That Bird Blog – Bird Care and History for Pet Birds

Sometimes viewed as less talkative “versions” of the popular Amazons, the Red-Vented Parrots (Pionus spp.) have until recently been overlooked by aviculturists.  Many are now coming to realize that this is a mistake, as these wonderful birds have much to recommend them – at a fraction of the price of “flashier” species! Read More »

The number of veterinarians experienced in avian medicine is growing by leaps and bounds, as are advances in the field itself.  Today, most folks keeping parrots, finches, budgies, canaries, cockatiels, quails and even such exotics as turacos and toucans are within reach of competent medical advice. Read More »

I’ve always viewed the Java Sparrow, Padda oryzivora, (a/k/a Java Rice Bird, Java Finch) as something of a “stepping stone” between the small, typical finches and the larger, less common softbills.  Indeed, the moniker “sparrow” fits it well – despite being a true finch, its relatively large size (5 ½ inches), stout build and thick bill lend it a distinctly “un-finch-like” appearance. Read More »

I’m pleased to say that I’m now posting several notes (“Tweets”) on Twitter each day, 7 days a week. I’ve worked with everything from ants to elephants, and so much interesting info comes my way – a lot of it through other zoologists and my own activities. Twitter will make it easy to share this as well as breaking nature news and discoveries as they happen. Things I’ve noticed in my collection or as I’m wandering about in the field, newly discovered species, interesting tidbits passed on by others, my take on some of the day’s news items…anything and everything animal-related will be mixed in.
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The Scarlet Macaw (Ara macao) is surely one of the most recognizable birds on the planet.  Images of this spectacular parrot adorn the brochures and T-shirts of travel agencies, zoos and aviaries worldwide.  Less well-known, however, is its natural habits and precarious existence in the wild.

Range

At 33.5 inches in length, and with a wingspan to match, this deep red (or scarlet!), yellow-shouldered bird is one of the world’s largest parrots.

Its huge range extends from Oaxaca in southern Mexico through Central America to Columbia, Peru, Bolivia and Brazil, and east to French Guiana.  Within this area, however, it is rare or absent from many locales, and may be extinct in El Salvador.  Feral populations thrive in Puerto Rico and Florida.
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