That Bird Blog – Bird Care and History for Pet Birds

Amethyst Starlings in Captivity

Please see Part I of this article for information about the natural history of the amethyst starling.  More popular with European than American aviculturists, amethyst starlings (Cinnyricinlus leucogaster) are none-the-less regularly bred in this country.  In my opinion, those looking to expand their collection can ask for no more interesting an avian project than keeping a pair of amethyst starlings.  They will require a huge enclosure – one of our larger outdoor aviaries would be ideal – and indoor winter quarters in most of the USA, but are well-worth the effort.

Reproduction and Hand-Rearing

Incubation lasts for approximately 14 days.  The chicks fledge at day 18-22, after which they are fed by the parents for an additional 10 days or so.  Adult starlings have been seen to cover their eggs with leaves when departing from the nest.

The chicks, being ravenous feeders and taking a wide variety of foods, are not difficult to hand rear.  I have hand-raised chicks of the closely related European starling (see photos) for use in educational programs; without fail they became amazingly tame and confiding – curious about everything and a source of great pleasure for thousands of school children.

Diet

The appetite of the amethyst starling, like that of nearly all its relatives, is expansive and easy to satisfy.  They feed with gusto, and do best on a varied diet.  Diets I use in zoos and at home are based around such foods as myna and softbill pellets, fruit pudding, mixed fruits and vegetables and nearly any live or canned insect available.  An occasional dead pink mouse or hard boiled egg will be devoured with very evident pleasure.

Further Reading

You can read about the Jacksonville Zoo’s amethyst starlings at

http://www.jaxzoo.org/things/biofacts/AmethystStarling.asp.

 

Amethyst Starling image referenced from Wikipedia and originally posted by LTShears

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 prices are coming down a bit.

Color and Male Dominance
In addition to thrilling bird owners for the past 100 years or so, it seems that the males’ spectacular plumage plays an unexpected role in Gouldian finch behavior as well. Wild Gouldian finches are unique in possessing heads that may be red, black or yellow in color. Red-headed males dominate all others, with yellow headed males being at the bottom of the pecking order.

Mixing Things Up
To discover if head color granted any specific survival advantage, University of New South Wales researchers applied black dye to yellow-headed males. Although the behavior of the dyed birds did not change, other individuals avoided fights with these formerly bullied males.

When red-headed males were dyed yellow, the former red-heads remained aggressive, but other birds did not readily give way to them at feeding stations (it might be interesting to show the redheads a mirror – maybe they would “realize” they were no longer dominant!).

So it seems that red-headed males truly are more aggressive than others, and that a red head likely confers competitive advantages in activities such as feeding and access to favorable nest sites. Future research will focus on the connection between color and behavior in other species.

Gouldian Finches in the Wild
In the wild, Gouldian finches are limited to small sections of wooded savannah in Australia’s tropical north, and are considered highly endangered.

They live in small groups both in and out of the breeding season and are, as finches go, rather specialized in their feeding habits. Gouldian finches vary their diets with the seasons. For much of the year, sorghum seeds (a grass) are their primary food, but during the rainy season they subsist nearly entirely upon moths, grasshoppers, termites, spiders and other invertebrates.

Next time I’ll go over some special concerns to bear in mind when considering a pair of these lovely birds.

Further Reading
World Wildlife Fund Australia has posted an interesting article on the dire threats facing Gouldian finches in the wild: http://www.wwf.org.au/articles/feature17/

Gouldian finches make wonderful pets and aviary birds, but require more room than similarly-sized finches. Please see my article Bird Cage Overview  for further information.

Image referenced from Wikipedia and originally posted by Martybugs.

Also known as the Barbary, ring-necked or domestic dove, ring doves (Streptopelia risoria) are among the most popular and confiding of all pigeon-like birds.  Although given species status, this quiet, 9 inch-long bird may be a mere variant of the African collared dove (S. roseogrisea), which was domesticated nearly 3,000 years ago.  Those in the pet trade likely also carry the genes of the Eurasian collared dove (S. decaocto) and the red-eyed dove (S. semitorquata), rendering them truly unique.

Feral Populations

Escaped or released ring doves are well-established in the USA (Florida, California), Italy, Taiwan and England.  Unlike their cousin, the ubiquitous rock dove or “city pigeon”, these delicate birds are usually quite welcome in their adopted homes.

Color Variations

Ring doves are typically a pleasing fawn in overall coloration, with a beautiful blush of pink about the chest and a black band across the back of the neck.  White forms, known as “Java doves” are popular in the pet trade, as are apricot and pied specimens.  Most ring doves carry the white gene, so normally-colored birds often surprise their owners with “Java dove” chicks.

Care and Breeding

Although ring doves can adapt to a large parrot cage need flying rather than climbing space and therefore are best housed in an outdoor aviary.  They can be habituated to cool temperatures, but, unless a heated retreat is available, should be kept indoors when temperatures stray below 50 F.

Ring doves are usually good parents, and a pair makes an excellent introduction to bird breeding.  Mated doves retain their good nature even when kept in the company of small finches and other birds, and require but a simple platform and some sticks as a nest site.

Their basic care and feeding roughly follows that of the diamond dove, which I have described in the article Diamond Doves in the Wild and Captivity.  Please write in if you would like detailed husbandry information.

