A recovery & release story · B43
Mateo: from solitude back to freedom
The story of parrot B43 and his brother B45.
Mateo is a yellow-crowned amazon (Amazona ochrocephala). He arrived at Fundación Loros in November 2023, after being voluntarily surrendered to Barranquilla Verde together with his brother. They were identified as B43 and B45.
Case file
The case in data
- Species
- Amazona ochrocephala — yellow-crowned amazon
- Date of admission
- 28 November 2023
- Start of reintegration into the wild
- 18 June 2026
- Origin
- Barranquilla
- Destination
- Fundación Loros · Cardique Wildlife Friends Network
- Authorities involved
- Barranquilla Verde · Cardique
Environmental authorities
01 · Arrival · November 2023
A body marked by captivity
His condition was worrying. He had lost much of his plumage to a severe case of feather-plucking, a self-destructive behavior common in parrots kept for years in captivity and social isolation.
He had plucked out every feather he could reach: his body was covered mostly in down and he could not fly at all.
02 · Treatment · 2024–2025
Giving back what captivity took
His rehabilitation required no medication. The treatment meant giving back what he had lost over the years: proper food, environmental enrichment, access to sun and rain, veterinary supervision, a calm natural setting and, above all, the company of other parrots.
Because he could not fly during this first stage, his surroundings were designed to protect him: he shared space only with calm parrots or others that also could not fly, to avoid fights in which he would be at a disadvantage; and he was kept in low aviaries, since without feathers a fall from height could be fatal.
Over the months a slow but steady transformation began. New feathers appeared where there had only been skin and down. He regained strength, confidence and natural skills, gradually joining a stable social group.
About a year and a half after his arrival, with enough plumage by then, he was moved to an aviary with other fully feathered parrots to begin his flight training, always under the team's monitoring.
The keys to his recovery
Three pillars for a parrot to heal
Proper nutrition
Seasonal, locally grown fruit —papaya, mango, guava— along with protein sources such as cooked chickpeas and egg, and a variety of seeds (sunflower, flax, millet).
Environmental enrichment
A space full of branches, leaves and fruit to bite and explore. Movement and curiosity keep body and mind active.
The company of his own kind
Most important of all: being surrounded by other parrots, ideally at his same level and of his own species. Parrots learn and recover alongside their peers.
On video · The treatment
Wings, regained
03 · Freedom · June 18, 2026
Back to where he belongs
Today, June 18, 2026, almost two and a half years after his arrival, Mateo begins a new chapter.
Although he still carries some visible marks of the feather-plucking, he has regained fully functional flight, keeps stable social bonds with other parrots and shows the calm behavior suited to life in the wild. For these reasons, he officially begins his return to nature.
Outside, his parrot friends are waiting — the ones who have accompanied him over these two years; thanks to them his return will be easier, because parrots learn from their peers. The release station has feeders, water and rangers who monitor his progress to make sure he stays well.
Mateo's return was made possible by the coordinated work of three institutions: Barranquilla Verde, which received his voluntary surrender; CARDIQUE, the environmental authority that authorizes and oversees the process; and Fundación Loros, which rehabilitated him. Together they gave him a second chance.
On video
The moment of flight
The transformation
From how he arrived to who he is today
More than two and a half years separate one image from the other.
Nov 2023 – Jun 2026
In rehabilitation
More than two and a half years
0
Medications
Only care, environment and company
B43 · B45
Two brothers surrendered
Voluntary surrender, Nov 2023
Solitude, too, leaves deep wounds.
Parrots are deeply social animals: they live in flocks, communicate and learn from one another. That is why captivity and isolation are the worst thing that can happen to a parrot, and that stress does not stay emotional — it takes a toll on the body: feather-plucking, a weakened immune system, the loss of flight, as we saw in Mateo. His story reminds us that parrots, and all wildlife, belong in freedom: in the forests they should never have left.
The story continues
The start of reintegration is not the end of the road: it is the first step toward freedom. From now on, Mateo and his companions can explore farther and farther, but with a safety net around them: feeders and feeding stations, attentive caretakers and continuous monitoring.
The full reintegration of an adult parrot that spent many years in captivity is a slow process: regaining ecological skills —recognizing wild foods, reading the surroundings, moving with the flock— takes time, and we will accompany every stage of that learning.
Responsible rehabilitation
Wildlife rehabilitation is work for professionals
Every rehabilitation process must be carried out by professionals. If you have a wild animal and wish to surrender it to the environmental authorities, we provide the information you need to do it properly; and if you would like to know how we work, we invite you to read about our method.
Environmental oversight and compliance
The logo identifies the environmental authority that exercises oversight; its use does not imply sponsorship or partnership.