Name: Verity

Breed: Blue-and-gold macaw

Age: 4

Parents: unknown (deceased)

Siblings: unknown (deceased)

Eye color: light gray

Voice: Brittany Murphy (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PXtSIKxwpRM)

Mate: Andréas

Chicks: Pew, Grace

Likes: Andréas, helping others, singing, visiting the Redeemer statue on Sugar Loaf Mountain

Dislikes: being caged, some people, the conditon that some birds live in

Personality: She is lively, kind, respectful, bright, funny, protective, defensive, slightly stubborn, spiritual, and devoutly religous. She sometimes quotes scripture as well as some church songs, and is careful to use it sparingly around others. She likes helping others as well.

History: She hatched in a tree near the Tocantins River, west of Brasilia, in an area of deforestation. The tree was cut down, and she was the only survivor. After that she lived on her own, and at 4 months old, was taken in by another bird. who found her crying. They were a few months older than she was. The older bird introduced himself, and asked what her name was. She told him she didn't know, she didn't have one, so he gave her a nickname, Patch (because of the large white patch of skin on her face). The younger bird didn't mind it. As the weeks went by, the two became friends. They relocated due to the noise and the trees being cut down, and ended up in Rio de Janeiro a few days later. When Patch was about 1 1/2 years old, her friend was killed in a bird strike with a low-flying plane. Patch broke down on the spot as she watched a few of his feathers drifting down. In the following months, she grieved for him, and slowly got over it. During this time, she turned to religion to help her cope. She perched on the ledge by a window on the Union Church of Rio de Janeiro, and started listening in to the services, and always felt better after each one. She soon named herself Verity because she liked the messages; she'd been through a lot in her life so far and realized that He was real, and was the only one who could have brought her through such trials.

     Soon she realized that the only good purpose of her life was to help other birds. When she was 3, she took in two month-old hyacinth macaws whose parents had been captured for the pet trade, and raised them until they were old enough to fly. When they left, after they thanked her, Verity was slightly sad, but mostly happy, knowing she'd guided these two lives who had so much ahead of them.

     In the following months, she encountered other birds in need of help; those who were abandoned, injured, or neglected. When Verity was 3 1/2, she was captured and put in a cage in the back room of an automotive shop, in which there were about 40-some other birds, also in cages. The place appeared to double as a bird mill, and the conditions were horrible: moldy water, no food, and cages that hadn't been cleaned in a long time. Some of the birds were also being used for breeding. Verity was shocked and appalled. Despite the conditions, she befriended a scarlet macaw she thought was handsome; his name was Andréas. A couple months later, they were free. Two police officers discovered the birds after they heard a squawk while there to purchase new windshield wipers for their car. They called in for backup, and for animal services. Later, some of the birds had to be put down, while others were either placed with rescue groups or returned to the shops they came from. A few were put up for adoption, like Verity and her friend Andréas, who escaped soon after. The auto shop owner was charged with 2 counts of misdemeanor animal cruelty, and was jailed. Verity and Andréas continued their friendship, and grew closer and closer, until they could take their feelings for each other no longer. They confessed their feelings, and became mates soon after. Verity loves Andréas more than anything; she could do anything for him.

Relation to Rio: lives in and around Rio

*Speaks English and Portuguese