one thing to say to you. GET A LIFE!!

Is that Kamal or Camel? Whatever, I have a great life, thank you. You on the other hand can't even form a legitimate thought. How pathetic.

Well as a bird store owner, I can attest that people buy birds on impulse all the time. I bring my own bird to work with me and people first ask if she can talk or do tricks, when I say "yes" they immediately ask if they can buy her. I refuse people to purchase birds all the time much to my husbands dismay because I think it is an extremely important life altering decision. No not all Macaws scream. I own two that don't. Only one of my birds is a wood chewer. Every bird/macaw has their own personality. Also contrary to what Ed said people would most likely NOT see these habits in a store because most stores only carry babies.

How ever most Macaws also don't live to be 80+ years old unlike what Katie said. That would be very rare.

I also am a board member to a local 501c3 non-profit parrot rescue and I can attest to the fact that yes "most" birds are given up do to family circumstances but a fair amount are also given up because people have no idea what they are doing and bought the bird because it was pretty.

Also very few stores offer a return policy for more then a few days and the policy is usually in reference to a bird health warranty. I know of no stores that if you buy a baby macaw and down the road when it grows up and develops unwanted behaviors, will they take it back and give you a refund.

Hey Ed, what rescues do you work with? Since you are checking Katie's I would be happy to check yours. You are welcome to check mine. http://www.pamperedparrots.org the group I work with.

Once more on the subject:

Ed claims
"In my experience I have seen no one buy a macaw and regret the purchase." Does this mean that he doesn't check up on the welfare of his birds? Because he claims to selling dozens of birds and I am inclined to think that over all the years he is claiming to be a breeder that at least one person would be having buyers remorse.

Not only that but did anyone catch that first he claims his "friend" owns the store then he states "our store?"

He also claims that large chain stores make sure that people research befor they buy. Not so my friend. I can personally attest to and proabbly prove if I need to that I know for a FACT that our local Petsmart sold an Umbrella cockatoo before it was even finished being weaned. The bird was 2 before the owners got him weaned beacause they have no idea what the heck they were doing.

In Ed's defence I think Katie is wrong that macaws make bad pets. Macaws make wonderful companions when you take the time to learn about them. I think it is a HUGE diservice to the bird when you buy for the wrong reasons. I too tell people the good the bad and the ugly. And I do understand that this would ruffle some feathers with Macaw owners. I LOVE my birds and I tell people that but I also say that you have to really know what you are doing or else the bird will be at the top of the pecking order instead of you.