Northern Colorado Bird Center Remembers Our Feathered Friend.
We are sad to inform our friends of the loss of Horton, our very talented and friendly rook. Horton was found laying on the ground mid-day on June 8th. She died a few hours later. Nothing is conclusive about the cause of her death.
Rooks are European and Asian relatives of the crows and ravens of the Americas. Horton was hatched at the Reptile Gardens in Rapid City, SD by Melissa Horton of Wildlife Experiences in May, 2006. Andy and Graciela drove to Rapid City to pick Horton up and drove home with an almost constant "caw-caw" from the back seat. Every drive-through attendant asked what the sound was.
The corvid family (crows, ravens, and rooks) is known to be a very intelligent group of birds and Horton was no exception. She was very curious, but also weary of anything new. Andy, Tim and Graciela enjoyed working with and training Horton because she truly sharpened our skills as trainers and kept us on our toes. Over the past year she had learned to take dollars from audience members and deposit them in our donation bucket. At Bath Nursery's Avian Days, Horton raised over $100 for Maroon Fronted Parrot Research in Mexico. At other shows she raised money to allow us to do free shows for schools.
She spent many hours out in the yard with Andy as he cared for the garden. She would dig with him and look for insects and worms to eat.
We will truly miss Horton, our fun feathered friend.