Rescued Cockatoo Who Can't Fly Gets to Experience the Great Outdoors Thanks to Her Mom's Sweet Idea
Birds deserve just as much special attention as their more stereotypical pet counterparts.
Sweet Pea, a beloved Cockatoo, was adopted by Wendy Albright off of Craigslist in 2020. When Wendy brought Sweet Pea into her home, she had almost no feathers and copious amounts of plucking damage to her body. Because of the severity of the damage, specifically to her wing follicles, unfortunately Sweet Pea has permanently lost her ability to fly.
But her new mom has the perfect solution to make sure Sweet Pea still gets ample opportunity to stretch her wings. Literally.
@theparrotlady Watching my cockatoo flap her wings outside in the sunshine is a sight I never tire of seeing. Sweet Pea can't fly due to her past wing plucking but I still want to give her the experience she deserves #cockatoo#parrot#outdoors#adventure
A Simple Life - Morunas
As shared on TikTok, Wendy will take Sweet Pea out and about in a harness and leash, letting the Cockatoo walk alongside her and even mimic flying while on her arm. She even brings her other parrot, an African Grey named Brody, along with in a backpack so he gets some fresh air, too.
Over time and with care, most of Sweet Pea's feathers have regrown and her spirit has clearly returned. She visibly loves her walks outside and as Wendy said, "Watching her flourish and enjoy the outdoors makes me so happy."
Commenters on the video clearly agree saying:
"Awww she's thriving!"
"I wish all pet owners were like you!"
"She is such a treasure."
Sweet Pea Is an Internet Star
Sweet Pea is an utter internet sensation helping garner almost 50 million likes to Wendy's TikTok account alone. While Wendy does share her other pets, Sweet Pea in particular took off (no pun intended) when a video of her affection for dogs went mega-viral in 2021 and 2022. The latter has been viewed over 69 million times, making Sweet Pea a digital household name. Wendy features her prominently on TikTok, as well as on YouTube.
@theparrotlady I'm thankful for the love all of you give us! We love you back! #parrot#puppy#iloveyou#cockatoo#lab#fyp#grateful
original sound - Wendy Albright
Living very much up to her name, it's clear Sweet Pea is just the sweetest little soul. Her affectionate and happiness jumps out, even from behind a screen. With so many devoted fans online and a mother who will clearly do anything for her, hopefully the remainder of Sweet Pea's like is as sweet as she deserves.
Related: Cockatoo Tells Mom 'I Love You' and People Everywhere Are Melting
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This story was originally published May 22, 2026 at 4:25 PM.