Henry is the bird about town

Henry the brilliant green parrot has become the most popular bird at the pub, and Narrabri’s residents love pulling him up for a chat when he’s out and about.

You may know Cynthia Smith as the impeccably dressed and always friendly volunteer at the Salvation Army store on Doyle Street.

Or you may have experienced her culinary genius as head chef at the Nandewar Motel for 20 years, The Crossing Theatre, or in almost every Narrabri pub and establishment with a kitchen.

In recent times she has become known as the mum of Henry.

A very social eclectus parrot who loves to get out and meet all of Narrabri residents, feathered or not.

Henry became a loyal companion and cheerful presence for Cynthia after her husband Alan’s death.

“I’ll tell you what, he is my companion since my husband passed away in very sad circumstances, but since the day he’s come home with me, we haven’t been separated, and he even calls me Mum,” said Cynthia.

“He scared me one day, we were driving one afternoon, and he was sitting in the back of the car, and all of a sudden, he said, “Hello Alan, how are you, my brother?”

“I said, ‘Alan is my husband, you’ve never met Alan, how did you know the name Alan?’

“So, I said: ‘Is Alan sitting next to you there?’ ‘What’s going on Henry’.”

Henry has met so many people that he’s even made his own Instagram account called ‘Henrys Friends’ where you’ll find photos with the mates he meets on his daily adventures.

“People love getting photos with him, I take him to the pub or The Crossing Theatre for lunch and everyone wants to put him on their shoulder, he loves having a chat,” said Cynthia.

“He just walks up to people and starts talking to them or listens to what they are saying like he’s part of the conversation.

“The pub in Singleton always asks me to bring him in when we pass through on our trips to Sydney because they find him so entertaining.”

Eclectus parrots are medium-sized parrots found in the native origins of New Guinea and Australia, and Henry comes from upper Queensland.

Whether through flight or through fate, Henry ended up at the Narrabri markets where Cynthia bought him from a breeder in 2021.

Bonds between parrot and human were cemented when he essentially waddled with confidence right up to Cynthia, and the rest is history.

“He essentially came straight up to me, and the breeder said: “Oh he really likes you.”

“When I gave him back the breeder told me that someone was already very interested in buying the bird and that he’s come back to look at him three times already.

“I said ‘No, no, no, no. The bird is mine; I’ll give you the money right now.’

“So, I ring my daughter and say I’m getting this eclectus.

“I don’t want the other person to have him.”

Henry has three other brothers and sisters, making up the family of birds owned by Cynthia; two budgies named Toby and Louie, and his favourite sister Apple (also named after his favourite fruit), a one-year-old ringneck parrot.

An interesting trait of the eclectus parrot is that they are the most sexually dimorphic of the parrot species, with the males being easily recognisable from their vibrant emerald green plumage and yellow beak.

In a vivid contrast, females are striking red and purple, with a blue underbelly, and black beak.

Besides being remarkably smart and chatty, Henry is a keen listener and loves to sit and take in full conversations, sometimes repeating the things he has learned in perfect context later.

“Sometimes when I talk to him in context, I feel like I’m talking to another human,” said Cynthia.

“He calls me Mum. He knows I go to the Salvation Army at 8.30 am and he asks me right on the dot: “Mummy, are you going to work now?”

“One day I couldn’t find my phone, so I asked him ‘Henry do you know where my phone is?’

And he said, “I don’t know, ask Apple (his sister).”

“He did swear once, he picked it up from my friend when she was talking about a guy, and one day he said it to me and I said, ‘where did you learn that?’”

Among his greatest vocal accomplishments are singling ‘Jingle Bells’, and ‘Happy Birthday’ and learning a multitude of new words every week, which Cynthia records to keep up with his progress.

Henry’s well-behaved and loving disposition isn’t one he was taught, just naturally following Cynthia’s instructions when he’s told, and refusing to wear a harness but never flying away.

“He goes everywhere with me and only goes to his cage at night,” said Cynthia.

“If I say, ‘don’t do that Henry’ or ‘be gentle’, he just listens and does it right away.

“He is just like a human, he loves kisses, and the more you give him the more he will love you.”

Not all eclectus parrots share the same friendly and sociable disposition, often getting attached to one person.

“A friend of mine tried to give me a female one and I had to return her because I couldn’t get near her because they get attached to one person.

“I guess the only bit of training I’ve done is to be attached to everyone.”

The lifespan of eclectus is wide-ranging, and parrots can live anywhere between 20 to 100 years, especially if they are raised in captivity.

“He’s so gentle with my one-year-old granddaughter, they play at home all the time,” said Cynthia.

“I know he will be in good hands with my granddaughter, so she can have him when the time comes.”

But for now, Henry has plenty more laughs to share with the locals, so if you see a brilliant green bird about town, don’t be afraid to stop and say hello.