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Bird with baggage: Peaches the cockatoo reenacts her previous owners' marital spats

A Moluccan cockatoo named Peaches is prone to mimicking the marital spats of her previous owners.
/ Source: TODAY

A Moluccan cockatoo named Peaches is prone to mimicking the marital spats of her previous owners, who evidently spent a lot of time ruffling each other's feathers.

Elaine Sigmon, of Maiden, North Carolina, adopted the melodramatic bird about a month and a half ago. In the market for a new pet, she and her husband, Don, had visited a German shepherd breeder named Neil Ebling, but instead set their eyes on his bird, Peaches.

"We noticed Peaches and asked if we could hold her. She was so cuddly and sweet," she told TODAY.com.

"Neil informed us that he was looking for a good home for Peaches because he was so busy with the dogs and felt that she needed more attention than he could give her," she added.

The Sigmons returned for Peaches a few weeks later, and soon discovered her penchant for outbursts. Ebling explained that Peaches had been ranting and raving since he adopted her 23 years ago, seemingly imitating the arguments of her first owners, a couple who had gone through a divorce.

"A few days after coming into our home, she began her show and we all laughed hysterically. We cannot make out what she is saying when doing this arguing," Sigmon said.

"Hearing her is one thing, but to watch her movements with her head as if pointing aggressively at my husband is hilarious," she added.

However, Peaches is known to have a softer side; her repertoire also includes friendly phrases such as "I love you," "What you doing" and "Hello."

"Even during her episodes, I can go to her and she will get on my hand or arm and begin to cuddle. Many people have asked us if she was in a happy environment and yes, she is," Sigmon said.

She and Don, a Baptist minister, have been happily married for 41 years, and Peaches gets plenty of attention from their four children and 12 grandchildren.

Sigmon added, "She is hilarious and has brought us so much joy."