That Bird Blog – Bird Care and History for Pet Birds

The Yellow-Naped Amazon, Amazona ochrocephala, is considered by many bird enthusiasts to be the ultimate parrot pet.  Details of its care are well known, so I’ll just touch on some important points and then focus on its behavior in the wild.

Pet Qualities

Yellow-Naped Amazon owners invariably describe their pets as outgoing, acrobatic and with an uncanny ability not only to repeat words but to also mimic the pitch of human voices very closely…so much so, that one often questions a bird or person is speaking.  They tend to show affection by speaking or “warbling” (they are fairly “musical) and readily use their beaks in both play and aggression.  Read More »

More than 50 parrot species are now breeding far outside of their native ranges.  If your city or town is home to a feral (released or escaped) population of parrots, the group City Parrots would like you to help out with the World Parrot Census.

Why Study Urban Parrots

Shrinking habitats and growing human populations have forced many wild animals into close contact with people.  Sometimes, such as with the Peregrine Falcons that nest in the heart of New York City, all works out well…the coyotes that arrived there recently were, however, less welcome.   Read More »

I got the idea for this article after reading an interesting note in George Sommers’ wonderful Boston Bird and Fish Examiner column.  I’ve covered, in other blog articles, many of the birds he mentions, and thought I’d take the opportunity to expand a bit on “Christmassy” parrot themes here. Read More »

In the past I have written about the importance of providing wild birds with salt, grit and other essentials that are sometimes over-looked by folks maintaining bird feeders (please see article below).  Today I’d like to highlight high-calorie foods and water, both of which become increasingly important as temperatures drop.

How Do They Cope?

I’ve always wondered how birds, which seem so fragile in some ways, managed to cope with frigid winter temperatures.  The point was brought home to me when I cared for outdoor bird exhibits at the Bronx Zoo. I would arrive at 5 AM, and shuddered to see birds such as Bald Ibis and Indian Peafowl (which I associate with warm climates) sound asleep while covered in snow.  Read More »

In addition to gorgeous coloration, the Strawberry Finch (Amandava amandava) possesses just about every other quality one could ask for in a finch.  Both males and females sing sweetly year-round, and also amuse keepers with a variety of unique buzzing sounds and low “growls”.  Their courtship and breeding behavior, which is displayed readily, is among the finch world’s most interesting.  Small wonder they are perennial favorites in both the pet and zoo trade.

Range and Habitat

The three subspecies of Strawberry Finch occupy a huge range that extends from southern Nepal and Pakistan through much of Southeast Asia to Indonesia.   It is a bird of marshes, swamps and other habitats near water, but also visits fields, gardens and farms while foraging.

The Strawberry Finch’s popularity has resulted in a number of intentional and accidental introductions.  It is now established in such far-flung locales as Hawaii, Spain, Egypt, Fiji, Singapore and Puerto Rico (I imagine that a diligent search might turn up a few in Florida as well!). Read More »