Rhode Island Parrot Rescue takes in 71 birds after New Hampshire seizure

Seventy-one parrots were moved to Rhode Island Parrot Rescue’s West Warwick facility after an emergency removal from a barn in New Hampshire, turning one crisis into a major quarantine and placement operation. Staff said the birds had been housed without electricity or running water, and that something got into the barn and attacked them.

The scale of the intake matters because parrots can arrive hiding far more than the public sees. Birds may be stressed, dehydrated, underweight or injured, and avian references note that parrots often mask illness until they are seriously unwell. That makes the first stage of rescue work about separation, observation, hydration, nutrition and low-stress handling, not quick adoption.

Rhode Island Parrot Rescue said it is the only 501(c)(3) nonprofit in Rhode Island focused exclusively on rescuing, rehabilitating and placing exotic birds into qualified homes. The organization says it was re-established in 2015 and serves birds and adoptive families throughout New England from its West Warwick base and a satellite location in Maine. Its West Warwick address is 173 Washington Street, and the site says visits are by appointment only.

The rescue said it is quarantining the New Hampshire birds while working with other organizations and volunteers to find placements. Its relinquish policy says it is currently accepting pre-vetted parrots only if they are up to date on wellness exams and have negative tests for avian polyoma, psittacosis and PBFD, a sign of how seriously it treats disease screening before birds enter its system.

Placement is not immediate. Rhode Island Parrot Rescue says its adoption process includes applications, scheduled visits, home visits and bonding visits. The organization also says it works with a New England rescue network and maintains a Do Not Adopt and Caution list, part of the screening that comes after a rescue intake and before a bird goes to a new home.

The New Hampshire flock arrived on top of an already crowded operation. The rescue’s new West Warwick facility opened on September 14, 2024 and is eight times the size of its previous Warwick site. It celebrated its 10th anniversary on September 20, 2025, and had around 80 birds up for adoption in June 2025. In 2022, it was already raising money for a larger space after reaching capacity.

Now the organization is asking for donations to cover medical and vetting costs tied to the 71-bird intake. For parrot owners, the case is a stark reminder that housing problems, neglect and sudden crises can become flock-wide emergencies fast, and that specialized rescue space is often the only thing standing between survival and a much larger welfare disaster.