Further Reading

This commonly-kept bird has played a quite uncommon role in saving one of the world’s most highly endangered birds, the pink pigeon (Nesoenas mayeri) of Mauritius.  I had the good fortune e to be involved in the rescue effort…please see my article Saving the Endangered Pink Pigeon  for the story.

 

 

Image referenced from Wikipedia and originally posted by Astirmays

 

I must admit to a certain affection for starlings…this in spite of the fact that the introduced European starling (Sturnus vulgaris) is a serious avian pest (note the Latin name!).  However, I have rehabilitated quite a few, and found them to be quite as intelligent as their better-loved cousin, the Indian hill myna.  I was also shocked at the speaking abilities of a starling maintained for years at the American Museum of Natural History – in marked contrast to his stuffed companions, this lively fellow spoke as well as most parrots!  But for pure beauty and personality, few can match the amethyst starling, Cinnyricinlus leucogaster.

Starlings in Zoos and Nature

Working at the Bronx Zoo put me in contact with several gorgeous starling species, including the amethyst, superb and glossy.  In a huge exhibit teeming with African birds of every description, it was a pair of amethysts that regularly stole the show with their brilliant colors and bold demeanors.

One of the most striking of the world’s 114 starling species, male amethysts are clad in a deep violet set off by a brilliant white breast.  In the sunlight, they are, like most starlings, as iridescent as any hummingbird (even the rather drab European starling is quite showy in its winter plumage).

Range and Habitat

Amethyst starlings range widely over much of Sub-Saharan Africa, from Senegal in the west to Tanzania in the east, and south to northern South Africa.  Inhabiting open woodlands, forest edges and river valleys, they are not uncommon, but, staying to the treetops, are less evident than other starlings (its hard not to be aware of most starlings!).

Breeding

Pairs form in the mating season, after which the birds separate into small flocks.  In contrast to those starlings that have been well-studied, amethyst flocks are usually composed of a single sex.

Diet

Amethyst starlings take a wide variety of food, including moths, katydids, spiders, snails and other invertebrates, tree frogs, lizards, carrion and a wide variety of fruits, buds and sprouts.  Like most starlings, they are not above pillaging the nests of other birds, taking both nestlings and chicks.

 

Further Reading

An interesting, in-depth survey of the wildlife inhabiting amethyst starling habitat in Cameroon is posted at http://www.ioe.ucla.edu/ctr/reports/Faunal.pdf.

Image referenced from Wikipedia and originally posted by LTShears

The vibrant colors and unique erectile head crest of the hawk headed or red fan parrot (Deroptyus accipitrinus) have long rendered it a favorite pet in its native South America.  After the first exports in the mid 1800’s, the bird achieved instant stardom in zoos and private collections worldwide.

The Unique Crest

The first hawk headed parrot I encountered,  a wild caught male at a bird importers decades ago, surprised me in a way that only this bird can – it flashed a head crest of deep red, blue-edged feathers and hissed menacingly.  The unexpected display of size and color stopped me in my tracks, as well it might a predator.  I was later fortunate enough to glimpse a pair in the wild, and have cared for a number in captivity.

Hawk heads are the only parrots to possess a feather crest that encircles the head. They are the sole members of their genus, and their relationships to other parrots are unclear.

In addition to its role as a threat display, the crest is raised by courting birds as well.  Some observers report that displaying birds also glide earthward from above in succession.

The Name – Origin and a Thought

The “hawk headed” part of the name is said to arise from the barred pattern on the head crest, which resembles that of some hawks.

I wonder, however, if the name does not somehow relate back to the magnificent harpy eagle, which shares some of its range.  One of the world’s largest birds of prey, the harpy also has a head crest, and features prominently in local lore wherever it occurs.

Physical Description

The rest of this bird’s plumage is no less spectacular than the crest.  The back, wings and thighs are a fluorescent green, and the breast and abdomen feathers are dark red edged in bright blue.  The blue-edged green tail feathers have distinctly rounded tips.

Range and Habitat

Two subspecies range from Ecuador through southern Columbia, northern Peru and Venezuela to Guyana, and south to northwestern Brazil.

They favor forest edges, and roost in hollow trees rather than on branches as do most other parrots.

Hawk Headed Parrots as Pets

Hawk headed parrots are not all that common in the pet trade, but are well-worth searching for.  The smaller subspecies, known as the buff-crowned (D. a. accipitrinus) is more commonly bred than is the southern (Brazilian) subspecies, D. a. fuscifrons.

They are affectionate and talk well.  Even more so than many other parrots, individualism is the rule…some bond strongly to one person, others are accepting of most anyone.

Nearly all change drastically when breeding, however, becoming very aggressive towards people and, surprisingly often, towards one another.

Feeding

Fruit forms a significant part of the natural diet, and captives need a wide variety of types if they are to thrive.  Tropic Fruit Pudding and freeze dried fruits are a convenient means of providing important dietary variety.

Hawk heads tend to be picky eaters, and may balk at pellets and most seeds.  Nutriberries are designed for such situations, and are usually readily accepted (it may help to feed fruit at one meal and only Nutriberries at the other).

 

Further Reading

An article on the behavior of hawk headed parrots in the wild, published in The Condor, is posted at http://elibrary.unm.edu/sora/Condor/files/issues/v093n01/p0177-p0180.pdf.

Image referenced from Wikipedia and originally posted by Bobby.