A couple stories this week about a popular California bird offered a unique glimpse into the personality capable in wild birds.
Numerous publications, including the Wall Street Journal and Los Angeles Times, ran fascinating pieces on a winged celebrity living in a Los Angeles’ Echo Park. Maria the Goose has been a prominent figure at the park for a while because of her outgoing personality.
The profiles of Maria revealed her protectiveness and friendliness with frequent visitors to the park. In one account, Maria always flies behind her human friend whenever he leaves the park on his scooter.
But, what gave Maria national popularity was when she befriended the music group OK Go while they were filming a music video at the park.
The story about Maria reveals the type of people-centric personality wild birds can have. For whatever reason, Maria has grown more comfortable with humans than other geese, making it a reversal of the traditional ugly duckling story.
Some birds that spend a lot of time around people, specifically pet birds like parrots, grow attached to humans and even feel more comfortable with them. This bond between animals and human has been seen in captive animals like apes who have trouble assimilating back into the wild. Maria is unique because she has been a wild bird her whole life, but always surrounded by people.
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[...] along with others, including oiling goose eggs so they don’t hatch, will undoubtedly keep the sociable residents from becoming prominent fixtures at the beautiful city park. Although it’s more desirable to [...]