Pet bird

Their large beaks and almost fairy-tale appearance may elicit trepidation or varying degrees of curiosity, but, rarely, indifference. Noisy and vivid, the larger macaw species seem to scream, “Look at me!” Because of their flashiness, it is hard to believe that macaws are prey (food) animals in the wild. Unless you’ve lived with a macaw, there are things about macaws you just wouldn’t guess.

Jump to section 6 Signs Your Bird “Hates” You What Causes a Bird Not to Like Someone? How To Make Your Bird Love You

Cockatiels are expert whistlers and will learn to mimic whistles that they hear from their humans, television and the radio. This can be quite cute, because there are a lot of recognizable whistles, from the standard cat-call (or wolf-whistle) to the Andy Griffith television show theme. There are special whistle teaching CDs and song file downloads that you can play for your bird to teach him or her specific whistles. Male cockatiels are more likely to repeat human vocalizations, but females can be competent whistlers, too. A whistling cockatiel can be trying to connect with you by picking up human sounds. He also might be bored if he’s sitting alone and whistling to a toy, or excited, based on what’s going on in his surroundings.,1. The Cockatiel “Scristle”

When I first became enamored with parrots as a youngster, it was because I imagined having my very own pet bird happily perched on my shoulder, nuzzling my neck and gently talking in my ear. When I finally saved up enough allowance and whatever spare change I could scrounge up, I made sure my big brother followed through on his promise to accompany me to the pet store so I could pick out my bird. I couldn’t have been more excited to bring home Elvis, my cockatiel. Elvis wasn’t close to being hand-tamed but that didn’t stop me from insisting he perch on my shoulder. When I finally got him to actually perch there, he directed his protest at my ear, hissing and then charging at my earlobe; not quite breaking the skin but inflicting an affective pinch. Even though Elvis and I started off on the wrong foot, after I started all over with baby steps like getting him to perch on my hand, we managed to foster a friendship that spanned 21 years. Much of our time together included him contently perched on my shoulder playing with my hair and tickling my neck while I did homework or watched TV. Years later, I adopted a male double yellowed-headed Amazon parrot, Sunshine. But there was no way I was going to offer my shoulder as a perch. It was right after my first bird conference and where I met a woman with a stitched-up nose and swollen lip. She explained that she did something to frighten her macaw, and he reacted by biting into her face. She actually had an appointment for some “minor corrective surgery.” With Elvis, I was OK with the thought of a potential nip if I did something to offend him, because even his fiercest pinch was something I could physically and emotionally get over within a short period of time; I could handle the potential aftermath of an irate, even downright angry cockatiel inflicting his biggest, baddest bite. With Sunshine, however, I knew his bite could involve a band-aid or even stitches. That was the difference for me; an Amazon parrot’s beak packed a much bigger punch, and I didn’t want to risk it.

To understand the ingestion of foreign objects, such as paper, in birds, we must first look at some bird behaviors. Birds are very inquisitive by nature, and they tend to explore everything with their beaks. Wild parrots must know instinctively, or by watching other parrots in the flock, what is OK to eat and what to avoid. In a natural setting, unless a bird is exposed to unnatural toxins, debris or refuse from humans encroaching on its environment or non-native plants, it is not likely to be in danger from the ingestion of dangerous material. But in captivity, we are responsible for monitoring everything in our bird’s environment and must always use common sense and our bird knowledge when choosing safe bird cages, toys, perches and food items.,Q.

Got an interest in the apapornis? These African beauties come in some stunning colors, are highly social and are packed with personality. But before you go looking for a lovebird of your own, there are a few things you should know.

You’ve probably heard the expression, “You are what you eat.” But perhaps just as important is the quality of water that is consumed. Water—clean, fresh and in ample supplies—is essential to nearly every process of your pet bird’s body. “Water is probably the most important overlooked nutrient of any animal,” says Dr. Julie Burge, DVM, a private practice veterinarian in Missouri. “A bird can live a lot longer without food than it can without water.” Approximately 75 percent of a bird’s body is made up of water. Each day, an adult bird needs to drink enough water to make up 5 percent of its body weight to replace the water lost from waste removal, respiration and evaporation. Water performs a number of important functions. “The normal physiological processes that go on need water to occur,” explains North Carolina veterinarian Dr. Gregory Burkett, DVM. “The insides of cells are water, so if a bird doesn’t drink enough water, then the water that’s inside of those cells leaches out because the body needs to use it, and then the cells dry up like raisins and die.” Water is also needed to flush out the parrot’s body, remove excess minerals and other wastes, to transport nutrients throughout the body and to help regulate body temperature. Without enough water, the blood volume will drop and the kidneys, liver and heart will not function as efficiently as they should.

About 40 million years ago, during the Eocene Epoch and long before man walked the Earth, the first parrot-type birds lived in the areas we now know as England, Austria and Germany. With no people to draw their likeness or write about their captivating ways, the only way we know that parrots existed is through fossilized remains. Some of the most important pieces of the puzzle were the bones of the foot, identifying the bird as zygodactylous, with the inner two toes facing forward and the two outer toes facing back. This is a characteristic parrots share with only a few other species, such as woodpeckers and cuckoos. Climate changes likely sent early parrot species flying off to seek hospitable areas, as they are no longer indigenous to Europe. The shifting and separating of continents may have isolated populations and entire species. Parrots are relatively new to Africa and South America, dated as appearing in Africa between 1.5 and 7 million years ago, and in South America approximately 1.5 million years ago. The greatest population of parrot species now lives in South America. A 16- to 20-million-year-old (depending on source) fossil bone found in Nebraska was determined to be related to the extinct Carolina parakeet. Of the approximately 330 parrot species, the Carolina parakeet was the only parrot native to eastern North America. At one time, it flourished in Florida, South Carolina and Louisiana with its range extending north as far as New York and North Dakota and west to Nebraska. One of the last confirmed sightings of wild Carolina parakeets was reported in 1904, with unverified sightings occurring until 1944. Reasons for its extinction include hunting, loss of habitat and nesting locations, as well as possible avian diseases imported with European settlers. The last captive bird died at the Cincinnati Zoo in 1918.

Most human diseases, including those that cause the common cold and the flu, are not transmittable to our companion birds. If exposed to certain viruses or bacterial infections known to afflict parrots, your bird could develop an infection on her own even if her human family is healthy. These risks can be minimized by practicing good hygiene yourself, including limiting your exposure to other birds at stores, bird marts and club meetings and cleaning your hands thoroughly before feeding or touching your own bird. Also, avoid allowing your bird to come into contact with your saliva through sharing food or kissing her on the beak. A healthy parrot with a strong immune system should be able to fight most viral or bacterial infections.  ,Q.

Sometimes what has bird owners concerned is not excessive screaming, but silence from their birds. When that happens, it almost always means something is wrong. Usually the bird is sick.