My name is Alexander, Alex for short, and I'm an African Grey Parrot. I am a part of the Minnesota Zoo's World of Birds show. It is a good life, you get a lot of treats for doing the correct tricks and sounds, and many people come to watch you perform. Well, not to sound like I have an ego, but I'm sure to be the star of the show. My part is to teach people about conservation by doing sound effects of a story my trainer tells. I make animal sounds, sing, and dance. Then I give a little wave before my part is done for the show.

And while all this is fun, everyday I see the wild birds fly free up in the trees. I've never really been past the amphitheater, and I wondered what it was like to fly free like the wild birds do. So one afternoon I decided to make the escape. I saw many of the other zoo animals. I flew over the Tigers, looked at a herd of Caribou, and watched a Moose wade through the water. It was all fun, flying through the trees with the Blue Jays and Chickadees until nightfall. I then realized how lonely and scary it was in the darkness. It started to rain, and as I fluffed up my feathers to keep warm I wished I were in my cozy cage near all of my bird friends.

I woke in the morning terribly hungry. I longed for the yummy seeds I received back at the show. I spent hours going through the trees looking for something to eat. And in that time I found nothing that was as good as the food back home. As I flitted through the trees I saw a boy point at me. Several moments later I saw the familiar faces of my trainers. They called to me, coaxing me down to their hands. I didn't need too much coaxing; I was ready to go back to my cage, food and friends.

And now as I sit here near my bird friends, I know the trees aren't always greener past the amphitheater.

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