Parrot Rescue and Sanctuary Network Overview: Foster Parrots, Best Friends

The US Parrot Rescue Landscape

The US parrot rescue network is younger, smaller, and more specialized than the dog and cat rescue system, but it is real and growing. Most parrot rescues fall into one of two structural categories. Foster-based rescues place surrendered birds with trained volunteer foster homes during evaluation and then move the birds to permanent adopters. Sanctuary-based organizations house birds permanently in dedicated facilities, sometimes without ever adopting them out — particularly for birds with severe behavioral or medical conditions.

The largest organizations span both models. Most also operate species-specific waitlists, accept owner surrenders alongside intake from local shelters that lack avian expertise, and require home visits, applications, and adoption fees as standard adopter screening. Adoption fees typically run 25 to 100 dollars for small birds and 150 to 1,500 dollars or more for large parrots, with the fees scaled to support sanctuary operations rather than to recover bird cost.

This guide covers the most established US parrot rescue organizations, the structural difference between foster-based and sanctuary-based placement, and the adoption process most adopters will navigate. Cross-link to the broader sibling discussion at adopting a parrot from rescue: Mickaboo and Phoenix Landing.

Foster Parrots (Hollis, New Hampshire)

Foster Parrots, founded in 1999, operates one of the longest-running US parrot rescue programs. Headquartered at the New England Exotic Wildlife Sanctuary in Hollis, New Hampshire, the organization combines a permanent sanctuary for non-placeable birds with an adoption program for birds that can be matched to homes. Intake covers all parrot species, from budgies to large cockatoos and macaws.

Foster Parrots is known for accepting birds with significant medical and behavioral complexity — including PBFD-positive birds, severely plucked cockatoos, and macaws with bite histories that other organizations decline. The sanctuary operates on individualized welfare assessments rather than blanket rules, and the adoption process includes detailed application, home visit, and sometimes multi-month foster placement before final adoption.

The organization is regionally focused on New England and the Northeast but accepts intake from a wider area when capacity allows.

Best Friends Animal Society — Parrot Garden (Kanab, Utah)

Best Friends Parrot Garden, the parrot-specific program within Best Friends Animal Society’s sanctuary in Kanab, Utah, houses several hundred parrots permanently and adopts out a portion of intake. The facility includes large indoor and outdoor aviaries, dedicated cockatoo housing, and species-appropriate enrichment programs. Best Friends is one of the largest dedicated parrot sanctuaries in the United States.

Adoption from Best Friends Parrot Garden typically requires travel to Kanab for in-person bird meeting and evaluation; the organization places fewer birds through long-distance adoption than locally based rescues. Adoption fees are scaled by species — small parrots in the low triple digits, large parrots into the four-digit range — and the application process is thorough.

Best Friends operates broader fostering and adoption support, including a “Pet Friendly Services” program that helps owners find housing accommodating birds. The organization is particularly active in cockatoo placement.

Phoenix Landing (Texas, North Carolina, Virginia)

Phoenix Landing operates as a foster-based regional network across Texas, North Carolina, Virginia, and the broader US Southeast and Mid-Atlantic, with hundreds of trained foster homes. The organization is known for an extensive educational program — quarterly classes, species-specific seminars, and a strong emphasis on adopter preparation before placement.

Phoenix Landing requires prospective adopters to complete the organization’s educational program, attend classes on species care, and submit detailed applications including home visits. The model intentionally slows the adoption process to filter out impulse adopters and educate placement matches.

Adoption fees scale by species and run from low triple digits for small parrots to four-digit ranges for cockatoos and large macaws. The fee structure funds the foster network and educational programming.

Mickaboo Companion Bird Rescue (California Bay Area)

Mickaboo Companion Bird Rescue is a Bay Area foster-based rescue focused on companion bird placement across California. The organization places hundreds of birds annually, primarily through trained foster homes that house birds during evaluation and behavioral acclimation. Mickaboo’s species coverage is broad — budgies, cockatiels, conures, Amazons, African greys, macaws, and cockatoos all rotate through the foster network.

Mickaboo is known for accepting intake from California municipal shelters that lack avian expertise, which means many of the available birds arrive without behavioral history. The foster evaluation period — typically 30 to 90 days — provides the structured assessment that municipal shelters cannot. Adoption fees follow the same species-scaled pattern as other major networks.

The organization is geographically focused on Northern California but has occasionally placed birds with adopters across the western states.

Project Perry (Virginia)

Project Perry operates a dedicated sanctuary in Virginia with an emphasis on lifetime care for parrots that cannot be placed in adoptive homes. The organization accepts intake of severe behavioral cases — heavily plucked cockatoos, macaws with multiple failed placements, birds with chronic medical conditions — and provides permanent housing in species-appropriate aviaries.

