And they have been since she became fascinated with parrots three decades ago. From her home aviary, she is devoted to breeding and hand-raising many types of these remarkable birds. She says she has some 40 birds on the premises, most of them housed outside. Two of them are pets.

The 38-year-old Provo, Utah, native grew up surrounded by animals and was particularly captivated by birds. Her grandmother, who was from Australia, grew up with Australian finches in the home and with Australian cockatoos living wild everywhere. So Reeves grew up hearing about birds all her life.

At the age of 6, a parrot caught Reeves' eye in a pet store, and from then on, her house was filled with the sounds and colors of the exotic birds.

After moving to Northern California in 1985, she visited a bird expo at San Francisco's Cow Palace, and there she saw many more species.

"When someone says 'parrot' most people still think of the bird on a pirate's shoulder," Reeves says. "But parrots can range from the little parrotlet to the large hyacinth macaw. And budgies, cockatiels and lovebirds are also parrots."

According to Reeves, parrots are very social animals. In the wild, they enjoy each other's company by traveling in flocks.

Reeves says it's not unusual for a town to have its own flock of wild parrots. And, in fact, Sunnyvale residents have enjoyed their own wild flock for some time now. Reeves says Sunnyvale's wild parrots come near enough to her birds to talk to them. Just the other day, one of the wild parrots was about two blocks away talking--in parrot talk--to Reeves' bunch. But Reeves says she's never seen them.

The book and film The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill is gaining popularity because of the heartwarming story about one man's close relationship to a flock of parrots--cherry-headed conures--in San Francisco. And Reeves says there is a flock of about six macaws in Menlo Park. Macaws are large parrots.

But when domesticated, parrots often become very attached to humans. And they "demand" several hours a day of interaction with their humans--much more than most dogs or cats.

Apart from their emotional needs, parrots take quite a bit of upkeep. They need a bath at least once a week to keep their feathers healthy and vibrant. And breeding birds also need controlled temperature, humidity and a good diet that includes fresh fruit and vegetables.

"The days of just feeding them seed are long past," Reeves says. "We now know that they require a varied diet like people."

Reeves got her first baby--a red-throat conure--in 1988. Later, a friend gave her some eggs that a cockatiel had refused to nest on. "So I bought a cheap Styrofoam incubator, hatched them and had about 20 babies that first year," she says.

Karen Pacini, from Sonoma, has three birds raised by Reeves. "It doesn't take much time around Shanna to discover how much she loves birds and what tremendous care she takes of them," Pacini says.

In any given year and after babies hatch, Reeves may have up to 100 birds of various types, including cockatoos, African ringnecks, cockatiels, Congo African greys and macaws.

In the fall and spring, she sells some 60 birds--most of them locally--from her online store, Color on the Wing, at www.coloronthewing.com.

Reeves also takes her birds to bird marts around the Bay Area, which are like flea markets for bird breeders. She says the marts offer up birds and everything an owner could possibly need for feathered pets.

But Reeves won't sell to just anyone.

Mary Alexander, owner of San Jose Bird Mart, says Reeves is one of her top venders. "We refer public and private breeders to Shanna for questions about everything from nutrition to avian health," says Alexander's husband, Jim. Reeves is a certified avian specialist.

"I won't sell a bird to someone that I don't think will be a good parent," Reeves says. She makes potential buyers aware that owning a parrot is like having a 3-year-old for the rest of the owner's life because some parrots can live 75 years or more. They are loving but can be very persistent, she says.

In her bird room, Reeves hand-feeds birds from tiny parakeets to large hookbills like macaws who could bite a person's fingers off.

Christine Nordstrom from Pinole also has bought several birds from Reeves. "She hand-feeds her babies with so much care that they grow up to be very sweet, loving birds," Nordstrom says.

But buying a parrot can be quite an investment.

Reeve's parrots range from $45 for a grey cockatiel to a hefty $1,600 for a rose-breasted cockatoo. But Reeves, whose day job is selling office furniture for KBM Workspace in San Jose, says parrot breeding is far from a quick way to make money. She says most people don't realize the time and financial investment required to raise healthy parrots. The cost of cages, full-spectrum lighting, nest boxes, incubators, brooders and other items for proper care of the babies eats into profits.

And unlike most birds, both male and female parrots usually have the same coloration. This means a $20 DNA test is the only reliable way to distinguish sex. Reeves actually sends a drop of blood to a lab in Florida, where the DNA is analyzed and each bird's sex is determined.

As for breeding, Reeves says it's not as easy as simply putting a male and female together in a cage and expecting them to produce babies. A pair of parrots bonds for life and can be very picky when choosing a mate.

Reeves says macaws and cockatoos make excellent companion birds for adults. They are very intelligent and can develop large vocabularies and even learn to associate words with meaning.

But they can be loud. Reeves says she only has one neighbor, and he is fine with the birds. But she's careful to keep the quiet ones outside. And she has a partner in Bakersfield, with whom she keeps the big, loud birds. "He has five acres down there, and they can be as loud as they want to," she says.

Mac, her 8-year-old blue-and-gold macaw, has a very authoritarian voice in the household.

"She tells me to 'stop it' when I'm cleaning her cage, and to 'come here' for head scratches," Reeves says. "She doesn't like loud music and will say 'shut up.' "

Then there is Rosie, a rose-breasted cockatoo, who also has a considerable vocabulary. "He answers the phone, laughs, coughs, sneezes and beeps like the microwave," Reeves says.

Reeves says her fiancé is good with the birds. "It's not his thing," she says. "But when I'm late at work, he takes care of them."

More than likely, Rosie, Mac and all Reeves' other birds would agree with Nordstrom, who says, "She is a guardian angel to feathered friends and touches the lives of all people in the bird world in a special way."

The next San Jose Bird Mart will be July 10 at the Santa Clara Olympic Aquamaids Bingo Hall at 2260 Martin Ave., Santa Clara. For more information, go to www.sanjosebirdmart.com or call 408.358.0882.