Welcome to the Santa Barbara Sanctuary
A sneak preview of our book Avian Ambassadors with special guest Tutti Frutti the Curl-Crested Aracari
Bring a piece of the sanctuary home...
Come Visit Us!
Take a walk around our lush tropical gardens home to 50+ rescued companion parrots. The parrots love interacting with the public and making new friends!
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We are located in Summerland CA, right off the 101 Freeway, just a few blocks from the Pacific Ocean.
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Sanctuary Merchandise now available!
“We feed them and tame them and think we know them”
—David Attenborough
Santa Barbara Bird Sanctuary, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, was founded in 2004 by Director Jamie McLeod, who recognized the need for a rescue dedicated to unwanted and displaced companion parrots. Only a handful
of parrot rescues serve the entire nation, and most – like ours – function
beyond capacity with limited funding.
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Here at the Sanctuary, our mission not only mandates quality of health and happiness for the parrots in our care, but also emphasizes community outreach and education. Living with a bird is a complicated, full-time commitment that the average person finds difficult to fulfill. People are drawn to the beauty of these extremely intelligent creatures that have highly complex social needs.
They often find they are unable to give them the intense interaction required
in order for them to thrive. We educate potential adopters as well as local
groups of all ages.
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Our goals are to create positive, enriching environments for companion parrots, minimize neglect and ignorance that lead to relinquishment, and make space
for birds entrusted to us who outlive their owners.
Please enjoy every page of our website. Meet our beloved birds and learn how you can become a Friend of the Flock.