New Feathers Prove Rescued Bird Isn't So Anxious Anymore

It's probably obvious by now that we at The Dodo are completely in love with Javi, a cockatoo rescued from severe neglect.

In October, when we first covered her plight, Javi had just arrived at Tallgrass Parrot Sanctuary in Kansas. Founder Kail Marie was doing everything she could to make Javi (formerly named Hobby) calm and comfortable.

Javi had acquired the nervous habit of over-preening, plucking every single feather she could reach with her little beak. Many readers showed concern about Javi's history of neglect and asked whether her feathers would ever grow back. Others pointed out that she was "still absolutely gorgeous."

While Javi quickly felt the love at the sanctuary, Marie said that it was too soon to tell whether her feathers would ever return, leaving the marks of her neglectful past behind her.

Regardless, the sanctuary, with the help of Javi groupies, provided many colorful sweaters to Javi, making her a veritable fashion icon.

But this week, some little fluff was big news for the Javi beat - and we hopped to cover the latest: A few little feathers are beginning to grow back.

"Your Javi fix for the day!" the sanctuary posted to Facebook on Wednesday. "And yes, she has some new feather growth on her wings and one tail feather!"

We already knew Javi finally felt safe and loved. But now it truly shows.

Click here to learn more about Tallgrass Parrot Sanctuary and how you can help.