About Us

Who Is Parrots First?

Parrots First was started by Rose and Frank Levine, along with Debra Crowley, Lisa McMillan, Kymberly Snow, Sue Pastel, and a small but dedicated group of volunteers and foster homes.

History of Parrots First

Rose and Frank started out in 1996 working on the parrot adoption committee for their local bird club. Like so many bird clubs those days, theirs had been around for a long time and membership was beginning to decline. Most of the members were already in multi-bird flocks and just couldn’t make room for one more bird. It was understandable; everyone reaches a point where they just wouldn’t be doing the right thing for the new bird and the birds they already have. When the parrot adoption program was phased out of the club, they still received occasional phone calls from people looking to place parrots that they could no longer care for and Rose and Frank were happy to continue helping in whatever way they could. Over the years, the number of calls they received continued to increase until they found themselves in a position in which they no longer had the resources to care for all of the birds that came into their care. This is why Rose and Frank decided to form a volunteer-based group dedicated to helping secondhand parrots.

Current Board Members

Rose Levine – Executive Director, Founder
Frank Levine – Webmaster, Board Member, Founder
Debra Crowley – Board of Directors
Lisa McMillan – Board Member, Adoption Coordinator
Kymberly Snow – Board Member
Danielle deLeon – Web Manager, Newsletter Editor
Deborah Stambul – Advisory Board Member

What is Parrots First?

We are first and foremost a parrot adoption service. We exist solely to help unwanted or found parrots and, through educational classes and seminars, we hope to dispel many of the myths and misconceptions that are prevalent today. We are also a parrot “rescue” in that we will do everything legally possible to remove a parrot from a harmful situation—but in all honesty, this is something that only happens very occasionally. Mostly we are here to help people who can no longer keep their bird for whatever the reason.

Mission Statement

The mission of Parrots First is to:

educate people on the proper care of parrots and parrot-like birds, including their specific physical and psychological needs
rescue companion parrots from harmful or unwanted situations
rehabilitate (when necessary) unwanted, found, or injured naturalized (free-flying) parrots, and
offer these birds to qualified homes for adoption

Our Principles*

We do not breed or place birds with people who breed. We do not sell, trade, or use birds in our care for commerce or profit.
We promote responsible guardianship of adoptable homeless birds.
We promote education on all issues of avian welfare.
We oppose the sale of unweaned baby birds and production breeding methods.
We oppose the mass-marketing and selling of birds through pet store chains, bird marts, and internet venues.
We maintain that all captive breeding contributes to the problem of homeless captive birds and, with very few exceptions, does not contribute to the viable preservation of the species.
We do not condone, endorse, or promote the breeding of birds for the pet trade as long as there are unwanted birds in need of homes.
We support and encourage responsible legislation protecting the rights, health, and safety of birds living in captivity.
We are strongly opposed to legal/illegal exportation/importation and encourage all countries to adopt legislation and enforcement policies preventing wild birds from entering the pet trade.

* These principles were developed and adopted at the Avian Welfare Round Table by the Avian Welfare Coalition, Phoenix, AZ, June 8–10, 2001

As members of the Avian Welfare Coalition, these are our Goals:

To generate public awareness of the causes and conditions contributing to the growing crisis of abused and abandoned captive birds worldwide
To collaborate with animal advocacy organizations to promote social and legislative changes to expand the public’s perception and improve the quality of life for birds living in captivity
To facilitate the rescue, sanctuary, and re-homing of displaced captive birds
To support the enforcement of existing anti-cruelty laws and to advocate legislation that will strengthen legal protection for captive birds
To coordinate action to oppose egregious and unethical practices in the pet trade
To serve as an educational resource and information center for the media and animal welfare community through the Avian Welfare Resource Center and through our bird care classes and seminars