Novels are works of imagination and I tend to hate novels where there is a heavy emphasis on details accumulated through pre-novel-writing research.  Where’s the magic in that?  But if you have a parrot in a novel, I figure you ought to study parrots.  I do have a parrot in The Mathematician’s Shiva, Pascha.  This is who Pascha is based on personality-wise.  Her name is Obi and she lives in Portola Valley, CA.  Her owners are delightful people who are very affectionate with their birds.  Now tell me true, isn’t she gorgeous?