Great place to visit and buy an exotic bird. I bought my first Quaker Parrot about a year ago from this store. They let me come in anytime I wanted to visit and bond with him while he was being weaned. When my family goes out of town, they board him too. I wouldn't trust anyone as much as I trust the ladies and gentleman that work here. They educated me on everything I needed to know about living with a companion parrot. I owned parakeets (they have those too) when I was a child so I am somewhat knowledgeable on taking care of birds but Quaker Parrots are on a whole new level! The people at this store are very welcoming and love birds and answer all of my questions. read more

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Warning new owner! Lacks kindness and compassion. Will definitely be looking elsewhere for wing clips and nail trims!

I have been to this store for the first time a few years ago just to look around, it was very clean and exciting to see all the birds playing in a jungle gym. In April I came back to purchase a baby budgie. All I can say is they raised a very healthy, docile, amazing, friendly bird. She became my best friend, from day one, rides in the car with me, sits on my shoulder for walks, goes to the store with me, goes to work with me and loves all my coworkers, so open to try all new foods. Keep in mind she was ~8wks when I first got her! You've got to do something very right for that young of a bird to be so happy with everything read more

Bird Is The Word - Bird Shops Near Me - Batavia, Illinois

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I purchased a canary from Bird is the Word on November 9, 2023 and I couldn't be happier. He is a healthy, happy bird. The staff at the store was great and I appreciate all their help. read more

Bird Is The Word - PJ short for Pride & Joy. - Bird Shops Near Me - Batavia, Illinois

I love it there. I got my 2nd budgie there, a rescue. They know how to take good care of their birds and give them plenty of freedom. I've had the rescue, Cosmo, for almost a year, and he's always been healthy. I'm so glad a supported this business instead of a ratchet pet store. My friend also gets food for her 2 cockatiels here, along with getting their nails + wings clipped. My rescue Cosmo is in the picture below. read more

Bird Is The Word - Bird Shops Near Me - Batavia, Illinois

Love this store so much, they take care of the birds really well. The inside is like a work of art and the birds are all happy. They have a big selection of toys and food and the staff is incredibly nice and helpful. read more

I am REALLY conflicted over how to write this review. I had come here a couple years ago, and it was the first time i fell in love with birds. Since then, i've adopted a bird and have come here numerous times to purchase bird items. My FAVORITE part about this store is the birds themselves. It's fairly unique in the sense that a majority of the birds are out, and you can go in and interact with them. Which is truly amazing. It's nice to see their personalities and temperaments, and helps you get a feel for what type of bird might fit you best. Coming to this store is a serious field trip for me - i live more than an hour away. But i LOVE playing with the birds, and i really look forward to my trips down here. They've got everything: birds, toys, cages, perches, play stands, food, etc... anything and everything you'd need, they've got it. Beware that the cages are grossly overpriced. You can find them 20-50% cheaper online. But toys/food etc are priced pretty fair. Plus i like to see my toys in-person before buying them, because online you can't really tell the feel, quality, or size of them. The biggest downside this store has: the girls they have working here. Not only are they not friendly, but they're downright rude. And this last visit was the last straw for me. There was a girl who seemed pretty young (20-ish?), who literally scolded me like a child. This particular day i was super-excited to come because my son finally agreed to come with me. He's twenty & it was his first time here. He really wants an African Grey, and I really want a Goffin's cockatoo. So we were both really excited to meet any potential new pets. There was a sign on the cockatoo cage that said not to stick fingers in the cage. The bird was really calm and quiet on this day. I spent a few minutes talking to her, and put my fingers near the outside of the cage and she put her beak up to the cage. So i started rubbing her beak. I was excited that she trusted me, and it appeared she was enjoying it. Suddenly this obnoxious girl yells over at me not to put my fingers in the cage and that i could get bit. I told her "I am aware, and i'm fine". To which she responded in a really angry school-teacher /angry-mom kinda way "I. don't. WANT. You to." I don't appreciate being scolded and chastised by someone half my age. Had she come over & tried to engage in conversation about the bird and it's history, & nicely explained that maybe this bird is truly aggressive or something, I'd be ok with. But to be so rude & aggressive towards a customer - absolutely not ok. Ever. I was fuming for the rest of the day. On this day I came here with the intention of getting to know this Goffin's, to determine if she'd be a fit for my household. How the hell am i supposed to create a bond with a bird if i'm not allowed to interact with it? With whatever possibility that i might have bought this bird - she just blew the purchase. I'm not buying a bird without interacting with it first & ensuring we like each other. She couldn't even answer questions about canary food when another customer asked - so clearly i have more bird experience than this teenage twit does. Nobody ever comes over and asks if you need help. Nobody ever asks if you want to know more about any of the birds. Nobody ever proactively tries to help or be nice about anything. EVER. I always feel like I'm not wanted there. And they seem annoyed by questions. There's one nice guy that works on Sundays (or used to. Not sure if he's still there or not), and he's the only friendly one in there. I'm willing to drive an hour each way to go here. I get excited about it, it makes me really happy. But sadly the employees here have now ruined it for me. Their shitty attitudes have taken away my ability to enjoy these visits, and if i were the owner that would piss me off. After this last visit i am questioning if i will ever go back. It's a shame for both of us. I'm going to miss visiting the birds, & they're going to miss my money. I'd give the store itself 5 stars. I think they've got a nice selection of toys, perches, food, and it's pretty clean. They've got beautiful birds that vary month to month. But if i could give them a 0 stars for customer service and employees, i would. And since they've completely destroyed my interest in coming here anymore, i'm gonna go with an overall two. If they got new employees, i'd come back. Who knows. Some day my need to play with the birds might trump my feelings about their attitudes. But for now i need a break. It doesn't take much to be nice to people, it really doesn't. And sometimes being nice goes a long way. read more

