That Bird Blog – Bird Care and History for Pet Birds

Feather clipping is a bit more complicated than, well…merely clipping feathers!  Timing, technique and other factors must be taken in to consideration if the procedure is to be successful.

First Step

You would be well advised to observe a veterinarian or experienced parrot keeper clip your bird’s feathers before attempting to do so yourself.  Being able to anticipate your pet’s reaction to the procedure is as important as learning how to carry it out.

Timing: Age and Season

Birds should not be clipped until they have learned how to fly…clipping too early may hamper the development of the powerful flight muscles.  Also, if a parrot does not learn basic flight skills when young, it will likely be injured later on should its flight feathers grow in.

Ideally, feathers should be trimmed just after the molt, which occurs yearly in most parrots.  Feathers that are still growing, recognizable by blood visible within the shaft, are known as blood feathers.  These will bleed, sometimes profusely, if cut, and often must be pulled (please see article below) in order to avoid an emergency situation.  Always keep a bird first aid kit  on hand, and clip your bird at a time when a veterinarian is readily available.

Clipping Primer

The feathers to be clipped in order to limit flying ability are known as the primaries, or primary flight feathers.  These are the 10 longest feathers on the outer edge of the parrot’s wing.  Clipping should begin at primary #1, which is the shortest feather and that furthest from the bird’s head.  How many primaries need be cut depends upon the species and the individual.  Begin by clipping 5 primaries.

The primaries should be trimmed until the cut ends are hidden beneath the next row of small feathers.  These feathers, known as the major coverlets, will shield the rough ends of the primaries, preventing them from irritating the skin.  If the primaries protrude from beneath the major coverlets, the parrot may pluck them.

A clipped bird should be able to get some lift and fly for a few feet.  If unable to do so, the parrot will be injured if it tries to fly from a high point, or if it leaps from a perch when startled.  Both wings should be trimmed…trimming one unbalances the bird, often causing stress and physical injuries.

Clipping Pros and Cons

Most parrot owners decide to clip their pets’ wings as a training aid – clipped birds tend to stay in one place during training.  There are, however, other situations where clipping might be recommended.  The decision will depend upon the nature of each bird and its captive environment.

For example, clipped birds cannot crash into mirrors or alight on hot stoves, and they are less likely to chew furniture or fly out open windows.  Birds of all kinds quickly sense outside air and locate escape routes.  I have seen this a great many times in zoo collections (where windows are always screened in bird holding areas).

If multiple parrots are housed together, feather clipping an aggressive individual will limit its ability to harass others.  This is particularly useful when new birds are introduced…by the time the aggressor’s feathers grow in, the birds may well have learned to co-exist.

Feather trimming may limit a male’s ability to mount and copulate with a female, especially in aviary situations.

Further Reading

You can learn more about dealing with cut and broken blood feathers at

http://qp-society.com/qpserc/bloodfeathers.html.

Image referenced from Wikipedia and originally posted by snowmanradio.

The world’s approximately 330 parrot species, while superficially similar in body plan, exhibit an incredible diversity of lifestyles.  To those I have highlighted on this blog I would now like to add the long-billed corella (Cacatua tenuirostris), a unique cockatoo which spends much of its time as does none other – digging in the ground for food!

A Distinctive Bill

A long, rather thin and pointed upper mandible (bill) immediately distinguishes the long-billed corella from other cockatoos.  Its favorite foods – roots, tubers and, on occasion, insect larvae – are equally unique for a parrot.  The beak functions as a very effective digging tool, and allows the corella to take seeds and other more typical parrot foods as well.

Range and Habitat

The 2 subspecies of long-billed corella live widely separated from one another, and are restricted in distribution to extreme southeast and southwest Australia.  Their ranges have shrunk in recent years due to a drier climate (they require standing water and high rainfall) and land use changes.  Feral populations are established in Perth, Sydney and other Australian cities.

Corellas favor open woodlands, savannas and the edges of watercourses and farms.  They leave their roosts to drink before dawn, and always employ a sentinel perched high in a tree when feeding.

In addition to roots and tubers, they feed upon planted grain, maize and fruits as well, and are hunted as agricultural pests in some areas.  Corellas nearly always nest in hollows high in living trees near water…the loss of these unique nesting sites may also be playing a role in recent population declines.

Corellas as Pets

Late to enter the pet trade, long-billed corellas are now becoming quite popular as pets in their native Australia.  Their abilities to mimic speech are said to be quite impressive, and captive breeding is now fairly routine.

Further Reading

You can learn more about the natural history of these most unusual cockatoos at http://www.birdsinbackyards.net/finder/display.cfm?id=101.

Image referenced from Wikipedia and originally posted by Snowmanradio

Please see Part I of this article for information on feeding winter residents, hummingbirds, and other summer visitors.  Today we’ll take a look at bird baths, birding opportunities and luring bats and other small mammals.

Birding Opportunities

Warm weather bird-feeding usually results in spectacular bird watching opportunities…driven to catch hundreds of insects daily, raise several broods and keep themselves fed as well, parent birds are far less cautious than at other times of the year.

