That Bird Blog – Bird Care and History for Pet Birds

Oxford University researchers played recorded calls of antbird pairs to other pairs resident in a specific territory.  The resident pair responded as expected – male and female sang together in a vigorous display of unity, showing their willingness to defend their home. 

Reaction to a Single Female

However, when the song of an unattached female antbird was played, the situation changed dramatically.  The resident male responded with a mating call – in essence “flirting” with the new female.  Amazingly, his mate began singing loudly over his song, in an apparent attempt to “jam” the notes and render him less attractive to the interloping female!

Not to be outdone, the would-be Romeo then began altering his call in an effort to avoid the interfering song of his mate!

Female Inca Terns Tolerate No Nonsense!

Research is now being conducted to determine if other birds act in a similar fashion…I’m betting that many do.  The Inca terns (Larosterna inca) pictured here are part of a flock of 30 that I cared for in a huge outdoor exhibit at the Bronx Zoo.  I noticed a great deal of interaction during the breeding season, with single females vying for the attentions of males that were already paired and in possession of desirable nesting cavities.

Female terns are, however, a bit more “assertive” than their antbird cousins – a few sharp pecks to the male’s head generally put a quick end to any thoughts of “wandering”!

Further Reading

Antbirds are quite beautiful and interesting.  The common name arises from their unique mode of hunting.  By following hoards of foraging army ants, they are able to capture many fleeing insects that would otherwise be difficult to locate in the underbrush.

I was fortunate enough to observe this spectacle in a Costa Rican rainforest – it is a “must see” for birders, I assure you!  You can read more about antbirds and see photos of many species at http://www.arthurgrosset.com/sabirds/warblingantbird.html.

 

 

 

 

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 a stressful situation, one member of the pair was injected with corticosterone, a hormone produced by birds in response to stress; the other sibling was used as a control.  As adults, the resting corticosterone level of the birds was identical.  However, when subjected to a stressful situation, all previously-stressed chicks produced greater amounts of stress hormone than did their siblings, and their stress response lasted for a longer period of time.

Stress and the Health of Pet Birds

Pet keepers should take an important lesson from this research, as an unnaturally strong stress response has been shown to be damaging to health in a variety of species, humans included.

Stress arises from disturbing situations that evoke fear as well as from poor diet, improper hygiene, disease and inappropriate housing.  Exposure to these and a host of other factors can shorten your pet’s lifespan dramatically by weakening its immune system.

The effects of stress on the immune system are well known.  While working at the Bronx Zoo, I learned that birds transferred to a new exhibit (a major stress) invariably came down with a severe Aspergillosus infection, despite the fact that this fungus is ever-present in the environment yet rarely causes health problems for birds living in secure situations.  The current research findings are significant in highlighting just how serious and long-lasting are the effects of exposure to stress.

Captive vs. Wild Caught Birds

This research also highlights the importance of purchasing only captive-bred birds, as wild-caught individuals are exposed to the highest degree of stress imaginable.

Lessening Stress – Knowledge and Nutrition

Knowing and meeting the needs of those bird species which you keep is a vital first step in providing them with a stress-free environment.  Please write in with any husbandry questions you may have.

Vita Flight Vitamin Supplement, specifically formulated for birds under stress, should be kept on hand to help see your pets through the difficult situations (new arrivals, breeding, molting, illness) that arise in every collection.  Please see the article noted below for more information on the interplay between diet and stress.

Further Reading

An interesting article on the importance of proper nutrition to birds in stressful situations is posted at http://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/abs/10.1086/515888?journalCode=pbz.

 

 

Last time we took a look at the unusual nesting behavior of this popular little parrot (please see The Half Moon, Orange-Fronted or Petz’s Conure and its Relationship with the Arboreal Black-Headed Termite.) But, as if breeding in termite mounds were not enough to distinguish it from other parrots, the half moon conure also changes the usual parrot “roosting rules” as well. And with good reason…

Giant Bats and Conures…Avoiding a Nightmarish Predator
The half moon conure exhibits a few odd behaviors as regards predator avoidance. Researchers in Guancastle, Costa Rica, have noted that resident half moon conures change roosting sites nightly. It seems that they are the favored prey of a truly unique predator, the huge false vampire bat, Vampyrum spectrum (I’d certainly move around allot if it helped to outwit a giant, flesh-eating bat!).

False vampires are spectacular and unusual bats. Although I have yet to see one in the wild, I was shown a roosting hollow in Costa Rica (they roost singly or in small groups, unlike most bats). The floor below the tree cavity in which the beast spent the day was littered with parrot feathers and the skulls of rodents, frogs and other bats.

A Quiet Group of Parrots?
Another unusual half moon trait is their habit of becoming very quiet upon first sighting a predator. The quiet – rather than, as with most parrots, the noise – spreads to adjacent groups of conures very quickly. If the predator advances, the conures begin to scream in true parrot fashion and fly off.

Further Reading
A false vampire bat may have been an incident involving a parrot that I came to know while working in Costa Rica. Please see my article Parrots and the Perils of the Tropical Night.

The following article contains a wealth of information on false vampire bats in the wild and captivity. Bats are not birds…but this one is well-worth reading about!
http://www.science.smith.edu/departments/Biology/VHAYSSEN/msi/pdf/i0076-3519-184-01-0001.pdf

 

Photo courtesy of Wikipedia Commons.