My mom brought her green cheek conure for a nail and wing trim about 3 weeks ago. The woman who handled her bird had longer brown hair. Upon opening the cage the bird escaped and slammed into the window by the front door. My mom knew it was not a good idea to handle the bird like that but was assured by the handler that she knew what she was doing. From there she took the bird to be to clipped. When finished she brought the bird back and informed my mom that the birds tail dropped from stress. Amongst the dropped feathers was a blood feather. This is only caused by the tail being plucked due to poor handling. The handler was careless and blamed in her words my mothers 'crazy little bird'. She said it was caused by stress but in reality it was because of her poor handling and my mothers bird flying into the window prior. My mom's request to bring the bird to the back room before the clipping for safety would have avoided this situation. Now my mom's poor bird is tail-less, off balanced and traumatized. The customer service here is extremely poor. She always held this store to high standards but sadly was wrong. I wanted to share my moms story to cause awareness. Don't bring your bird here for any services. read more

Bird Is The Word - Bird Shops Near Me - Batavia, Illinois

On numerous occasions, I have made the trip to Batavia to visit one of the most awesome shops in the known universe. Also, one of our parrots requires wing trims, a service they offer. We have never been let down by their wing trims here. We have not tried the boarding service, but we've seen how it operates and it all seems on the level. As for the actual birds, I really think the methods here result in more well-adjusted parrots. As soon as they're old enough, the young avians go out into a large, open environment where people and other parrots interact with them constantly. They can choose to go inside a cage for some alone time or remain out and play. Various healthy foods are on hand to sample, rather than a monotonous diet from which you must wean your new pet once you've brought him or her home. In addition to "new" birds, they often have rescue birds, and the staff's personal pets mingle with both in the common area. All of the parrots seem well-socialized, healthy, and properly groomed for safety (no jagged nails to snag on the rope toys). You can tell the staff here really loves birds and knows their stuff. The toy selection here is very good, as you can find preening toys, foraging toys, shredding toys, foot toys, and all manner of things here. The play stands are solid and available in different styles and sizes. You can also find treats, seed mixes, pellets, and dishes, including some types of dish that are hard to find elsewhere. In fact, they once special-ordered some for me. There are also numerous wild birds (not available to take home!), especially ducks and geese, that hang out behind the store. Great for birdwatching! If anybody reading this is thinking about getting a pet bird, this is the first place I'd send you to get an idea of what it's really like to hang out with parrots. There's a good shelter in Northbrook, and I recommend volunteering with them, of course, but a lot of those birds have special issues and don't really represent what it's like to live with a parrot because some of them will not interact with you. (Nothing against special needs birds--I have one--but you want to see the ideal parrot before you decide if you even want one, to know what it's like). If you really want to know what it's like to have a bird bigger than your head (or any other size parrot) sitting on you or eating out of your hand, Bird's The Word is your best bet. read more

