# On which shoulder should a pirate wear her parrot? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 18, 2007, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-which-shoulder-should-a-pirate-wear-her-parrot/419562 "2007-09-18T01:04:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![robinc308](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b782af/32.png) [@robinc308](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robinc308)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2007, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-which-shoulder-should-a-pirate-wear-her-parrot/419562/1 "2007-09-18T01:04:38Z")
So tomorrow’s Talk Like a Pirate Day, and I’ve been preparing… But one question that I can’t find a good answer to is this: On what shoulder should I mount my parrot? I mean, I don’t want to get this wrong - it could be rude, it could send an unintended message to other pirates, or I might not be allowed to hang out with the “cool” pirates who wear their parrot on the other shoulder! ---
**Author:** ![Omi\_no\_Kami](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a88e4f/32.png) [@Omi\_no\_Kami](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omi_no_Kami)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2007, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-which-shoulder-should-a-pirate-wear-her-parrot/419562/2 "2007-09-18T01:16:18Z")
[QUOTE=robinc308] So tomorrow’s Talk Like a Pirate Day, and I’ve been preparing… But one question that I can’t find a good answer to is this: On what shoulder should I mount my parrot? I mean, I don’t want to get this wrong - it could be rude, it could send an unintended message to other pirates, or I might not be allowed to hang out with the “cool” pirates who wear their parrot on the other shoulder! [/QUOTE] Figure out which side pirates tend to wear their eye-patch on. I’m going to guess that nine times out of ten, that’s the side the parrot sits on. ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2007, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-which-shoulder-should-a-pirate-wear-her-parrot/419562/3 "2007-09-18T01:24:17Z")
I didn’t know women pirates historically had parrots. Although I imagine they’d had a cockatoo. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2007, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-which-shoulder-should-a-pirate-wear-her-parrot/419562/4 "2007-09-18T01:32:49Z")
I’ve seen that birds mount from the back. I don’t know if parrots are screamers though. ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2007, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-which-shoulder-should-a-pirate-wear-her-parrot/419562/5 "2007-09-18T01:57:45Z")
Just so there’s no confusion, Talk Like a Pirate day is on September 19th. The OP’s in Australia, so it’s already the 18th over there, but for those of us on this side of the date line, it’s still the 17th. Whatever you do, don’t go around talking like a pirate a day early. ---
**Author:** ![robinc308](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b782af/32.png) [@robinc308](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robinc308)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2007, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-which-shoulder-should-a-pirate-wear-her-parrot/419562/6 "2007-09-18T02:07:27Z")
[QUOTE=Omi no Kami] Figure out which side pirates tend to wear their eye-patch on. I’m going to guess that nine times out of ten, that’s the side the parrot sits on. [/QUOTE] Of course, that raises the question which eye I should wear my patch on. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2007, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-which-shoulder-should-a-pirate-wear-her-parrot/419562/7 "2007-09-18T02:10:46Z")
[QUOTE=Slithy Tove] Although I imagine they’d had a cockatoo. [/QUOTE] I get jokes. ---
**Author:** ![robinc308](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b782af/32.png) [@robinc308](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robinc308)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2007, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-which-shoulder-should-a-pirate-wear-her-parrot/419562/8 "2007-09-18T02:17:30Z")
[QUOTE=ultrafilter] Just so there’s no confusion, Talk Like a Pirate day is on September 19th. The OP’s in Australia, so it’s already the 18th over there, but for those of us on this side of the date line, it’s still the 17th. Whatever you do, don’t go around talking like a pirate a day early. [/QUOTE] Yes, that should be claified. I am in Australia, and it’s Already Tuesday 18th. Talking like a pirate a day early would be even more embarrassing than wearing your parrot on the wrong shoulder. ---
**Author:** ![BarnOwl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e95f7d/32.png) [@BarnOwl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BarnOwl)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2007, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-which-shoulder-should-a-pirate-wear-her-parrot/419562/9 "2007-09-18T02:27:08Z")
The Parrot is always on the Pirate’s right shoulder. [http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&q=Pirate+with+parrot&btnG=Search+Images&gbv=2](http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&q=Pirate+with+parrot&btnG=Search+Images&gbv=2) Well almost always. I didn’t scroll down far enough. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2007, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-which-shoulder-should-a-pirate-wear-her-parrot/419562/10 "2007-09-18T02:38:11Z")
