That Bird Blog – Bird Care and History for Pet Birds

The trimming of flight feathers is often touted as an important first step in training parrots and other birds, but the process has many other important implications that should not be overlooked.  Parrots, finches, softbills, quails – and, as you’ll see, Saurus Cranes – each present different considerations, as do your reasons for keeping the birds and the situations in which they are housed.

Age Considerations

It is true that, in general, birds with clipped wings are easier to work with and train than are those capable of flight.  This is the most common reason that owners trim flight feathers, and the fact that the feathers will grow back does seem to provide an “insurance policy” of sorts, in case all does not go as planned.  Read More »

A cure for Proventricular Dilation Disease (PDD), the bane of parrot-owners, has eluded veterinarians for over 30 years.  In 2008, Avian Bornavirus (ABV) was indentified as a probable cause of the fatal neurological disorder.  When I wrote about that discovery (please see article below), I hoped that more good news would follow…today I’m happy to file this promising update. Read More »

Throughout my zoo-keeping career, I’ve always favored, at least as captives, the smaller members of any particular group of animals.  Be it amphibians, fishes, mammals or birds, smaller creatures are more easily provided with large, complex living quarters…and in such, they are likely to display a greater variety of natural behaviors and to reproduce.

Consider This….

I like to apply the same concept to pet parrots.  While the huge species are spectacular, most folks can more easily accommodate Cockatiels, Budgerigars, Grass Parakeets, Lovebirds, Bee Bee Parrots and similarly-sized birds.  But rather than keeping them in a standard “small parrot cage”, consider providing them with an “avian mansion”.  A pair of Lovebirds housed in a cage suitable for a pair of Amazon parrots will amaze you with their antics – more so, in most cases, than the species for which the cage was designed. Read More »

Please see Part 1 of this article for information on the natural history and care other South American Cardinals.  Today we’ll take a closer look at a species that is much sought-after by experienced aviculturists, the Green or Yellow Cardinal, Gubernatrix cristata. Read More »

Budgerigars, Lovebirds, Amazons, Macaws Cockatoos and other parrots are so intelligent that it is tempting to train them to speak and perform tricks right away.  However, socialization must come first, as un-socialized birds are virtually impossible to work with.

Socialization is the process of introducing the parrot to the world around it, so that the bird will accept its surroundings and react positively to the people and things that come in to its life.  Socialized birds also accept reasonable changes in their environment without experiencing undue stress. Read More »