It’s a cool January morning in sunny Southern California. A blanket of morning smog dissipates as the sun’s warm rays peek out. He waits backstage gazing into the distance as a strong wind swells and crashes into his body.

Four years ago, he arrived with high expectations of the freezing temperatures of the Bronx, New York, leaving his family and friends behind. Thousands before they had already paved the way to Hollywood in the hope of fame and fortune.
However, unlike them, Baby, as he is affectionately called, is not a human being. He is a bird. A Moluccan cockatoo to be exact.

Like an actor in distress who may soon be assigned to the Community Theater, Baby is about to be transferred. “It’s two steps forward and one step back with Baby,” says Johanna Caliso, one of the dedicated trainers at the Los Angeles Zoo.

She watches Baby swaying on his lithe bones as his cape of pink and white feathers bathes in the sun. “We are hopeful that one day he will be able to contribute to the show. Right now he is not ready for the show.”

Fortunately, for the thousands of spectators who come to the Los Angeles Zoo each year, the show clicks like clockwork twice a day during the week and three times on weekends without Baby. Today, one of the viewers turns out to be an aspiring actor. If anyone can appreciate Baby’s plight, it’s him.

Like Baby, Erik Nicolaisen ventured to Hollywood four years ago. He has endured the grueling auditions, the countless hours of rehearsal, and the harsh rejections. “Much of this business is about learning everything for yourself and following your heart. No one is going to hold your hand,” advises the budding star.

Erik, along with the hundred or so onlookers, watches as the cast of birds strike their lines and brilliantly follow their cues. The birds dazzle the crowd with their airborne agility, keen intelligence, and sheer beauty. Just like in a Broadway production, everyone has a role to play in order for the show to be a success.

First up is Blackjack, a raven, and the house janitor, who picks up some scattered aluminum cans with his sharp beak and makes sure to toss them in the appropriate recycling bin. Next in line is Abe, the Abyssinian Ground Hornbill house, strutting to “I’m Too Sexy” while shaking his head like he’s dancing at the Roxbury. It flaps its black feathers and brings its stubby legs and toes to the roar of the crowd, before disappearing backstage.

As the laughter dies down, the heads of the crowd shoot skyward to catch a glimpse of Flash, a Harris Hawk, rising from the top of the mountain and grabbing a leather decoy fired like a cannon from below. “Woah,” says one of the young students craning his neck up. “That was great” are the only words that come out of his open mouth.

Meanwhile, backstage, oblivious to everything, Baby continues to gaze into the distance, perhaps doubting his career choice. To be a successful show bird requires hours of training and patience from both the bird and the trainer. It also requires sacrifice.

Just as runway models must maintain their weight, the birds are weighed daily to stay at optimal flight weight, which is difficult for Baby. Once a household pet, he was used to banquets of scrambled eggs, steak, and pasta. Now he must suffer from “bird” food, which consists of vegetables, bird pellets and seeds.

Next to Baby, you can feel the nerves of Cheeks, a Goffin cockatoo, preparing for his stage debut. It reminds you a lot of the nervous Luca Brasi from The Godfather before meeting Don Corleone.
The music beats from the speakers, and within moments, Cheeks makes his grand entrance on stage. With the cooperation of a courageous client, Cheeks snatches a twenty dollar bill from his hands, which would surely make Danny Ocean very happy. Unlike Danny, she keeps a clear conscience by always returning the money.

What the audience sees and what happens behind the scenes is completely different. “It’s like Noises Off some days,” jokes Johanna as she rushes backstage making sure everything is ready for the next segment. “Sometimes they don’t feel like acting,” he says as he ducks his head and melts into a small cubicle backstage.

By “they” he probably meant Scooter. If George Clooney were a bird, he would be reincarnated as Scooter, another Moluccan cockatoo and the star of the show. It looks amazing in that “Didn’t try” way with a hook nose that makes you think big noses are now in style. Sensing a new admirer, he throws his head back giving his best Derek Zoolander as his feathers gleam in the bright sunshine. Chirp with a voice that massages your ears and a charm that tickles your soul.

“He’s beautiful, but he’s a diva,” says Johanna as Scooter lightly brushes her head against his arm. “He definitely thinks he should be the only bird on the show.” While the other birds performed, Scooter spent the morning lounging on his luxurious farm eating sandwiches. “I’m sure you think it should be voted the sexiest bird of the year. Every year.”
It takes a lot of sunflower seeds, the only currency Scooter accepts, to keep you happy, but it’s worth it. He also accepts hugs, caresses, and scratches; otherwise it won’t work for you. Annoying? Yes. Lovely? Absolutely.

Baby, a few weeks before your fifteenth birthday, the only chance of becoming a star is if Scooter, one day, moves on or is somehow injured, which happens. Just a couple of weeks ago, Barney, a king vulture, was placed on the disabled list after breaking his foot. Hopefully he will be back in a couple of days.

Although Baby has stayed healthy, he can’t seem to fly out of Scooter’s shadow. If it were in any other zoo, it would be the star. Instead, he must swallow the fact that Scooter is simply better than him, and there isn’t much else he can do.

After the show, while the others continue their antics, Baby perches on her hidden branch in the corner, shaking her head slightly with just a hint of Bronx grudge. No matter how much the parrots chirp or how many times Abe plays a tune against the fence, he stays away from it all.

Maybe he seems to be understanding the fact that he will never be the star, but you wonder if his attitude would change if he only experienced the satisfaction of putting a smile on a child’s face, and for the children’s sake, hopefully. the smiles will continue.

Unfortunately, budgets aren’t just for Hollywood blockbusters or the federal government. The program is just one of many projects that are being stifled by Los Angeles’s struggling economy and shrinking budget. “The kids love coming here,” says one of the teachers here on a field trip.

Should the show ever close, the birds will find work elsewhere or continue to live a happy, healthy life at the zoo. As for Baby, the training staff will constantly work with him every day because there is always room for another star. After all, if Robert DeNiro and Al Pacino can share screen time, these two can share some flying space.

“Hopefully the next time Baby comes back and made it,” Erik says as he walks his fiancée, Rachael, to the door. “Over time, your dreams get tired of running away from you and you catch them.” For now, however, we must follow the only rule of show business. “The show must go on.”