Adoption from Project Perry is more limited than from foster-based organizations, and the sanctuary’s primary role is permanent care rather than rehoming. Donors and volunteers support the operation; adopters who can offer experienced permanent homes for difficult-to-place birds are still considered, but the placement standard is high.

Project Perry is one of the most-cited examples of the sanctuary-only model in the US parrot rescue community.

The Oasis Sanctuary (Arizona)

The Oasis Sanctuary, located in the high desert of Arizona, is one of the oldest established US parrot sanctuaries — operating since the late 1990s. The facility houses several hundred parrots permanently, with species ranging from small parakeets to large macaws and cockatoos. Like Project Perry, Oasis prioritizes lifetime sanctuary care over adoption, although limited adoption does occur for the most placeable birds.

The Oasis Sanctuary is known for its dry desert climate suiting many species’ respiratory needs, large outdoor flight aviaries, and emphasis on long-term welfare research. The organization is a useful named successor caregiver for parrot owners structuring estate plans, although the sanctuary does not guarantee acceptance and operates a waitlist.

The Standard Adoption Process

The adoption process across major US parrot rescues follows a recognizable pattern. Expect the following stages:

• Application: a multi-page form covering household composition, current and previous pets, work schedule, living situation, lease status (with landlord permission required for renters), avian veterinarian access, and budget.
• Education or class requirement: larger networks require pre-adoption education, often a multi-hour seminar or class series.
• Home visit: a volunteer or staff member visits the prospective home to assess space, environment, cage setup, household members, and existing pets. Home visits are standard for any large parrot adoption.
• Vet history check: the rescue may contact your current or previous veterinarian to verify the household’s history of pet care.
• Foster or meet-and-greet period: for larger birds, multi-visit meetings or a 30-to-90-day foster trial often precedes finalized adoption.
• Adoption agreement and fee: the contract typically includes a return-to-rescue clause if the adopter can no longer keep the bird, and species-scaled adoption fees.

The process can take weeks to months from application to bird-in-home. Adopters expecting same-day adoption like a municipal dog shelter will be disappointed, but the structure exists because parrot rehoming patterns have made it necessary.

What to Prepare Before You Apply

The rescue intake process is easier and faster when you have done your homework before applying. Before submitting an application:

• Identify an avian-certified veterinarian in your area and verify they are accepting new patients. See finding an avian-certified veterinarian.
• Set up an appropriate cage, perches, and starter toys for the species you are seeking. The rescue may decline an applicant without housing in place.
• Verify your housing situation permits the bird — renters need landlord written approval, condo and HOA residents may need board approval, and shared-wall housing should be reconsidered for any large parrot.
• Plan for the quarantine and rehabilitation period after bringing the bird home — see adopting a rescued parrot quarantine and rehabilitation protocol.
• Consider estate planning. The candid framing on lifespan and care funding is in parrot lifespan estate planning.
• Read the candid surrender framing in why large parrots end up in rescue before applying for a large parrot.

Local Rescues and Smaller Networks

Beyond the named organizations above, dozens of smaller regional and species-specific parrot rescues operate across the United States. Mollywood (West Coast cockatoo specialist), Cockatoo Rescue of the Pacific Northwest, Greyhaven Exotic Bird Sanctuary (BC, Canada), and many local foster networks fill gaps that the larger organizations cannot cover. The North American Parrot Society and similar umbrella groups maintain rescue directories that adopters can use to find regional placement options.

Local avian veterinarians often know the regional rescue community and can recommend trustworthy organizations. A pre-adoption visit to your prospective avian vet is a useful step that doubles as both veterinary relationship building and rescue intelligence gathering.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does it cost to adopt a parrot from a rescue?

Adoption fees range from 25 dollars for small birds (budgie, cockatiel, finch) to 1,500 dollars or more for large macaws and cockatoos. Fees scale by species and fund the organization’s intake and care operations rather than recovering individual bird cost.

Can I adopt a parrot from a rescue if I have never kept a bird?

Possibly for small birds; rarely for large parrots. Most established rescues require prior bird experience before placing Amazons, African greys, macaws, or cockatoos. First-time bird owners are typically directed toward smaller species or to volunteer foster programs as an entry path.

Why does a parrot adoption take longer than a dog adoption?

Because the surrender pattern in parrots is dominated by impulse adoptions that failed. Rescue organizations slow the process to filter for adopters who have actually researched the species and committed to long-term care. The structure is unglamorous but it works.

Do parrot rescues accept owner surrenders?

Yes, most do — although capacity varies and waitlists are common, particularly for large cockatoos and Amazons. Some rescues charge a surrender fee to fund intake; others ask for a donation. Surrendering owners should expect to provide veterinary records and behavioral history.

What happens to birds that cannot be adopted?

They live out their lives in sanctuary care at organizations like Project Perry, The Oasis Sanctuary, Best Friends Parrot Garden, and Foster Parrots. Sanctuary populations are why these organizations rely on donor funding rather than adoption fees alone.