On the non-dominant shoulder. You don’t want your swordplay to dislodge the bird. ---
**Author:** ![Monster104](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Monster104](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monster104)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2007, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-which-shoulder-should-a-pirate-wear-her-parrot/419562/11 "2007-09-18T03:03:03Z")
Real pirates have parrots for _both_ shoulders. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2007, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-which-shoulder-should-a-pirate-wear-her-parrot/419562/12 "2007-09-18T04:33:25Z")
No, real pirates have parrots perched on the top of their heads. Serious. Post pictures! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![treis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bc79bd/32.png) [@treis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/treis)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2007, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-which-shoulder-should-a-pirate-wear-her-parrot/419562/13 "2007-09-18T05:27:03Z")
The parrot goes on your left shoulder and the eye patch goes over your right eye. ---
**Author:** ![robinc308](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b782af/32.png) [@robinc308](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robinc308)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2007, 10:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-which-shoulder-should-a-pirate-wear-her-parrot/419562/14 "2007-09-18T10:26:26Z")
[QUOTE=Yllaria] On the non-dominant shoulder. You don’t want your swordplay to dislodge the bird. [/QUOTE] So what should the self respecting ambidextrous pirate do? ---
**Author:** ![Ale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@Ale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ale)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2007, 11:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-which-shoulder-should-a-pirate-wear-her-parrot/419562/15 "2007-09-18T11:15:11Z")
[QUOTE=robinc308] So what should the self respecting ambidextrous pirate do? [/QUOTE] ARRRRRRR!!! Next question? ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2007, 11:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-which-shoulder-should-a-pirate-wear-her-parrot/419562/16 "2007-09-18T11:27:49Z")
Will my pirate friends scorn and mock me if I just have a budgerigar? It _is_ a parrot… ---
**Author:** ![scareyfaerie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scareyfaerie/32/3135_2.png) [@scareyfaerie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scareyfaerie)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2007, 11:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-which-shoulder-should-a-pirate-wear-her-parrot/419562/17 "2007-09-18T11:34:40Z")
You just have to ask yourself, “What would Captain Pugwash do?” ---
**Author:** ![Scuba\_Ben](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/278dde/32.png) [@Scuba\_Ben](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scuba_Ben)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2007, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-which-shoulder-should-a-pirate-wear-her-parrot/419562/18 "2007-09-18T12:48:42Z")
[QUOTE=robinc308] Of course, that raises the question which eye I should wear my patch on. [/QUOTE] Usually, the patch is worn over the eye that got cut out in a fight; it doesn’t do any good to wear the patch over the good eye. Like so: :dubious: For completeness, if your piratical pet is a monkey, it has enough of a will of its own that it’ll sit on whichever shoulder it feels like - right, left, someone else’s. But you still have to clean up after it. ---
**Author:** ![poetwarlord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/db5fbb/32.png) [@poetwarlord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/poetwarlord)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2007, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-which-shoulder-should-a-pirate-wear-her-parrot/419562/19 "2007-09-18T14:15:37Z")
[QUOTE=Yllaria] On the non-dominant shoulder. You don’t want your swordplay to dislodge the bird. [/QUOTE] I second this notion. The shoulder where the parrot is least likely to fall off even when doing less physical activities like making a toast. Also the eyepatch might look better on the opposite eye as the shoulder with the parrot to balance out the accesories. ---
**Author:** ![chowder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/977dab/32.png) [@chowder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chowder)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2007, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-which-shoulder-should-a-pirate-wear-her-parrot/419562/20 "2007-09-18T14:41:04Z")
[QUOTE=Ale] ARRRRRRR!!! Next question? [/QUOTE] Jim, lad? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-which-shoulder-should-a-pirate-wear-her-parrot/419562.md?page=2)