Category: Birds

Posted on by

Bare-eyed Cockatoos

One of the liveliest parrot species by far is the Bare-Eyed Cockatoo. Sometimes mistaken at a glance for a Goffin, these medium-sized
cockatoos are named after the bald ring around the eyes, and the featherless, puffy patch below their eyes.

Native to Australia, Bare-Eyeds have a bad reputation because they gather in huge flocks and forage in the farmer’s crops. This feeding behavior damages the plants and soil as they browse for seeds and grains.

As pets, Bare-Eyed cockatoos can be loving and comical to watch as they play and learn. Most are very mischievous and curious in nature, and enjoy manipulating items with their feet, like toys, food, and even cage locks! Besides these traits, like other cockatoos, they can be loud and gregarious, showing off frequently. Some have been known to have a decent ability to mimic and talk. When they aren’t playing or being acrobats, they do enjoy being affectionate and will solicit petting and cuddling.

These cockatoos can live up to 45-50 years or more, so it is important to have them well socialized. An abundance of toys and activities is also recommended to keep these energetic parrots happy and entertained.

Posted on by

Males VS Females

Outwardly, most parrots will look the same whether they are male or female. The biggest exception being the Eclectus, where the males are green and red, and the females are red and purple. Other times, birds have to be a certain age before changes are apparent, like parakeet cere color, the rings of the aptly named Ringnecks, Red Bellied parrots, and more. The previous examples are fairly straight forward, but other species can be much more subtle, even impossible to determine visually. Stories are abound of cute little “Sam” laying eggs and ending up a “Samantha”.

How does one tell male from female?
DNA testing is considered the most common method, as well as the safest and least intrusive.

Does gender matter?
Knowing your birds’ gender is most important if you plan on breeding in order to find an appropriate mate. Knowing if a bird is a female can also help to determine if calcium should be supplemented if it happens to lay eggs. Sometimes, it’s just fun to know, or for naming purposes.

The better gender?
This topic is debatable. For some of the smaller birds, gender may matter: male canaries and male finches will be the singers. In parakeets and cockatiels, although females can learn, males are more likely to be capable of talking and whistling. In most parrots though, both males and females can learn to talk and mimic equally. As far as personality and “tameness”, that depends on the individual bird and how it is handled and trained.

Posted on by

Shoulder Perching

It’s a stereotypical scene, from Pirates of the Caribbean and other high sea adventures, to Baretta, Polly, and almost any film with a parrot involved- the parrot on the shoulder. This may look cute, and it certainly frees up your hands, but most current bird books and advice articles agree with keeping birds off the shoulder, but why?

A common view is that birds that are higher than your eye level will display dominance and height aggression. It certainly seems that way when you ask your parrot to “step-up” from your shoulder or cagetop / playstand and he growls, nips, and lunges. A newer perspective this behavior is that your parrot feels more secure. Sometimes, trying to remove them from their comfort zone will cause them to behave the same way, but it should be interpreted as defensive, not aggressive.

With a new bird, it is best left off the shoulder for a number of reasons:
– The bird may not be trained to sit on shoulders.
– The bird can easily reach out to bite your ears or face.
– You want to keep all your piercings and jewelry intact.
– It is important to first establish basic step-up commands with the bird on your hands.

With a bird that you have an established relationship with, there are still some guidelines:
 – Does your bird step-up from your shoulder when asked without biting or running?
– Does your bird step-up from within or on top of the cage without biting or running?
– Is your bird calm around new people or new environments?

Even when startled or scared, a very tame bird may bite to catch itself from falling or as a warning.

If the answer to any of these is “NO”, it’s a good idea to go back to the basics. Not only is the step-up command an important training tool, it is a way to build trust and confidence. In many ways, the shoulder should be a privilege once a good relationship with the bird has been established.

Posted on by

Zebra Finches

Polka dots, stripes, a pop of color, and an adorable song- the Zebra Finch has it all. Native to Australia, large flocks of zebra finches can be found in fields, open plains with sparse trees, and have even adapted to urban areas. These small finches are quite hardy and very prolific, making them a favorite of bird lovers everywhere. In the wild, a diet of small insects, grass seeds, greenery, and millet is consumed. The same can be offered for pet zebra finches, with the addition of pellets, egg food, and a variety of chopped fruits and vegetables.

Because finches have straight beaks, they do not climb and must rely on flying to move about the cage and for exercise. For this reason, it is important to house them in cages that are wider rather than taller. In captivity they can average a lifespan of 5-7 years.

Breeding zebra finches requires little encouragement. Often, when provided with a nest and fibrous materials like short yarn, hay, and grasses, they know what to do. Males are easily recognizable by their orange patches on either side of the face, plus a black bar across the chest. A pair of zebra finches may produce offspring year round, generally laying a clutch of 2-7 eggs at a time. When incubated properly, babies will start hatching between 14-16 days, and ready to leave the nest between 3-4 weeks.

Fun fact: Zebra finches are pint size pioneers of science. Many studies have been done on zebra finches offering us insight on song recognition, male vocalization patterns and learning, human speech, genome mapping, and more!