January 5th is National Bird Day, so you know we had to show some love to our favorite Cockatoo, Oliver Bird! Oliver was first brought to the shelter in 1992 as an owner surrender at just 5-years-old. He quickly charmed his way into the hearts of staff and visitors, making our shelter his forever home. The talkative bird has now been the resident mascot of the HSVC for over 28 years!

Now 33-years-old, Oliver Bird has become a local celebrity at the shelter. Visitors from all over Ventura County come to interact with the chatty Cockatoo. On an average day, you can find Oliver singing, dancing, and doing his best eagle impression to entertain his guests. He loves to greet everyone who comes in the door and wish them an enthusiastic “Happy Birthday”.

Since the COVID-19 shutdown, Oliver has not been able to visit with his friends as much as he’d like to. However, the charismatic bird still finds ways to entertain our staff. He loves to play hide and seek with our adoption counselors, serenade our kennel staff, and of course, eat all the peanut butter crackers he can get his claws on! We can always count on Oliver to bring a smile to our faces with his quirky personality.

Thank you, Oliver Bird, for being an endless source of happiness, joy, and entertainment for our shelter! Please note, many of these photos were taken BEFORE the COVID-19 shutdown. The HSVC is still currently closed to the public for walkthroughs to visit the animals, including Oliver. Please call the shelter at 805-646-6505 with any questions.