Education Quote by Steve Irwin

Trust Steve Irwin to turn fear into a field note and a punchline. The comedy here hinges on the mismatch between his public persona - the unflappable "Crikey!" guy who wrestles crocodiles for breakfast - and the surprisingly ordinary admission that parrots unsettle him. It humanizes him without puncturing the myth; instead, it tightens it. If even Irwin has a creature that gets under his skin, his courage stops looking like a superpower and starts looking like a practice.

The phrasing does a lot of cultural work. "Not comfortable" is deliberately mild, a soft landing that keeps the mood friendly and family-safe, while still signaling vulnerability. Then he pivots fast: "but I'm learning as I go". That's the Irwin ethos in miniature - curiosity as a moral stance. Nature isn't something you conquer; it's something you acclimate to, through exposure, patience, and respect. The specificity of parrots matters too. They're not apex predators; they're chatty, clever, unpredictable, and often in your personal space. It's less about danger than about control, or rather the lack of it. A crocodile follows rules. A parrot might decide to scream, bite, or mimic you at the worst possible moment.

The tag end - "I'm getting better and better at 'em. I really am" - sounds like he can hear the audience laughing and chooses to lean into it. Under the joke is a quiet pedagogy: bravery is incremental, expertise is earned, and even a wildlife celebrity is still, visibly, a student of the animals.