That Bird Blog – Bird Care and History for Pet Birds

Many soccer fans have favorite methods of predicting game outcomes, but 2 bird-based “systems” that arose during the recent World Cup mania struck me as truly unique and, in one case, quite disturbing.  The species involved were Rose-Ringed Parakeets (Psittacula krameri) and Cape Vultures (Gryps coprotheres).

Singapore’s Fortune Teller

Mani the Rose-Ringed Parakeet had already built up quite a reputation as a soothsayer in Singapore’s “Little India” community before this year’s World Cup catapulted him into international fame.  Owned by an 80-year-old fortune teller, the bird had been offering gambling and marriage “advice” to local people for years.  Read More »

In Part I of this article we discussed the importance of socialization – the process of familiarizing your parrot with the people and things that make up its world.  Wild parrots are socialized by their parents, mates and flock members, but most or all of these important individuals may be unavailable to captives.  Un-socialized parrots generally live stress-filled lives and remain fearful of people.  Today we’ll take a look at some simple and effective socialization techniques. Read More »

The trimming of flight feathers is often touted as an important first step in training parrots and other birds, but the process has many other important implications that should not be overlooked.  Parrots, finches, softbills, quails – and, as you’ll see, Saurus Cranes – each present different considerations, as do your reasons for keeping the birds and the situations in which they are housed.

Age Considerations

It is true that, in general, birds with clipped wings are easier to work with and train than are those capable of flight.  This is the most common reason that owners trim flight feathers, and the fact that the feathers will grow back does seem to provide an “insurance policy” of sorts, in case all does not go as planned.  Read More »

Throughout my zoo-keeping career, I’ve always favored, at least as captives, the smaller members of any particular group of animals.  Be it amphibians, fishes, mammals or birds, smaller creatures are more easily provided with large, complex living quarters…and in such, they are likely to display a greater variety of natural behaviors and to reproduce.

Consider This….

I like to apply the same concept to pet parrots.  While the huge species are spectacular, most folks can more easily accommodate Cockatiels, Budgerigars, Grass Parakeets, Lovebirds, Bee Bee Parrots and similarly-sized birds.  But rather than keeping them in a standard “small parrot cage”, consider providing them with an “avian mansion”.  A pair of Lovebirds housed in a cage suitable for a pair of Amazon parrots will amaze you with their antics – more so, in most cases, than the species for which the cage was designed. Read More »

Please see Part 1 of this article for information on the natural history and care other South American Cardinals.  Today we’ll take a closer look at a species that is much sought-after by experienced aviculturists, the Green or Yellow Cardinal, Gubernatrix cristata. Read More »