Feathered friends fly above the competition

Dogs are great animals to have as pets, but they don't have the biggest intelligence of all the animals in the animal kingdom. Cats aren't that sharp either, unless you count those claws they use to tear into furniture and sometimes you. Contrary to what you may have seen in The Little Mermaid, fish can't really talk, either. They just swim around. As a matter of fact, if one desires a higher breed of pet, where can one go?

Birds are the coolest animals to have as pets. If you reside on campus, you're out of luck in pretty much all pet situations. According to the 2004-2005 ECU Resident Handbook, "pets, except freshwater fish, are not permitted in residence halls."

However, if you're looking to move off campus and are looking for some feathered companionship, consider the benefits of a bird. According to the Humane Society, 19 million birds found homes in households throughout the United States. Birds are fun to watch, a lot more fun than a fish. They also can fill your house or apartment with pleasant sound, or unpleasant sound depending on the bird. Sounds vary with the bird, but some bird songs can be quite pleasant to hear. Covering up a bird's cage can also cut down on the noise.

The Humane Society does stress that birds are not the pet for someone who is rarely at home.

"They can be great companions - they usually attach themselves to one or two people in their lifetimes. If you don't continually hand-train them, they become distrusting of people," said Kathryne McCoy, junior musical theater major, who owns a bird.

"I guess you can call them pretty labor-intensive animals."

They also have one great advantage over other pets: some birds can learn to talk. They can learn some tricks like other animals, such as shaking their heads in positive or negative reaction, waving and some conversation. The African Grey Parrot can understand and use human conversation. Most of their time talking is mere imitation. Male birds are typically easier to teach to talk, and according to McCoy they like to stare at themselves in mirrors. Imitation can be any sound from a phone ringing to a phrase that their owners say often.

Buying a bird can be fairly cheap or fairly expensive. Some parakeets can go for as low as $20 but some of the larger birds with longer life-spans can jump into the thousands. There is also money you'll have to delve out to pay for a cage, toys and food. Costs can pile up, but over time, it's worth it if you really grow to love your bird.

Birds can live for a long periods of time. Life spans can be as short as eight years or as long as 120 years. Often birds are bequeathed to family members in wills and stay in families for generations.

The bodies of birds are not as frail as popular thought insists, but they also are sometimes prone to catching colds.

A bird can do what any other animal can do: bite, but the trick is just not invading its space too early or trying to jump into loving it. As a human being, if someone you don't know enters your personal bubble and starts touching you, you might be prone to strike somehow, so that is simple common sense.

However, birds, when trained right, can be very friendly and even loving animals. McCoy's bird, a lovebird named Maui, sits on her shoulder and even kisses her, complete with sound. It can also play peek-a-boo.

If you're a clean freak, a bird may not be for you, because around their cage, shedding feathers and waste can be a problem. If your bird spends time outside its cage, you may also find the occasional waste on furniture.

All in all, a bird is a little more work to maintain and get to warm up to you, but once they do you can have a lifetime companion. The birds that can be trained are lots of fun and another thing to show off to friends. Just be careful what you repeat around it, unless you want your parents to find out what your new favorite word is.