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Eclectus Parrots in the Wild and Captivity – Part 2

findiviglio — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 14:07:20 +0000

Hello, Frank Indiviglio here. In Part I of this article we discussed eclectus parrot (Eclectus roratus) behavior in the wild and captivity. Today I would like to focus on one of the more unusual facets Eclectus Parrot natural history – how a unique reproductive strategy has fostered a degree of sexual dimorphism (difference in [...]

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Eclectus Parrots in the Wild and Captivity – Part 2

Eclectus Parrots in the Wild and Captivity – Part 1

findiviglio — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 14:30:10 +0000

Hello, Frank Indiviglio here. One day, while working in Bronx Zoo’s eclectus parrot (Eclectus roratus) exhibit, a visitor asked me what sort of food additives I used to keep the bird’s colors so brilliant and silky. Another, upon viewing a pair of eclectus preening, inquired how I had managed to get the two different species [...]

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Eclectus Parrots in the Wild and Captivity – Part 1

What is my Parrot Saying? – Growls, Clicks and Other Noises

findiviglio — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 15:15:03 +0000

Hello, Frank Indiviglio here. Parrot owners often tend to focus on their birds’ speaking abilities, but it is the many vocalizations that our pets make naturally that represent their true efforts at communicating with us. Following are a few commonly-heard parrot sounds and their usual meanings. Beak Grinding People often grind their teeth at night, [...]

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What is my Parrot Saying? – Growls, Clicks and Other Noises

Canaries Are Endowed With Unique Song-Learning Abilities

findiviglio — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 19:00:54 +0000

Hello, Frank Indiviglio here. Male canaries (Serinus canaria), long prized for their beautiful songs, may have unique learning abilities that explain their outstanding performances. Most birds acquire singing abilities by listening to others of their kind early in life…without appropriate role models, they fail to develop normal songs. Young canaries, however, seem able to switch [...]

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Canaries Are Endowed With Unique Song-Learning Abilities

Some Male Birds Improve Their Songs When Faced With Competition

findiviglio — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 15:12:06 +0000

Hello, Frank Indiviglio here. People who breed canaries, shama thrushes and other noted songsters often comment that housing males within hearing distance of one another improves the quality of their songs. This theory has now been validated by researchers studying song sparrows (Melospiza melodia) at the University of Miami. Typical and Improved Songs It seems that male [...]

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Some Male Birds Improve Their Songs When Faced With Competition

Research Update – a Surprising Use for the Toucan’s Huge Bill

findiviglio — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 18:39:36 +0000

Hello, Frank Indiviglio here. Toucan bills are perhaps the best known of all bird appendages. Comprising 40% or more of the toucan’s total surface area, these long, colorful structures were thought to serve primarily as fruit gathering tools and, perhaps, to attract mates. However, research involving the toco toucan (Ramphastos toco), which sports the largest [...]

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Research Update – a Surprising Use for the Toucan’s Huge Bill

The Long, Uphill Battle to Save the Puerto Rican Amazon Parrot

findiviglio — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 13:33:37 +0000

Hello, Frank Indiviglio here. With a total population numbering 295 birds, only 60 of which live in the wild, the Puerto Rican Amazon (Amazona vittata) holds the unenviable title of one of the world’s 10 most endangered birds. A subspecies, A. v. gracilipes, once found on neighboring Culebra, Mona and Vieques Islands, is now extinct. US [...]

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The Long, Uphill Battle to Save the Puerto Rican Amazon Parrot

Bird Conservation Update: the Current Status of Threatened Species

findiviglio — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 17:49:27 +0000

Hello, Frank Indiviglio here. Attention to breeding birds in public and private collections, along with increased legal protection, has helped a great many species to recover from earlier population crashes. In some instances, rescue efforts represent the only hope for a species, as none survive in the wild. However, upon reviewing species status reports recently, [...]

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Bird Conservation Update: the Current Status of Threatened Species

Do Tool-Using Crows Surpass Parrots (and Great Apes!) in Intelligence?

findiviglio — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 14:39:00 +0000

Hello, Frank Indiviglio here. Researchers at Auckland and Oxford Universities have recently (August, 2009) published reports that may establish the New Caledonian crow, Corvus moneduloides, as the world’s most intelligent non-human animal. Related to the familiar North American crow and raven (very bright birds in their own right…please see photo), New Caledonian crows have exhibited [...]

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Do Tool-Using Crows Surpass Parrots (and Great Apes!) in Intelligence?

The Brilliant Gouldian Finch – Care Tips and Newly Discovered Facts

findiviglio — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 17:52:06 +0000

The Gouldian finch (Erythrura gouldiae) is at once a popular pet and an endangered species. Large and stocky (for a finch), it boasts a stunning array of 7 bright colors, a fact that has long rendered it among the most expensive of all finches. However, it is now widely bred here in the USA, and [...]

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The Brilliant Gouldian Finch – Care Tips and Newly Discovered Facts