That Bird Blog – Bird Care and History for Pet Birds

Although much we know about feeding pet birds applies to a wide range of species, a great deal is specific to certain species, families or other groupings. Often, it is important to think in terms of specific bird – i.e. “Peter’s twinspot” as opposed to “finch” – if we are to provide proper nutrition to our collections.A wide range of species-specific bird diets are now available to assist us in this task. As always, research concerning individual species is vital…please check out our extensive line of bird books  for advice.

Today and in future articles I’d like to cover some nutritional concerns that commonly arise among various types of birds.

African Gray Parrot (Psittacus erithacus)
Hypocalcaemia
The ever popular African gray is prone to calcium deficiencies, which most commonly appear at age 2-5. Most birds afflicted with hypocalcaemia metabolize bone calcium in an effort to maintain adequate blood levels of this important mineral. African grays, however, seem unable to do this and instead become racked by seizures (tetany) when calcium is lacking; veterinary intervention is necessary.

Hypovitaminosis A
Vitamin A deficiency is not uncommon in African grays. The excess keratin production that is associated with this condition causes the eyes to dry and the third eyelid (nictitating membrane) to thicken. Birds so afflicted also sneeze, apparently in an effort to clear keratin from the nasal passages.

Sinusitis
Mucus ceases to move normally between the nasal passages, resulting in blockages and breathing difficulties. As described above, this is sometimes related to a Vitamin A deficiency.

The role of Vitamin C in reducing sinusitis symptoms and of zinc in transporting Vitamin A is also being investigated.

Feather Plucking
Like other highly intelligent birds, African grays become bored easily. Feather plucking is often associated with boredom, but there is some evidence that low levels of the amino acid arginine may play a role as well. To rule out a nutritional problem, be sure to provide your parrot with a sound diet and a vitamin/mineral supplement.

Food can also serve as an important factor in reducing boredom…consider different ways of making your bird work for its meals, and offer sticks of tough vegetables that the parrot can manipulate and shred. Our many foraging toys  are invaluable in providing stimulating feeding opportunities.

Indian Hill Myna (Gracula religiosa)
Hemochromatosis (Iron Storage Disease)
For some reasons, these wonderfully talented mimics seem especially prone iron build-up in the liver and other organs. Although nutritional links have been identified, there is much we still need to learn. Please see my article Iron Storage Disease and Citrus Fruit  for more information.

Although primarily frugivorous, mynas relish animal foods as well. Beef and other meats are often high in iron and best avoided until all the evidence is in. Stay with hard boiled eggs and insects instead…canned invertebrates are a great option.

Cleaning Considerations
Like most fruit-eating birds, mynas have big appetites and process food rapidly….defecation may occur within 20 minutes of eating. This, combined with high activity levels and the production of moist droppings, renders cage sanitation a vital issue. Be sure to clean all cage surfaces daily with a bird-safe sanitizer to prevent the buildup of harmful bacteria.

Further Reading
Please see my articles on the Natural History and Care of Hill Mynas and African Gray Parrots for more information.

Images referenced from Morguefile.

Amethyst Starlings in Captivity

Please see Part I of this article for information about the natural history of the amethyst starling.  More popular with European than American aviculturists, amethyst starlings (Cinnyricinlus leucogaster) are none-the-less regularly bred in this country.  In my opinion, those looking to expand their collection can ask for no more interesting an avian project than keeping a pair of amethyst starlings.  They will require a huge enclosure – one of our larger outdoor aviaries would be ideal – and indoor winter quarters in most of the USA, but are well-worth the effort.

Reproduction and Hand-Rearing

Incubation lasts for approximately 14 days.  The chicks fledge at day 18-22, after which they are fed by the parents for an additional 10 days or so.  Adult starlings have been seen to cover their eggs with leaves when departing from the nest.