I will not lie here or there in this review walking in to a bird store with my boyfriend for the first time in my life was a pretty unique experience, I've always been super aware and overly gentle with animals especially the babies I thought they had been way to rough on the birds getting them out of the cage, clipping their nails, and wings after my boyfriend agreed they where way to rough his bird was handled so poorly all of its tail feathers but one where broke from the cage and the way they put them in the box, when we got home we noticed my boyfriends birds wing had been clipped to far and she was bleeding at a pretty steady rate, if you know anything about birds you know this is seriously life threatening considering the amount of blood they have being cockatiels and 4 months old. I had asked quite a few questions considering this would be my first bird personally which I made then aware of and my boyfriend has had birds but wasn't completely educated by far they told us that two would be fine together and reassured me they wouldn't fight only that they might bind with each other more than us but low and behold we get home and let the birds in the 300$+ cage and stand they told us we HAD to buy to get the birds and they as soon as they get settled they start fighting and pushing each other off the perches causing more stress and harm especially to the already hurt bird the cage was way to big for them they are very uncoordinated and have a hard time climbing the walls of the cage they have plenty of toys and space but I'm too scared to even take my eyes off them because of the condition these people put my birds in before I could even get them home I paid well over 1000$ for these birds I was completely pressured to buy and wasn't informed at all about the possibilities or complications of getting two they where more worried about getting more money and getting us out of the store the people are ok prices and handling are unbelievable Amazon had better compete metal cages for 100$ compared to the 350 they told me I had to pay to take the birds read more

I used to love coming to this store. And honestly it's been a while since I've been there so maybe things have changed. I always loved how you could interact with the birds as they have a engage-don't cage policy there. They obviously care a great deal about their birds. I wish I could say they care just as much about their customers. A while ago, my husband and I purchased a bird from them. It was one of many from that clutch. We spent several weeks bonding with the bird before we picked him up and brought him home. He was so sweet and gentle. Just fell in love with us and we fell in love with him. As the bird looked similar to its brothers and sisters I asked how they identified them so they would know one bird from the other. They showed me that they would mark their foot and beak with a washable marker; and showed me that our bird was marked blue and it's siblings were all marked with other colors. Fast forward to adoption day: my husband and I went to pick up our bird and he wasn't there. All of the other birds there had red, purple, and orange markings; and none of the other birds liked to be held by us... as if we never bonded with them. The staff argued with us and passed off another bird as the bird we bonded with. After that exchange they hurried us out the door and my husband and I never came back. Bonding with our new bird has been difficult, but I don't blame him. It's not his fault that he was switched at birth. I love him so much, but it clearly has been a struggle that we didn't have that bonding time at such a young age. Maybe the young ladies have learned a few things in customer service. Maybe things have changed. I hope so. Ownership seems really nice and they do REALLY show that they care about the birds. read more

Thank youuuuu! Thank you for my wonderful hand raised lulu birdie pants. About 2 years ago I had asked for a parakeet for Christmas and thats all I wanted.Well after a long bitter fight with my mom she gave it and by word of mouth I ended up searching for my new friend at a cute little bird store named bird is the word! Its a great place with helpful people and they are really good to all of their animals. They are a small family owned store with responsible people hand raising parakeets.You can go in there and pick out your baby parakeet and after it is weaned then you can come back and pick your baby up!Much better then the full grown never handled typical pet store parakeets. I love my birdie!! Oh and they have a resident Macaw and Great Gray that will greet you when you walk in sooo cute! Besides birds they sell anything and everything you will need to take care of your bird from toys to fresh food and treats. They also will babysit your bird if you go out of town the babysitting room has tvs and music to make it as homey as possible:) read more

I love birds more than life itself, but I honestly believe that there are better ways to acquire them than at this establishment. Yes, they have more live birds, supplies, and advice than any other pet store in DuPage county, BUT... The staff are very grumpy and unfriendly. They resist casual conversation and they act like they are doing you a supreme favor by letting you be in their store. You get the impression that they are counting the minutes until you either buy something or leave. Considering that many people visit pet stores just to play with the animals (which is crucial to the animals' socialization), this attitude is rather unwarranted. The birds themselves tend to be skittish, bitey, and ill-at-ease. Contrary to common belief, this does not have to "come with the territory". I have been in pet stores where birds of all species get handled and petted by random people all day/every day and they remain calm, happy, and snuggly the whole time. This proves that their birds are not properly socialized, which can make things difficult for future owners and potentially land them in rescue shelters. All of this aside, their business model is excellent and they have tapped into a very underserved demographic. They have a lot going for them, but there is definitely room for improvement. Do yourself a favor and shop around. read more

