That Bird Blog – Bird Care and History for Pet Birds

Parrots that seem to dance in synchrony with music have long enchanted us, but were considered more of a curiosity than anything else.  However, Harvard University researchers now believe that the birds actually time their movements to the speed of individual beats, and are dancing in much the same manner as people! Read More »

The adaptable Ringneck Parakeet (Psittacula krameri) has been introduced to more far-flung places – Egypt, Macao, Singapore, Zanzibar, Great Britain, and California, to name a few – than perhaps any other parrot. To this impressive list I would like to add a population that is little-known and quite unexpected – the tiny flock that lives in New York City.

From Indian Woodlands to Bronx Streets

After catching glimpses of the phantom Ringnecks while birding along the Bronx River as a youth (and doubting what I had seen), I lost track of them until I began working as a bird keeper at the Bronx Zoo.  Shortly thereafter I came upon an injured Ringneck and began seeing the flock of 10-15 birds regularly.  The individual I cared for was missing several toes and showed other signs of battling the long, cold NY winters, but was otherwise in fine shape. Read More »

Nothing is more pleasing to aviculturists than an entire room in which their birds can really stretch their wings and legs.  Birds housed in such circumstances will exhibit a range of behaviors that are only hinted at in small quarters, and their chances of successfully breeding will skyrocket.

Bird Room Basics

Simply put, a bird room is a room which is outfitted especially for birds – essentially a giant cage.  The first I saw were re-converted attics in small private houses. One held Canaries, the other was give over to a colony of Gouldian Finches…both behaved so differently from caged individuals that they appeared to be of entirely different species.  Each room was a carnival of color, song, activity and begging nestlings.  The individual birds were in great condition and color, and far more vigorous and alert than those I cared for at the local pet store. Read More »

The colors of North American’s Buntings rival those of any tropical bird.  Several species are popularly kept in Europe, Asia and Latin America, but laws limit the availability of most in the USA (check a local Softbill Society for legal specimens).  I recently wrote about the Painted Bunting (Passerina ciris), one of the most colorful of the group (please see article below). Today we’ll discuss the Rainbow, Indigo, Versicolor and Lazuli Buntings.

In General

There are a few husbandry tips that apply to all Buntings.  One of the least known is that they relish the resin produced by pine and spruce trees.  Branches from these trees will keep your birds busy for hours.  Many aviculturists believe that something in the resin helps to keep the birds in good color as well. Read More »

A great deal of research goes into the husbandry of domestic fowl, some of which has important implications for pet bird owners as well.  In scanning the literature, I recently came across the following important study.

How Does One Keep a Chicken Busy?

The European Zoological Nutrition Center reports that the wild relatives of domestic chickens (I’m assuming Red or Green Jungle Fowl) spend at least 60% of their day foraging for food.  Domestic chickens, however, are fed high energy foods in easy-access feeders and usually take but a few minutes to meet their daily needs.  That leaves the bored fowl a good 16 hours in which to get into trouble – which they do quite handily by pecking at their own and their neighbors’ feathers and skin. Read More »