Archive for January, 2009
Conservation Update: The California Condor (Gymnogyps californianus), a critically endangered bird that is still not fully protected
Jan 19th
Hello, Frank Indiviglio here.
Today I’ll depart for a moment from pet birds to highlight a surprising conservation concern that recently came to my attention.
It’s easy to become complacent about California condor conservation – after all, the story of its near-extinction (only 22 survived by 1982, all in captivity) and subsequent recovery stands as one of the best-known conservation success stories. Today, approximately 150 condors are established in the wild, and I had assumed their survival to be, if not guaranteed, at least secure. Surprisingly, however, there are still gaps in the protection granted the condor under the Endangered Species Act.
It seems that cattle have unrestricted grazing rights in California’s Bitter Creek National Wildlife Refuge, an area that figures prominently in condor re-introduction efforts. The US Fish and Wildlife Service has proposed limitations upon grazing, in order to improve the habitat for condors and San Joaquin kit foxes, leopard lizards and other resident endangered species. This move is strongly contested by ranchers and many local officials, and the proposal has yet to be implemented.
I’ve worked with Andean and California condors in captivity, and have a soft spot for them. Please check the following site to learn more about specific action needed to support the preservation of their habitat: (http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/).
Thanks, until next time, Frank Indiviglio.
Image referenced from Wikipedia and originally posted by Chuck Szmurlo
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Loading ...Parrot Bonding as a Behavioral Problem: Parrot Notes
Jan 16th
Hello, Frank Indiviglio here.
Bonding with people is usually seen as desirable among pets of any kind…in parrots such often results in a friendly, affectionate bird that readily learns to mimic speech. However, parrots can become extremely protective of the person to whom they have bonded, to the point of screeching at, biting or even launching full scale attacks upon others. Also, as an extension of natural nesting behavior, bonded parrots are also very likely to become territorial, protecting their cage or larger area from intrusions by all except their favorite person.
Natural Parrot Instincts
It is important to bear in mind that bonding in parrots is a deeply ingrained instinct – one that you may be able to manage but which cannot be eliminated. Wild parrots of nearly all species form long term, usually life-long, pair bonds. Pairs spend the vast majority of their time in close contact with one another…even within large flocks, pairs are very evident by their proximity and physical interactions. Most even fly side by side when moving about within a flock. Captive parrots, no matter how many generations removed from the wild, are “hard-wired” to behave in the same manner.
Avoiding Problems
Bonding-related aggression can best be avoided by socializing your parrot, while young if possible, to all members of your household, or to those who regularly visit. The bird will still be “closer” to certain people than others, but may not develop overly-protective behaviors.
Please write in with your questions and comments. Thanks, until next time, Frank Indiviglio.
An interesting article on the interplay of natural and captive behaviors in parrots is posted at:
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...Feeding Wild Birds: Products for Woodpeckers, Nuthatches, Chickadees and other “Avian Athletes”
Jan 14th
Hello, Frank Indiviglio here.
Some of the most entertaining birds that come readily to winter-time bird feeders are those that cling, crawl and climb…many are more reminiscent of parrots than of the typical perching birds (i.e. robins) with which they co-exist. Chief among these are the woodpeckers, with the downy, red-headed and red-bellied being particularly common feeder visitors, and they are quite comical to watch as they jockey for position at suet feeders.
Acrobatic Insect-Specialists
Many specialized products are advertised as “woodpecker feeders/foods”, but there are actually a number of equally entertaining birds that relish the same foods and are able to cling, often upside down, to “woodpecker feeders”. Tufted titmice, black-capped chickadees, brown creepers and red-breasted nuthatches are common in much of the country, and are all likely to show up if you put out foods designed to attract woodpeckers.
Most of these forage for insects by clinging to tree trunks and branches with highly specialized feet. They search below the bark, peering intently into holes and crevices and scurrying about in the manner of tiny rodents. All favor high protein diets (in winter they subsist largely upon hibernating insects and overwintering eggs and pupae) and relish suet bars.
Feeders for Woodpeckers and Similar Birds
The log jammer, wire suet basket and similar products are specially designed for these acrobatic little birds, and largely exclude other species. Attaching them to a small swivel or thin, wind-blown branch will challenge the bird’s abilities (don’t worry, they are up to it!) and bring you many hours of bird-watching pleasure.
Next time I’ll pass along some ideas for providing the insect-specialists that visit your feeder with nutritious, natural treats. Until then, please pass along your own feeding tips and observations. Thanks, Frank Indiviglio.
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...Saving the Kakapo or Owl Parrot (Strigops habroptila): an Odd Conservation Strategy for an Odd Bird
Jan 12th
Hello, Frank Indiviglio here.
It appears that one of the world’s strangest and most endangered birds is benefiting by an equally unusual rescue plan. New Zealand’s kakapo breaks all sorts of “parrot rules”…it is nocturnal, flightless, utilizes a lek mating system (many males display before females in one location), eats leaves and grass and feeds fruit to its young. It is also the world’s heaviest parrot, and, with a population of only 90 individuals (up from 51 in 1995), the rarest. With a mean age of 90 years, it is among the longest-lived of all birds.
Kakapo reproduction is tied closely with the flowering of the rimu tree, the fruit of which forms the basis of the chick’s diet. The tree blooms only every 3rd year or so, and the kakapos do likewise. Already decimated by introduced stoats (weasel relatives), rats and habitat loss, the kakapo population cannot rebound under this breeding strategy.
Scientists at Glasgow University have devised a food supplement that increases female egg production in non-fruiting years. This formula is now fed to wild kakapos and has yielded promising results. Amazingly, the dedicated researchers working with this bird know every individual (by name!). They carry supplemented food to scores of feeding stations, and make certain that each bird consumes its share…surely one of the most intense conservation initiatives anywhere!
Please write in with your own news concerning bird conservation. Thanks, until next time, Frank Indiviglio.
You can read more about the remarkable Kakapo Recovery Plan at:
http://www.kakaporecovery.org.nz/
Image referenced from Wikipedia Commons
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...Introducing the Pekin Robin (Japanese Nightingale, Hill Tit, Red-Billed Leiothrix), Leiothrix lutea, Part 1
Jan 9th
I first made my acquaintance with Pekin robins while working for a bird importer, but did not really get to know them well until I again met up with them as a Bronx Zoo bird keeper. Housing them in a large, mixed species aviary there, I was able to appreciate their many interesting behaviors. They are always on the move…bathing, hunting and exploring, more so than most birds.
These beautiful little “babblers” (Family Sylviidae) have been kept by aviculturists for over 100 years, and it is easy to see why. Pekin robins are a real delight to watch, especially if one can provide them with an outdoor aviary, and are far hardier than most “exotic softbills”. Males sing beautifully but softly, and both sexes are attractively colored.
They are excellent starter birds for those looking to expand their bird-keeping horizons, but really should be kept in outdoor aviaries for at least part of the year. They fly rather than climb about as do parrots, and cannot usually be released for exercise, and so do not adapt readily to confined quarters.
I’ll write about captive care next week.. Until then, please write in with your comments and questions. Thanks, Frank Indiviglio.
You can read more about the care and natural history of Pekin robins, including a note about an introduced population on Hawaii, at the web site of the Honolulu Zoo:
http://www.honoluluzoo.org/red-billed_leiothrix.htm
Image referenced from Wikipedia.
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