The chicks, being ravenous feeders and taking a wide variety of foods, are not difficult to hand rear.  I have hand-raised chicks of the closely related European starling (see photos) for use in educational programs; without fail they became amazingly tame and confiding – curious about everything and a source of great pleasure for thousands of school children.

Diet

The appetite of the amethyst starling, like that of nearly all its relatives, is expansive and easy to satisfy.  They feed with gusto, and do best on a varied diet.  Diets I use in zoos and at home are based around such foods as myna and softbill pellets, fruit pudding, mixed fruits and vegetables and nearly any live or canned insect available.  An occasional dead pink mouse or hard boiled egg will be devoured with very evident pleasure.

Further Reading

You can read about the Jacksonville Zoo’s amethyst starlings at

http://www.jaxzoo.org/things/biofacts/AmethystStarling.asp.

Amethyst Starling image referenced from Wikipedia and originally posted by LTShears

Insects, earthworms and other invertebrates form a surprisingly large part of the natural diets of many finches, and are essential foods for captive shama thrushes, white eyes and other popular softbills. Even zebra finches and other hardy species that fare well on seed-based diets benefit from insect nutrients. The provision of live insects is often a key factor in bringing birds into breeding condition, and they are indispensible to those with chicks to raise.I have written a number of articles on our Reptile Blog which may be of interest to aviculturists seeking to breed birds or increase dietary variety. I’ll briefly alert you to some of the possibilities here…please see the links below for more details and for information on handling insects and avoiding toxic species.

Light Traps
The Zoo Med Bug Napper, modeled on traps used to collect insects used in research and zoo bird diets, is the most effective insect trap on the market. It is the easiest to use of all the collection methods described below (just plug it in!) and generally provides the highest percentage of usable insect species. This convenient device will yield nightly hauls of live moths, midges, beetles and other nutritious bird favorites.

The type of light utilized in the Bug Napper is particularly attractive to flying insects, but searching around porch and door lights is also a useful insect hunting technique.

Homemade Traps
Termites (please bear with me on this one!), especially when in mating flights, are major protein sources for birds all over the world, and may be key in stimulating breeding activity in some. Worker termites can easily be trapped (please see below), and will not establish colonies in your home should they escape.

Hunting – the fun part!
Try spreading a sheet below a bush and beating the foliage. This entomologist’s technique will supply you with an incredible assortment of katydids, tree crickets, caterpillars and other soft-bodied delicacies. Be sure to use plastic tongs or small net to handle any species which you cannot identify.

Sifting through leaf litter (or driving insects from litter with heat – please see below) is a useful way of collecting secretive invertebrates. Sow bugs, which are actually Crustaceans and thus related to crabs, are particularly important as a natural calcium source. You’ll have plenty to choose from – even excluding earthworms, the weight of the invertebrates in a single acre of New England forest leaf litter can top 3 tons!

Net Sweeps
“Meadow Plankton” is a term given the astonishing array of invertebrates that may be captured by sweeping a long-handled net  through tall grass. Ranging in size from tiny aphids to large grasshoppers, there will be something for any bird you might keep.

Look, Learn and Have Fun!
Don’t forget to closely examine the creatures you collect. You’ll not soon be bored…over 2,000 types of insects live right within New York City (I’ve collected most of them!), and it is estimated that 30 million species inhabit the planet. A field guide in the Audubon Society or Peterson series is always useful to have on hand.

Further Reading
Please see the following articles for further details on the collecting techniques described above:
Collecting Live Food: an Entomologist’s Technique
Leaf Litter Invertebrates
Building a Termite Trap

Grasshopper image referenced from Wikipedia and originally posted by Fir0002.

The Gouldian finch (Erythrura gouldiae) is at once a popular pet and an endangered species. Large and stocky (for a finch), it boasts a stunning array of 7 bright colors, a fact that has long rendered it among the most expensive of all finches. However, it is now widely bred here in the USA, and prices are coming down a bit.

