With warmer weather (finally!) here, I’d like to present some thoughts on plants that can be grown and provided to finches, parrots, softbills and other pet birds as both food and “playthings”.  Wild plants provide important nutrients that are often in short supply in commercial foods.  Also, your pets’ enthusiastic attacks on novel foods will [...]

Many birds, including parrots, finches and other favored pets, establish breeding territories which they defend against intruders.  Often both male and female sing or call together, in a show of strength, when others of the same species approach.  However, an article published in a recent (March, 2009) issue of Current Biology  reveals that pairs of [...]

Hello, Frank Indiviglio here.
The tiny Indian white eye has long been a favorite cage bird both here and abroad.  Captive bred individuals are readily available…for those of you considering something a bit different for your collection, this charming, warbler-like little fellow is worth a look.
Physical Description
White-eyes are a mere 4-6 inches long, and clad in [...]

A fair percentage of the avian health-related calls and emails I receive involve reports of regurgitating or vomiting in budgies, cockatoos and other parrots.  Today we’ll take a look at some common causes of these problems.
Regurgitation or Vomiting?
An important first step is differentiating between regurgitation and vomiting.  Vomiting, which is rather uncommon in birds, involves [...]

The magnificent sulphur-crested cockatoo (Cacatua galerita) is one of the most sought after of all bird pets.  It is also one of the most intelligent, and as such has become well known to TV and movie viewers the world over as an “actor”.  However, its natural history is less in the spotlight, and holds some [...]

In the coming weeks, I’d like to devote some time to parrot tricks.  My work with intelligent, social creatures such as parrots, elephants and marine mammals, has convinced me that the true value of training does not lie in the amusement value of the tricks (undeniable as that is!).  Rather, it is that a properly [...]

What would the world be like without pets? A new bill proposed in House could make this a reality. All pet owners should be aware of a pending federal government resolution. HR669 stands for House Resolution 669 which is designed to change the way the government classifies non-native species. If passed into law it will [...]

Parrots, pheasants, doves, shama thrushes – hobbyists are fortunate in having a great many species of widely differing birds available as pets.  It is the tiny and relatively inexpensive finches, however, that offer us the easiest route to a mixed collection of gorgeous species…among no other group is such a diversity of interesting and hardy [...]

Hello, Frank Indiviglio here. Please see Part I of this article for basic information on our new line of Outdoor Aviaries.
The influence of natural light, weather cycles and the additional space provided by an Outdoor Aviary often promotes breeding in birds whose reproductive urges have lain dormant for years.
Exercise for Body and Brain
Outdoor aviaries can also [...]

Research at the University of Glasgow (March, 2009) has established that zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata) exposed to stress as chicks exhibit a more intense and longer stress response as adults than do birds raised in a stress-free environment.
The Effects of Early Exposure to Stress
Pairs of sibling finch chicks were used for the experiment.  To simulate [...]