Multi-talented and versatile, Patrice Kaluza has been entertaining audiences around the country for over 25 years. Now, she brings her Hyacinth Macaw, Tiki, an endangered and rare bird species from South America, to schools to explain the importance of protecting endangered animals such as the Hyacinth Macaw and to show the unusual intelligence of this tame and beautiful creature. “Ms. Patrice” has been researching and studying parrots and birds for over 20 years (Ornithology). She has trained her parrot, Tiki, using a very natural approach–he learns by living in a family. Born in captivity and surrounded only by humans, Tiki has learned to bond only with humans through a process called “imprinting”.
With a strong background in music, theatre and performance, “Ms. Patrice” has taught Tiki to sing (arpeggios), move to the rhythm of songs, dance and hop. Tiki speaks over 40 words and phrases, typically celebrating his performances with “High 40” and other antics. “Ms. Patrice” is excited to show her rare, beautiful, 36“ long, parrot to children and adults as part of a program to teach the importance of caring for animals, especially the endangered ones and to emphasize the value of preserving all forms of life in the human ecosystem.
PERFORMANCES
WHAT A BIRD-BRAIN!”(Gr. K-12): The History, Life and Intelligence of an Endangered Species–The Hyacinth Macaw. Journey from pre-historic time to the present as “Ms. Patrice” explains the origins of birds, the natural habitat of parrots and the meaning of the words, “endangered species” while Tiki demonstrates the intelligence and affectionate nature of parrots. Our adventure takes us to the continent with the largest population of parrots–South America. She will describe the natural habitat of parrots through story-telling, pictures and music. During this performance, she will also discuss the many other species on the endangered list and the actions that are underway to protect them. Accompany Tiki and LadyBird on this interesting and informative adventure to South America where students will have the opportunity to interact with one of the rarest, most beautiful and most intelligent birds in the world–the Hyacinth Blue Macaw. A video of Hyacinths, tropical birds and other endangered species is included, and Tiki will give away some of his rare, blue discarded feathers that are highly valued by collectors around the world. The interdisciplinary associations involve in this show include: History & Social Studies, Language Arts, Environment Science, Music, Biology and Performance.