Color and Male Dominance
In addition to thrilling bird owners for the past 100 years or so, it seems that the males’ spectacular plumage plays an unexpected role in Gouldian finch behavior as well. Wild Gouldian finches are unique in possessing heads that may be red, black or yellow in color. Red-headed males dominate all others, with yellow headed males being at the bottom of the pecking order.

Mixing Things Up
To discover if head color granted any specific survival advantage, University of New South Wales researchers applied black dye to yellow-headed males. Although the behavior of the dyed birds did not change, other individuals avoided fights with these formerly bullied males.

When red-headed males were dyed yellow, the former red-heads remained aggressive, but other birds did not readily give way to them at feeding stations (it might be interesting to show the redheads a mirror – maybe they would “realize” they were no longer dominant!).

So it seems that red-headed males truly are more aggressive than others, and that a red head likely confers competitive advantages in activities such as feeding and access to favorable nest sites. Future research will focus on the connection between color and behavior in other species.

Gouldian Finches in the Wild
In the wild, Gouldian finches are limited to small sections of wooded savannah in Australia’s tropical north, and are considered highly endangered.

They live in small groups both in and out of the breeding season and are, as finches go, rather specialized in their feeding habits. Gouldian finches vary their diets with the seasons. For much of the year, sorghum seeds (a grass) are their primary food, but during the rainy season they subsist nearly entirely upon moths, grasshoppers, termites, spiders and other invertebrates.

Next time I’ll go over some special concerns to bear in mind when considering a pair of these lovely birds.

Further Reading
World Wildlife Fund Australia has posted an interesting article on the dire threats facing Gouldian finches in the wild: http://www.wwf.org.au/articles/feature17/

Gouldian finches make wonderful pets and aviary birds, but require more room than similarly-sized finches. Please see my article Bird Cage Overview  for further information.

Image referenced from Wikipedia and originally posted by Martybugs.

Also known as the Barbary, ring-necked or domestic dove, ring doves (Streptopelia risoria) are among the most popular and confiding of all pigeon-like birds.  Although given species status, this quiet, 9 inch-long bird may be a mere variant of the African collared dove (S. roseogrisea), which was domesticated nearly 3,000 years ago.  Those in the pet trade likely also carry the genes of the Eurasian collared dove (S. decaocto) and the red-eyed dove (S. semitorquata), rendering them truly unique.

Feral Populations

Escaped or released ring doves are well-established in the USA (Florida, California), Italy, Taiwan and England.  Unlike their cousin, the ubiquitous rock dove or “city pigeon”, these delicate birds are usually quite welcome in their adopted homes.

Color Variations

Ring doves are typically a pleasing fawn in overall coloration, with a beautiful blush of pink about the chest and a black band across the back of the neck.  White forms, known as “Java doves” are popular in the pet trade, as are apricot and pied specimens.  Most ring doves carry the white gene, so normally-colored birds often surprise their owners with “Java dove” chicks.

Care and Breeding

Although ring doves can adapt to a large parrot cage need flying rather than climbing space and therefore are best housed in an outdoor aviary.  They can be habituated to cool temperatures, but, unless a heated retreat is available, should be kept indoors when temperatures stray below 50 F.

Ring doves are usually good parents, and a pair makes an excellent introduction to bird breeding.  Mated doves retain their good nature even when kept in the company of small finches and other birds, and require but a simple platform and some sticks as a nest site.

Their basic care and feeding roughly follows that of the diamond dove, which I have described in the article Diamond Doves in the Wild and Captivity.  Please write in if you would like detailed husbandry information.

Further Reading

This commonly-kept bird has played a quite uncommon role in saving one of the world’s most highly endangered birds, the pink pigeon (Nesoenas mayeri) of Mauritius.  I had the good fortune e to be involved in the rescue effort…please see my article Saving the Endangered Pink Pigeon  for the story.

Image referenced from Wikipedia and originally posted by Astirmays