That Bird Blog – Bird Care and History for Pet Birds

The Zebra Waxbill, Amadava subflava (also known as the Gold or Orange-Breasted Waxbill), is one of the tiniest of all African birds available to aviculturists.  With their bright yellow bellies and brilliant red rumps, the males are a sight to behold.  A mere 3 to 3.5 inches in length, they are a delight to keep and breed, and quite hardy as well.

Natural History

The Zebra Finch is found throughout much of sub-SaharanAfrica.  It favors grasslands and lightly-wooded savannas (please see photo), but has adapted to farms and village outskirts as well.  Grass-seeds and insects comprise the bulk of its diet.

A larger and more colorful subspecies, Clarke’s Waxbill, Amadava subflava clarkii, occupies the southern portion of the range.  Unfortunately, it is not common in private or public collections. Read More »

This is the first in a new series of what I’ll call “Myth-Buster Articles”, which will focus on beliefs or practices that have aroused debate among bird keepers.  After reviewing the available research and my own and other’s experiences, I will attempt to sort fact from fiction.  Today I’ll compare the “pet value” of hand-reared, parent-reared and “co-parented” parrots.

General Considerations

“Hand-reared” refers to chicks that are pulled from the nest soon after hatching and fed by hand until fledged.  Such birds have long been considered to be the gold standard in parrot pet.  However, behavioral problems that are sometimes exhibited by hand-reared individuals have led some to question the value of this technique. Read More »

In the early 1980’s I had the good fortune to work with the critically endangered Northern Bald Ibis, Geronticus eremita.  Also known as the Waldrapp, the group I cared for at the Bronx Zoo provided a unique opportunity to refine breeding techniques and observe complex social behavior.  Today Bald Ibis are secure in captivity, but their future in the wild remains uncertain. Read More »

Cornell University researchers have just revealed a most surprising bit of avian news that may show why Green-Rumped Parrotlets (Forpus passerinus) and their relatives are such good mimics.  Field research has shown that parrots actually label each chick with unique vocal signature –essentially a name.  The chicks and other parrots imitate these names, and use them when communicating with one another!

Why Mimic Speech?

Everything in nature has a purpose, and so ornithologists have long wondered why parrots have such extraordinary abilities to imitate speech, sounds and the calls of other birds…surely it cannot be just to entertain their owners!  We now have evidence that mimicry is likely vital to parrot social structure and survival. Read More »

Finch keepers with a bit of room and some experience would do well to consider the gorgeous and plucky Cuban Finch, Tiaris canora.  They can be challenging, but most agree that their gorgeous colors and vibrant spirits make efforts spent on their care worthwhile.

Although not commonly seen in pet stores in the USA, Cuban Finches are well established in private collections.  The related Yellow-Faced Grassquit or Olive Finch, T. olivacea, is sometimes available from the breeders specializing in Cuban Finches. Read More »