 

Clad in green plumage, with blue and orange crescents topping the head, the 9-inch-long half moon conure brings to mind a small, feisty Amazon parrot.  These boisterous little birds breed well in captivity and, when acquired young, make delightful pets.  Combined with a relatively low price, these qualities have rendered the half moon one of the most commonly-kept of the conures. Its breeding biology in the wild, however, is anything but common.

An Unusual Limit on Range

The range of the half moon conure extends in a narrow band along the west coast of Mexico and Central America, from Sinaloa to Costa Rica.  The oddly-shaped area it occupies coincides precisely with the northern range of the arboreal black-headed termite.  The conure sometimes forages in areas where the termite does not occur, but it only nests within the termite’s range.

It seems that the half moon builds its nest exclusively within the nests, or termitaria, of this particular species of termite (rarely, conures appropriate abandoned woodpecker nests).

Constructing the Unique Nest

The entrance holes to half moon conure nests are always situated at the base of the mound-like termitaria.  A tunnel is excavated through the hard outer layer of the mound, after which it turns sharply downward into termiterium’s the soft core.  There a small chamber is constructed to house the female conure and her young.

Digging with their bills, the conure pair takes approximately one week to complete their unusual nest.  Both sexes participate in the process, with the male doing most of the “grunt work” during the initial tunnel construction phase.

The Benefits of Nesting with Termites

Interestingly, conures desert the nest for a period of 7-10 days immediately following its construction.  During this time, the resident termites seal off the area, leaving the birds with an insect-free retreat that offers the heat and humidity control for which termite nests are so well-known.

Upon the pair’s return, 3-5 eggs are laid and brooded solely by the female for a period of 30-35 days.  Both parents feed the chicks, which fledge at 6 weeks of age.

An Unhappy Ending for the Termite Colony

It seems that the conures are the only beneficiaries of this arrangement.  Field research indicates that, perhaps due to a loss of structural stability, conure-occupied termitaria usually disintegrate after the birds depart.  The termites seem unable to effectively seal the cracks that eventually appear, and the nest is nearly always overrun by predatory ants.

A Surprisingly Adaptable Parrot

Birds with strict nesting requirements are generally very sensitive to human intrusion and habitat change.  Surprisingly, however, the half moon conure remains fairly common throughout much of its range.

The termites upon which it depends adjust readily to disturbed habitats, so reproduction can continue if the birds are not harassed.  Studies in western Mexico show that termites in agricultural areas tend to build their nests at lower elevations in trees than do termites in pristine habitats, but it is not known if this affects conure nesting success.

Also contributing to the conure’s continued survival is its adaptability.  Half moons seem equally at home in swamps, forests, overgrown fields, arid scrub or montane woodlands, and often frequent plantations and town parks.

Further Reading

I’ll cover conure care in the future…until then, if you wish to read about general parrot husbandry, please see Avian Nutrition: Pellet– Based Diets and related articles on this blog.

 

A popular pet finch, the cordon bleu, also nests in association with social insects (wasps).  Please see my article Nesting Associations of the Red Cheeked Cordon Bleu

 

An interesting World Parrot Trust article on the natural history of half moon and other conures, which features a photo of a conure-occupied termitarium,

is posted at http://www.parrots.org/pdfs/our_publications/psittascene/2006/06Aug68.pdf

 

 

Image referenced from Wikipedia Commons and originally posted by snowmanradio.

 

Carotenoids are compounds that, in most birds, impart red, yellow and orange colors to the feathers.  They are obtained from the diet, and are most abundant in brightly-colored fruits and vegetables.  In theory, a bird with bright plumage is “advertising” the fact that it has been eating well, and is in prime health.  Until recently, however, this theory was largely unproven.

Health Benefits Conferred by Carotenoids

Findings released this month (Feb. 2009) by Arizona State University researchers indicate that carotenoids do indeed provide a great many health benefits to birds, and therefore the “advertisement value” of the plumage is quite significant.  These nutrients seem to enhance both vision (specifically color perception) and sperm quality.

The researchers theorize that a diet high in carotenoids leads to better color vision which in turn allows the bird to find foods of higher quality (brightly colored fruits, for example) and a more fit (again, brighter-hued) mate.

Carotenoids function as antioxidants in people, but it has not been determined if the same applies to birds.

Choosing Carotenoid-Rich Products for Your Pets

Here at ThatFishPlace/ThatPetPlace, we carry a wide variety of bird foods  that are packed with carotenoid-rich fruits and vegetables.  There are a number of products available for most types of birds – for starters, please check out Wild and Spicy Avian Entrees, Fiesta Food for Canaries and Finches and Sunny Orchards Nutriberries.

I also recommend as additions to your pets’ diets those foods consisting entirely of carotenoid-rich items, such as Veggi-Crisp Delights  and Diced Blueberries, Raspberries and Papaya.

Of course, a wide variety of fresh fruits and vegetables, with amounts and types tailored to the species of birds that you keep, should also be offered to your pets.

Further Reading

Goldenfeast Dried Sweet Potatoes are a great source of carotenoids and other valuable nutrients.  Please see my product review and notes concerning the many zoo animals which I have found to relish this healthy food: Goldenfeast Sweet Potatoes Bird Treat