Couple Adopts Ugly Bird. 3 Months Later, He Transforms Into Rainbow Parrot

We’re all familiar with the story of “The Ugly Duckling,” but if it’s been a while, here’s a refresher.

Hans Christian Andersen’s tale involves an ugly, misfit duckling who struggles to fit in with his brothers and sisters.

He is excluded and ostracized for his appearance until he learns that he was never a duckling at all, then turns into a beautiful swan.

Of course, the tale isn’t just fiction: it was inspired by the fact that many of the most beautiful birds on Earth start out as ugly hatchlings.

Swans might be the most famous example, but many truly stunning birds begin life as naked little creatures without any physical beauty to speak of.

That certainly applies to one newly adopted parrot hatchling. When his family adopted him, he was pink and freshly hatched.

But after a few months of love and attention, he was totally unrecognizable!

 Imgur / Cascadia1977

Imgur user Cascadia1977 shared the evolution of her beautiful baby parrot Apollo with the internet.

She titled it “The Ugly Duckling – Tropical Style. The journey to gorgeous.”

Apollo is a starlight macaw, but he still has a ways to go before he lives up to that beautiful breed name!

 Imgur / Cascadia1977

As you can see, there is something endearing and Big Bird-like about this little guy, but his slimy-looking body isn’t exactly begging to be cuddled with.

In this image, he is 3 to 5 days old, his eyes haven’t opened yet and his first feathers are just starting to poke through.

 Imgur / Cascadia1977

Apollo definitely doesn’t weigh more than he looks, coming in at a tiny 138 grams.

For reference, that’s just a little bit heavier than a stick of butter.

Here, you can see the dark specks on his skin where his feathers are coming in.

Photo: Little Things