This was the best bird store I have ever been in. I didn't want to leave, and was hoping they'd ask me to sleep over. I drove from the South Side of Chicago all the way to Batavia to check it out, and I will be doing that again. The young birdies are obviously well taken care of, and the staff is outstanding. I was talking to a worker in the store about possibly getting my cockatiel a friend, and the owner (I assume she was the owner) came right over and gave me her advice--which was not to buy another cockatiel, despite the fact that it cost her a sale. These people obviously love birds, not money (which "they say / Is the root of all evil today. / But if you ask for a rise . . . etc."). I learned more about tiels and parakeets in a five minute conversation with her than I have learned in a year of reading about them. You can also watch them hand feed the little ones. They know exactly what they are doing--I saw the birdkeepers feed the babies at Brookfield Zoo in the same way. The store is large (not cramped at all) and clean and there are scores of birds (many sold and waiting to be weaned) in case you want to gawk. Like I said, I was hoping they'd let me sleep over. No such offer was extended, but I can't blame them--I look like a psycho. This is the best bird store in Chicago. As soon as I mentioned it on Facebook, four or five other people said they bought birds and supplies here and that it was an excellent shop. read more

It's hard for people who have companion birds to shop in 3D. Dog & cat lovers have all the shops & I try to avoid places like Petsmart so I really appreciate & want to support this place. They have a fantastic, well priced array of little toys like wingnuts & blocks that are so small that it kills me to buy online & pay for shipping so I can stock while mingling with all the resident birds. I don't have my birds groomed there just because of distance but they always seem to have a steady stream of regulars coming through for their manicures and such. read more

This is the greatest bird store I've ever been to. From macaws and African Greys, to cockatiels and conures, these guys hand-raise them all and know the ins-and-outs of birds of all feathers. Not only do they breed and raise these guys, but have every supply you could think of to keep your winged friend happy. Cages, toys, perches, and healthy foods and treats. For you travelers out there, Bird is the Word has travel cages or boarding services. When I'm in to grab odds and ends for my parrot, I end up staying way to long, seeing their critters or talking to the extremely knowledgable staff. If you're a bird-lover, you can't go wrong. read more

I am surprised at all the bad reviews I am reading. We have been coming to Bird is the Word with our two cockatiels for at least 16-17 years to get their wings/nails clipped. We have never been treated rudely and the girls that do the wing/nail clipping have always handled our birds gently and with good care. Everyone has always taken the time to answer our questions and give us advice. One trip they even offered our two young granddaughters to come in the back to view baby birds. We have taught them to be very respectful of the birds and to not touch and put their fingers in cages. Four years ago we moved about an hour away and still took the trip to Bird is the Word for our birds. It became an excursion for my older granddaughter who always loves to come to the store. Sadly, a couple days ago one of our beloved birds passed away. He was 18. We are heartbroken and the other bird who had been together with him for 17 years is very depressed. I called the store and spoke to a young woman who was very helpful and took the time to talk to me and give me some advice for our other bird. I will note we did not purchase our birds at Bird is the Word. We did not find out about this store until we got our second bird and someone recommended the store to us. For the reviewer upset because they were scolded for touching the bird when there was a sign asking not to. Perhaps if they had asked someone to come help them with the bird advising they wanted to interact... read more

The store itself is great. I love the ideas of having the birds out. Unfortunately there is no customer service. I brought in two budgies I had bought from a pet store, and the people working were very rude. Especially a younger woman who worked there. She almost seemed to be side eyeing us as we asked questions about our birds to an older gentleman. The older gentleman was a bit rude at first, but at least he answered our questions. I've read a few stories on here about their neglect towards their own mistakes, and i'm glad I did! I would not recommend this place due to the lack of customer service/ general courtesy. Very rude employees. read more

I was on a business trip in Peoria, and made the 3 hour drive just to visit his bird shop. It was a great decision for several reasons. The store itself is small, but homey. They have quite a few cage options, several food options, and TONS of toys! There's also services such as nail/wing/beak trimmings that are offered for your pet birds. The ladies that work there are very helpful as well. The BEST part about the place is the birds that hang out in the aviary, which is along the back-right wall (from where you enter). You get to be right next to the birds (make sure you use hand sanitizer!), and even play with some! If you know your stuff (concerning bird knowledge), tell talk to the ladies there, and maybe they'll let you handle more than the birds in the aviary. One of the ladies brought out a baby cockatoo for me to play with, and let me hold a baby quaker as well! Some people just floated in and left without getting to really handle the little guys. It was a really awesome experience, and I bought my sun conure a toy there. Thank you so much, Bird is the Word! read more

