If there’s one thing Julius the umbrella cockatoo is known for, it’s his big personality. And this week, he made sure everyone in the house remembered it.

See, Julius has a very particular morning routine and by “particular,” we mean sacred. He expects to be let out of his cage at a specific time every day, usually right after Abbi gets her breakfast and we grab our coffee.

But the other morning, we were running a little behind. Maybe we got caught up talking, maybe the coffee hadn’t kicked in yet… either way, Julius noticed. At first, it started with a few soft chirps. Then came the impatient whistles. Then, out of nowhere, the full cockatoo tantrum wings out, crest up, and a scream that could probably wake the entire neighborhood.

He wasn’t mad so much as offended. You could practically hear him saying, “Excuse me, have you forgotten who runs this place?”

When we finally opened the cage, he strutted out like a tiny, feathered emperor, puffed up and glaring just enough to make his point. He even turned his back on us for a solid minute — his version of the silent treatment — before finally forgiving us with a gentle head bob and a soft little “hello.” We love that bird, but man… Julius does not do “late.”

He’s got more attitude packed into a few ounces of feathers than most people have in a lifetime.

Lesson learned: coffee can wait. Julius cannot.