Parrot Mountain and Gardens

Parrot Mountain is just what it says… you climb up a STEEP road to the top of a mountain to see LOTS of parrots!  We’ve been to the Pigeon Forge / Gatlinburg area of east Tennessee many times, but this is the first time we’ve visited Parrot Mountain.  If I have my way, it certainly won’t be the last!

Nestled on four acres of beautiful landscaped gardens, there are hundreds and hundreds of beautiful tropical birds at Parrot Mountain and Gardens.  I’ve never seen so many macaws, cockatoos, and African Grey parrots in one place!  It was amazing!

One reason they have so many parrots is because they are also the Wings of the Smokies Foundation, and provide a home for abused or neglected birds.  When you consider the average life expectancy of a parrot is from 40-80 years, depending on the type, many parrots outlive their owners. 

And sadly, many people get a parrot because they are so colorful and seem like they’d be a neat pet, without any idea what it’s like to live with a parrot.  They are wonderful creatures, but there’s no denying they can be noisy, messy and that beak can inflict a painful bite!  If you don’t realize what it’s like, or how to properly care for a parrot, you may decide living with one is not for you after all!

There are all kinds of tropical birds sitting on open perches lining the pathways.  There are also big wire aviaries with many birds of the same species.  I saw one with African Grey parrots, and there must have been a dozen birds in there, all in perfect feather.  (If you know anything about African Greys, they are notorious for feather plucking!)

There were also some pairs, like these Eclectus Parrots. . .

I’ve always thought they were kind of cool because the males and females are totally different colors, making them look like two different species.

They had some peacocks, too, plus this exotic looking pheasant-type bird.

I’m not sure if there was a plaque describing that bird.  I don’t remember seeing one.  Getting the picture was a challenge.  The cage wires made some blurs in a lot of the pictures I took.

Close by is the door to the “secret garden” with aviary netting over top so birds can fly.  At the time we were there, we only saw two birds, both toucans.

Then there was a ‘bird garden’ with around 70 birds on open perches.  The Farmer let one walk onto his arm.

Of course, once it was there, it didn’t want to leave!  In fact, it kept sticking it’s leg out wanting to be picked up.  I would have liked to take it home. . .

Some of the birds talked or sang or did tricks.  It was so much fun to see them all!  There was also a lory aviary next door. You can feed the lories nectar from a cup in your hand.

And one of my favorite places was the baby bird nursery.  Talk about temptation!  All the little African Grey parrots and cockatoos, and a few other species also.  There was a little blue parrotlet (pocket parrot) I would have really loved to stick in my pocket and bring home.

Unfortunately, no picture taking was allowed in the nursery.  And there were just so many birds at Parrot Mountain, I can’t begin to include all the pictures or descriptions here.

All I can say is if you like birds, and you are in the area, do NOT miss a trip to Parrot Mountain.