The bilingual cussbird

Dear Editor,

As an independent research specialist, I just came across some interesting data and I believe that it might be of interest to your readership.

20130511millie Millie the bilingual parrot/macaw was a guest at the 1967 Expo, Canada. Millie was deported after the Guyana Ambassador and the pavilion staff were embarrassed after she swore in both French and English.

Interesting is the fact that the attached first day cover of the stamps from Guyana describe her as ‘Millie, The Bilingual Parrot.’ As much as I would accept that the macaw falls in the parrot family, should it not have been ‘Millie, The Bilingual Macaw’?

The following was the headline that appeared in the Sarasota, Florida Herald Tribune on November 12, 1967: ‘Guyana’s swearing Macaw is center of controversy.’

Yours faithfully,
T Pemberton