That Bird Blog – Bird Care and History for Pet Birds

The huge, stunningly-colored Blue and Gold (or Blue and Yellow) Macaw, Ara ararauna, is one of the most recognizable of all birds…size, color, intelligence (and voice!) make it impossible to ignore.  While it has long been bred in captivity, the natural history of this spectacular parrot is less-well known.  Please read on to learn about its life in the wild and the threats to its continued existence.

Range

The Blue and Gold has the largest natural range of any macaw.  It is found from Eastern Panama east across most of Northern South America and south through Bolivia to Paraguay and Eastern Brazil.  Despite this, it is declining or extinct in some areas…Trinidad’s macaws disappeared in the 1960’s, but a new population has been re-introduced. Read More »

US Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar recently released the 2011 State of the Birds Report.  For the first time, the report focused on the role that publicly owned lands (i.e. federal parks) play in the natural history and conservation of native birds.  The report was spurred by the US North American Bird Conservation Initiative, and represents the efforts of numerous groups, including the National Audubon Society, the US Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.  Both “citizen scientists” (please see article below) and professional biologists played important role in data collection. Read More »

Parrots are reputed to live to great ages – over 100 years if some reports are to be believed.  Less well-known are the incredible longevities racked up by some very small pet and wild birds.  I’ve kept a casual tally of the ages attained by many of the species I cared for at the Bronx Zoo, and recently reviewed some published studies on this subject.

100-Year-Old Parrots?

A recent review of zoo collections, published in the International Zoo Yearbook (please see below), did not uncover any 100 year-old parrots.  The most celebrated parrot in this category, a macaw named Charlie, is reputed to be 104 years old.  Said to have been owned by Winston Churchill, Charlie now lives in Surrey, England, where he passes his time by screaming anti-Nazi sentiments.  Unfortunately his history, and connection to his renowned former owner, could not be traced. Read More »

Parrots are known to be very intelligent, but a recent study of Kea Parrot (Nestor notabilis) learning abilities surprised even well-experienced ornithologists.  The study differed from most in that it required the birds not only to learn new tasks but to build upon that knowledge and to discard learned behaviors once they were no longer useful.  As you’ll see, the Keas definitely lived up to their Latin species name – notabilis – with quite “notable” results! Read More »

When I first began working with birds in zoo collections, older keepers warned me about respiratory ailments such as “Bird Breeder’s Lung” and “Poultry Worker’s Disease”.  Several of my co-workers were always short of breath and coughed frequently.  Eventually, some were diagnosed with Hypersensitivity Pneumonitis (a/k/a Extrinsic Allergic Alveolitis), which results from inhaling organic dust and other irritating substances.  Private bird owners are also sometimes afflicted with this condition, and birds themselves may sicken and die when exposed to certain common airborne particles and chemicals.  Unfortunately, advertisements for air-cleaning devices have confused rather than clarified the options available to us; some are actually harmful (yet still on the market!) while others are highly effective. Read More »