the only birds i've owned so far have been cockatiels and i lost 1, a female pearl named pearl, to something respiratory, then her mate, peter, a male lutino to his depression that followed after pearl's death...ugh so tragic, i know. i bought peter from the pet store and his story was a sad one. he'd just been dropped off by his previous owners cuz they simply didnt want him anymore and he was a biter, well duh, that comes from not handling them, so, anyways i brought him home and was using pearl to teach him how to "step up". he had JUST started learning to trust me and was doing the step up, though not consistantly when pearl passed away. it was quite sudden too. i realized something was wrong with her and immediately made an appointment for a vet for the following morning but the thing is with birds...you dont know they're sick until they're almost dead. by the time you see symptoms it's too late, pretty much. she passed away that night and sadly it wasnt me to discover her the next morning, it was my 2 yr old daughter.
peter was standing over her body, singing & whistling and occasionally giving her a love nibble to wake her up. when i went to retrieve pearl's body, peter attacked my hand...he was guarding her. oh god i cried so hard cuz i knew he didnt understand what was happening.
ok here come the tears...sorry to highjack your thread with my story but i just wanted you to know...i know the feeling all too well of losing a bird so suddenly.
keep in mind though, that once the pain lessens, you'll be able to enjoy those memories and you'll eventually find yourself chuckling for no apparent reason but in your head your remembering something funny about your bird. it's those moments of remembering that have gotten me through my losses.
it sucks having an empty cage, i know, but remember, your heart will never be empty.