Of all the bird stores and pet stores I've ever been to, and that's been a lot, they do a fantastic job hand raising their babies. The birds are in ample size cages, and always have clean food, water and cages. I really enjoy coming here to see what they have in the way of babies. My only qualm is that I wish they would carry organic foods, like Harrisons, Goldenfeast, and/or Totally Organic Pellets. There could be more variety in food than the regular pet store brands. However, I cannot complain about the animal care there and the birds look happy, healthy and well cared for. I only hope their future owners take such good care of them. read more

I went this place was amazing the staff were nice and not rude at all I totally recommend it because of the stuff I've learned there I am getting a bird of my own read more

This place is a gem of a business. We've been going here for years for bird supplies and advice; but recently they helped us in a big way. We have two redrump parakeets, a pair that insist on laying eggs. This time, our female parakeet got egg bound. We had no experience, and our vet was closed ( New Year's Day). There were no guarantees. It could have turned out differently. They could have withheld advice out of fear of being wrong. They did not. Their advice was welcome, and because of their help, our bird is alive and thriving again. They have beautiful birds here: parrots, canaries, and everything in between. They have cages, and toys, and high quality seed. That can trim wings and feet, and have a vet that regularly visits, so you can even get a bird checkup right in the store. If you own a bird in the fox valley, you need to visit this place! Ps: if you do visit watch out for the mooching squirrel that hangs out by the front door. She wants at the seed in the store! read more

When I found out that there was a niche bird shop some what near me, I enthusiastically visited. My first visit was great and I made sure to come back. This is where it goes downhill. Every single time I have visited this store, the staff are EXTREMELY rude. I mean extremely rude. They don't talk to you, they act like you don't exist and are short with you. I've seen staff come and go, but the attitudes have always stayed the same. Not to mention that their prices are extremely inflated. It's not worth anyone's money to come here. Save some money and shop on a wonderful online store, and check local rescues. This place and their crappy attitudes don't need the support of anyone. The experience is underwhelming and frustrating. I can't stress this enough. read more

Hmmm, Where do I even begin? I follow a Parakeet page here on Facebook I had been thinking about getting one as I have had a couple in my younger years...I knew I wanted a baby but no where near me has baby parakeets..So I asked on the page I follow if anyone knew who did...A couple people recommended me to Bird is the Word...I checked all their reviews and looked at pictures to make sure they kept a clean establishment..I then called them and low and behold they had a baby who would be ready in just a few days! Exciting!!!! My husband and I set out to go pick him up it was quite the journey 3 1/2 hours. I had absolutely nothing for the bird as I was going to be purchasing his cage, accessories, food and anything else needed at their store. We spent over $300 at their store...We bring him home and the next afternoon he was sitting on his perch puffed up and having diarrhea. I called my nearest vet 1 1/2 hours away and they told me to bring him in it didn't sound good. They checked his fecal and told me he had a bacteria infection and a parasite and gave me antibiotics. I then called Bird is the Word and Sally told me she would only pay for medication needed...My bill was $165 and medication was $12..I wasn't even going to bother with getting back $12....10 days later and Ollie is vomiting...I call Sally's personal phone number (owner) and she said as long as she seen a receipt and things they done too Ollie at the vet she would consider helping with my bill....I have since called and texted her and have heard NOTHING back...Too say I am an unsatisfied customer would be an understatement! These people will gladly take your money but could care less if their customer is sent home with a sick birds it's out of sight out of mind! What a disgrace!!!!! read more

this is the bees knees lol. you will never find people that are more knowledgeable or that care more about birds than these people. I bought a hand tame budgie hear for my wife. It was the first hand raised budgie she ever had it is so friendly and not afraid of people at all. They are doing something right!!!! read more

Awhile back I went in here and got some bird seed and was treated rudely by the saleslady. I had bougth my keet here 10 years before so I expected better. I wrote the company about the situation and recieved a personal apology letter from the employee. I thought that was excellent customer service. Everybody has a bad day now and then but for somebody to own up to it that is really responsible of them and great service. Since that happened i have been back a couple times to buy birdie treats and other items and of course look at the birds in the shop :) read more