Give our Audubon Bird Call Whistle  a try.  My first, received from my grandfather nearly half a decade ago, drew the attention of nearly every furred and feathered visitor to my childhood feeders.  The Backyard Bird Tracker  will help you to identify the birds you see and provides interesting life history details and a place for recording your observations.

Other Steps You Can Take

Setting out bird baths within easy reach of your feeders will increase visitation, including by bird species that might not be interested in the foods you provide.  For example, robins, which in most areas are earthworm specialists, will readily make use of bird baths.

A well-thought out garden (please see below) will encourage reluctant feeder-visitors to remain and forage upon insects, buds and other treats.

Mammals: Flying Squirrels, Gray Squirrels and Bats

Don’t forget your mammalian friends.  Gray squirrels newly emerged from the nest are clumsy and even more entertaining than are adults.  By providing squirrel feeders, corn logs  and peanuts, you can limit competition with avian visitors and provide yourself with quite a show.

If flying squirrels are resident in your area, by all means install some indirect lighting and take a look at your feeders after dark.  These adorable, nocturnal acrobats are quite fearless feeder users…trust me, you will not regret the effort.  Resident even in the heart of NYC, flying squirrels do not reveal themselves in the daytime.  A call to your local zoo or nature center should provide you with information concerning local populations.

While we’re on nocturnal mammals, let me not forget some of my favorites, the bats.  I have rehabilitated a number of injured bats, and never tire of watching their nighttime hunting forays.  A surprising variety of species inhabits the USA, even within most cities…try putting up a bat house and see what happens.

Further Reading

For information on planting a garden that will both attract wild visitors and provide nutritious food for your pets, please see my article Gardening for Birds.

A unique video showing northern flying squirrels using a backyard feeder is posted at:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZHuzmNBTquw

Oriole Image referenced from Wikipedia and originally posted by Badjoby.

Dendroica petechia image referenced from Wikipedia and originally posted by Mdf.  

In the 5 species of fig parrot (Genus Opopsitta and Psittaculirostris) we find some of the most colorful of all Psittacines, all of which need much attention in terms of captive breeding.  Several, including the gorgeous Edward’s fig parrot, are kept in captivity, but in none is reproduction considered routine.  However, their small size suits them well to experienced aviculturists who are looking to become involved an important conservation effort, and interest is gradually increasing.

Description and Range

Fig parrots are small, stocky, colorful birds limited in distribution to New Guinea, northeast Australia and some nearby islands.

They have unusually large, broad bills, the upper mandible of which is distinctively notched.  All are considered threatened in the wild.  Despite this, they are under-represented in both zoo (I worked with only a very few during my long career) and private collections.

Captive Husbandry

Fig parrots have bred in both large indoor cages and outdoor aviaries.

Much has been learned about their husbandry in recent years, with the need for Vitamin K supplementation being an important discovery.  Most require a wide variety of fruits, especially figs, but lorikeet nectar mixes show great promise as a dietary staple.  Fig parrots take a bit of seed as well, but such should be withheld from breeding adults as it tends to clog the chicks’ crops.

Fig parrots housed in outdoor aviaries have the charming habit of bathing by sliding down large, wet leaves.

Further Reading

You can read about the Australia Zoo’s effort to help the critically endangered Coxen’s fig parrot at http://www.steveirwinmemorialfund.net/our-animals/animal-diaries/index.php?department=01&month=december&year=2005.

Image referenced from Wikipedia and originally posted by Tomfriedel

The grass parakeets (7 species in the genus Neophema) are small, active birds that, by departing from “typical” parakeet behavior, offer a delightful change of pace to serious bird keepers.  For some reason, these colorful, hearty parakeets are not as popular in the USA as they are abroad.  However, several species are well-established in captivity, and it is the rare aviculturist who does not become a devoted fan after keeping a pair.

Unique Flight Behavior

Grass parakeets are strong, swift fliers that zip about erratically and change direction frequently.  They therefore show themselves to best advantage in an outdoor aviary, although their small size and trusting nature allows for maintenance in large indoor cages as well.

Several species, including the ever-popular Bourke’s parakeet (Neophema bourkii) and the brilliantly-colored turquoise parakeet (N. pulchella) have the unusual habit of flying about at dusk and even after dark.  In fact, the gorgeous colors and broken, swooping flight of dusk-flying turquoise parakeets has led famed parrot biologist Joseph Forshaw to describe them as resembling “multi-colored bats”.

Subtle and Not-So-Subtle Beauties

Each grass parakeet species is beautiful in its own way – the muted grays of the Bourke’s parakeet are infused with subtle shades of pastel pink while the turquoise parakeet is flamboyantly clad in brilliant green, red and turquoise blue.

Keeping Grass Parakeets

Grass parakeets are quite confiding, even in the wild, and often try walking away from disturbances before taking flight.  They adjust readily to captivity and breed well, especially in outdoor aviaries (most are, despite their delicate appearances, relatively cold-hearty).  They are, in contrast to most of their relatives, quite easy on live plants, and get along very well with finches, painted quail and other small aviary birds.

Further Reading

You can read more about the natural history of the turquoise parakeet at http://www.birdsinbackyards.net/finder/display.cfm?id=276.

Image referenced from Wikipedia and originally posted by Danweh.