That Bird Blog – Bird Care and History for Pet Birds

The Eclectus Parrot is well known for an unusual degree of sexual dimorphism (males are emerald green, females bright red) and a breeding strategy wherein several males mate with a single female.  But no one expected the results of a recent study: under certain circumstances, mothers will kill their male chicks and raise only females.  Other than humans, Eclectus Parrots are the only species known to kill offspring based solely upon gender.

Harsh Conditions and Drastic Adaptations

The study, published in the journal Current Biology (October, 2011), was conducted by researchers based at the Australian National University.  The study site was at Cape York, Queensland, in Australia’s tropical northeast (Eclectus Parrots are also found on New Guinea and many Indonesian islands).  Read More »

Also known as Psittacine Circovirus Disease, PBFD, which is incurable, has been identified in over 60 species of wild and captive parrots. It has been much in the news lately, and the questions I’ve received indicate that some of the coverage has been confusing to bird owners. Today I’d like to summarize what we know, and what remains to be done in the battle against PBFD.

PBFD Natural History

The virus that causes PBFD was first described in 1987, when it was discovered in a captive group Orange-Bellied Parrots, a highly endangered species.  Further study revealed that the virus occurred naturally in Australia, and likely was endemic there (found nowhere else). The disease is now established worldwide, apparently having been spread by the legal and illegal trade in parrots.

The PBFD virus is an extremely hardy organism, and likely survives for many years in nest hollows and roosting/feeding areas. To date, only one disinfectant, Virkon S, has proven able to kill it.  The virus has been found in feather dust, feces and the crop lining of infected birds.  Transmission seems to occur in several ways – direct contact with sick birds, inhalation of the virus from dust and feces and via food passed to chicks by parents. Read More »

Recent advances in parrot husbandry and captive breeding may have had an unintended effect.  Lower prices and a larger selection of available species may be contributing to a problem of epic proportions – hundreds of thousands of abandoned parrots, macaws and cockatoos, many of which will never find a permanent home.  While parrot ownership has soared a staggering 147% over the past 20 years, from 11.6 million pets in 1990 to 60 million in 2010, our ability to provide for them has not kept pace.

Desirable but Demanding

The very qualities that draw people to parrots – intelligence, sociability and long lives – also render them as unsuitable pets for the average person.  Many live as long as their owners, who often find it difficult to provide for their pets, financially and otherwise, as time goes on.  According to a study by Best Friends Animal Society, it is not unusual for an elderly parrot to have 7-11 owners over the course of its life.

Parrots are likely the USA’s third most popular pet, yet many people do not realize that, unlike dogs and cats, they are not domesticated animals.  As wild animals, parrots have very different needs than domestic creatures.  Few people are able to provide the space, social situation and emotional environment needed by these active, “complicated” birds.  I have observed many species in the wild, and, despite years of study and zoo experience, was surprised by how much of their time was spent on the move and in direct contact with others.  The noise they produced was deafening…even on wide-open grasslands. Read More »

The gorgeous Plum-Headed Parakeet, Psittacula cyanocephala, combines “exotic” beauty with extreme hardiness.  Active and inquisitive, yet possessed of a calm disposition, this South Asian native makes a wonderful pet or aviary addition.

Description

A slender tail comprises over two-thirds of the Plum-Headed Parakeet’s 14 inch length.  The male’s colorful head, which is clad in mixed shades of red, purple, maroon, violet, rose and/or pink, lends the species its common name.  Females lack the black neck ring and have an attractive bluish-gray head.  The body plumage of both sexes is a beautiful blend of lime and other shades of green.

Albino, green, blue and lutino mutations have been produced by hobbyists.

Range

The Plum-Headed Parakeet ranges from western Pakistan through most of India to Sri Lankain the south and Nepal and Bhutan in the north.  Read More »

The recently published Action Plan for Australian Birds, 2010 covering all Australian birds on the IUCN Red Data List, has its share of depressing conservation news, but also offers some hope.  As most bird enthusiasts know, a few species of Australian cockatoos are expanding their ranges, but far more are declining or barely holding their own.  Less well-known is the fact that several finches are also in serious trouble in the wild, despite being well-established in the pet trade.

Past and Present Statistics

Since European settlers arrived onAustraliain 1788, 2.2% of the continent’s birds have become extinct and 11.8% are threatened with extinction.  As so many of Australia’s birds are found nowhere else on earth and have no close relatives, the situation is especially critical.  Read More »