When people think about birds as pets, they often let common sense fly out the window, according to Robin Ashcraft.

A blue-and-gold macaw, for example, has a beak strong enough to crack walnuts -- or nip off the tip of a child's finger, she said. That makes a large parrot a bad choice for a family with toddlers.

Parents instead might consider a parakeet, among the smallest members of the same avian family, she said.

Ms. Ashcraft and her sister-in-law, Cindy Ashcraft, operate Butler Parrots, a new, not-for-profit organization that provides a temporary home for birds of all sizes. Its formal name is "Parrot Enhancement and Adoption Program," and its mission includes educating owners and potential owners about how to care for their pets.

"I know I've upset people who want a big bird, but they have had no experience in caring for one," Cindy Ashcraft said. "When I tell them they should start with something smaller, they hang up."

Helped by a small crew of volunteers, the sisters-in-law seek to return sometimes ill-fed or traumatized birds to good health and then find them new homes. In other cases, however, even healthy birds must find new perches, because their owners' circumstances have changed.

Robin Ashcraft recalled a situation in which unthinking friends gave a couple a pair of cockatiels as a housewarming gift. Taking care of birds can require as much or more work than caring for a puppy, she said. The cockatiels -- small members of parrot family known for their Mohawk-like head tufts -- soon were given up for adoption.

A large parrot, like an African grey or several species of macaw, can live 50 to 80 years. As a result, young birds are likely to require several homes when their original owners die or grow too old to care for them.

Both sisters-in-law have years of practical experience in caring for birds. Cindy Ashcraft has been a parrot owner for 30 years. Robin Ashcraft had volunteered for five years at North Hills-based Pittsburgh Parrot Rescue, and she became aware of the need for a similar organization in Butler County.

"There is a huge need," agreed Roberta Weisensee, founder and executive director of Pittsburgh Parrot Rescue. Too many people buy parrots as pets without doing their homework first, she said.

"While most parrots are bred in captivity, they maintain their wild instincts," she said. They are sweet and gentle when they are babies, but when they mature, their personality changes.

"They can develop biting problems and screaming problems," Ms. Weisensee said. Some parrots become so stressed out they pull out their own feathers.

It is at that point that many owners decide to give up their birds.

Robin Ashcraft has provided a temporary home for about a dozen parrots of various sizes in a large, sunny room in her home in Oakland Township. Bigger birds have their own cages, each large enough to allow the occupant to spread its wings. Smaller species, like cockatiels, share quarters.

Volunteer Paul Powell cares for parakeets put up for adoption at his home in Connoquenessing Township, and Cindy Ashcraft provides foster care for medium-size birds at her home in Penn Township.

In Oakland Township, the cage doors are often left open, permitting the birds to climb on and around their enclosures. Their wings have been clipped, which still allows them to glide, rather than fly, around the room. All the birds have a variety of wood blocks and phone books to chew on and mirrors, squeaky toys and climbing ropes with which to amuse themselves.

Robin Ashcraft's first avian pets were two chickens, named "Chicken Nugget" and the "Colonel." Both belonged to a niece but lived at her rural Butler County house.

When they disappeared -- most likely as lunch for a hawk, she said -- her husband Dennis consoled her with an African grey parrot named Holly Ann. About 17 years old, Holly Ann already had two previous owners, including an elderly couple who died.

Cindy Ashcraft said the goal of Butler Parrots was as much to educate owners as to rescue birds. Anyone considering a parrot or other bird as a pet has a duty to learn about their special needs, she said.

Parrots that are ignored for most of the day, confined in small cages and fed a high-fat diet of seeds and nuts are likely to become bad-tempered "perch potatoes," Robin Ashcraft warned. Most birds are affectionate and need plenty of companionship, she said.

"People will complain that they have a mean bird and nobody can handle it," she said. "We've found that most birds are curious, and when they feel comfortable in their surroundings, they'll want to come out of their cages and explore."

A good diet should include fresh fruit and vegetables and many enjoy cooked pasta, eggs, chicken and meatballs, she said.

A word of warning to anyone considering a bird as a pet: Robin Ashcraft has found that birds, unlike puppies or kittens, cannot be litter box- or paper-trained. "Parrots will make a mess, and if they've been eating blueberries, you better clean it up fast," she said.

But when birds are matched up with appropriate, informed owners, the results can be rewarding for both sides.

Mr. Powell said providing foster care for parakeets has been a learning experience for his children, Jacob, 8, and Hailey, 6. "The kids enjoy talking to the birds, and they have learned how to handle them," he said.

Volunteer Kandi Nassy, who lives nearby in Concord, has had cockatiels as pets for many years.

"I enjoy all animals," she said. "But I was looking for something that I could keep in the house without my husband saying it was an outdoor pet."

She and her husband have three children, sons Demetrius, 15; Devin, 14; and daughter Trinity, 7. She said caring for birds offered a good respite from raising children.

"They don't talk back," she said of the birds. "And they don't make outrageous demands like, 'Mom, I have to go to the mall right now!'"

Butler Parrots has placed about a dozen birds in new homes, so far. The adoption procedure begins with a telephone interview and submission of a written application. "We also want to see what kind of bird experience the family has had," Robin Ashcraft said.

An in-home visit is the next step, followed by a face-to-face meeting between the family and the bird it is interested in adopting. "We want to see if it will be a good match -- how the bird reacts to them," she said.

The adopting family must sign a contract agreeing to return the bird if the arrangement doesn't work out.

Adoption costs range from $10 for a parakeet to as much as $300 for a large parrot. New owners also get a summary of their birds' medical histories.

Families are encouraged to keep in touch with Butler Parrots.

"People will call and tell us about the new behaviors their birds have learned," Mr. Powell said.

The Web site for the "Parrot Enhancement and Adoption Program" is www.butlerparrots.org.

Robin Ashcraft can be reached at 724-285-2644. Cindy Ashcraft can be reached at 412-772-8515.