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- Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
- Kategorie: Lebensstil
- Sprache: Englisch
Your one-stop guide to caring for your avian companion
Pet birds are intelligent, affectionate, and rewarding companions. No matter what bird you choose, you need to set up a happy home for him with the right stuff. You also need to keep your bird healthy by performing routine care and knowing what a healthy bird looks like and how he behaves.
This friendly guide describes the birds that make the best pets, explains how to select the bird that's best for you, offers tips on bonding with your feathered friend, and provides expert advice on feeding and environmental enrichment that will keep these intelligent pets engaged.
- Benefit from a full-color guide to pet birds
- Choose the right bird based on your budget and lifestyle
- Create a bird-friendly environment that minimizes noise and mess
- Bond with your winged pet
If you’re ready for your love of birds to take flight, this book has everything you need.
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Seitenzahl: 741
Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2020
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Birds For Dummies®, 2nd Edition
Published by: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774, www.wiley.com
Copyright © 2021 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey
Published simultaneously in Canada
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Library of Congress Control Number: 2020949856
ISBN 978-1-119-64322-7 (pbk); ISBN 978-1-119-64315-9 (ebk); ISBN 978-1-119-64325-8 (ebk)
Birds For Dummies®
To view this book's Cheat Sheet, simply go to www.dummies.com and search for “Birds For Dummies Cheat Sheet” in the Search box.
Table of Contents
Cover
Title Page
Copyright
Introduction
About This Book
Foolish Assumptions
Icons Used in This Book
Beyond the Book
Where to Go from Here
Part 1: Getting Started with Birds
Chapter 1: Birds and Humans: It’s Only Natural!
Getting to Know the History of Birds
Deciding If You’re Ready for a Bird
Chapter 2: Narrowing the Choices
Deciding What You’re Looking for in a Bird
Considering the Species
Chapter 3: Deciding on a Bird of Your Own
Telling the Girls from the Guys
Checking Up on a Bird’s Good Health
Making Mature Decisions about Age
Finding a Reputable Source
Protecting Your Rights
Part 2: Caring for Your Bird
Chapter 4: Preparing for Your Bird’s Arrival
Shopping for Cages
Perch Perfect: Finding the Right Perch for Your Bird
Diving into Dishes and Waterers
Keeping Your Bird Entertained
Clearing the Air
Cleaning Up
Chapter 5: Starting Your Bird Off Right
Setting Up the Cage
Settling In
Managing Introductions
Building Trust through Training
Keeping Things Clean: A Basic Regimen
Identifying Your Bird in Case He Flies the Coop
Chapter 6: The New Art, Science, and Fun of Feeding Birds Right
Understanding Bird Nutrition
Knowing What Your Bird Should Be Eating
Converting Your Bird’s Diet
Feeding Birds of a (Slightly) Different Feather: Lories and Lorikeets
Chapter 7: Beyond Food and Water: Bird Basics
Translating Bird Body Language
Getting a Handle on Your Bird
Practicing Good Grooming
Bird Care When You Can’t
Harness Training
Taking Your Bird with You
Part 3: Keeping Your Bird Healthy
Chapter 8: How Birds Work: The Short Course
The Outside: More than Just Beautiful
Finding Your Inner Bird
Chapter 9: A Preventive Care Approach to Your Bird’s Health
Understanding Why Preventive Care Is the Best Care
Following a Three-Part Plan for Preventive Care
Finding the Right Veterinarian
Chapter 10: Your Bird in Sickness — and Back to Health
Remembering That Birds Are Birds — Not People, Not Dogs
Understanding the Role of Home Care
Knowing First-Aid Basics
Looking at Infectious Diseases That Panic Parrot Lovers
Offering Supportive Care
Chapter 11: Lifelong Care for Your Bird
Why Birds Are Living Longer
Health and the Older Bird
Knowing When It’s Time to Say Goodbye
What If You Go First?
Part 4: Living Happily with Your Bird
Chapter 12: Behavior 101: Getting to “Good Bird!”
Setting the Stage for Good Behavior
Problem-Solving Unwanted Behaviors
Deciding What to Do If You Can’t Solve a Big Problem
Chapter 13: Living in a Multiple-Bird Household
Deciding Between Companion Birds and Breeders
Understanding the Closed Aviary Concept: Rules to Live By
Choosing Compatible Birds
Recognizing the Joys and Challenges of Breeding
Chapter 14: Caring for Chickens and Other Backyard Poultry
Chickens with Benefits: Seeing What Chickens Have to Offer
Considering Different Chicken Breeds
Buying Chicks or Chickens
Poultry Keeping 101
Keeping Your Chickens Safe around Other Family Pets
Keeping Other Kinds of Poultry
Part 5: The Part of Tens
Chapter 15: Ten Bird Myths Debunked
Birds Are Low-Maintenance Pets
Birds Are High-Maintenance Companions
Birds Are Fragile
A Hand-Fed Bird Makes a Better Pet
Seed Is the Best Diet for Birds
Birds Get Mites and Lice Easily
Birds Catch Colds from People
A Sick Bird Is a Dead Bird
Lovebirds Will Die of Loneliness If Not Kept in Pairs
All Parrots Talk
Chapter 16: Ten Steps to a Healthy Bird
The Physical Examination
Having Your Vet Review Your Caging and Husbandry Techniques
Feeding Your Bird a Healthy Diet
Performing a Behavioral Checkup
Introducing a New Bird to Your Household without Endangering the Birds You Already Have
Ordering Blood Tests
Screening for Bacteria, Viruses, and Fungi If Necessary
Testing for the Specific Causes of Some Diseases
Determining Your Bird’s Gender
Considering Vaccination
Chapter 17: Ten Questions to Ask When Buying a Bird
Where Do You Get Your Birds?
How Many Birds Do You Sell per Year?
What Are the Terms of the Sales Contract and Post-Purchase Warranty?
What Are Your References?
How Old Is This Bird?
Does This Bird Have Any Medical Problems, Past or Current?
Does This Bird Have Any Behavioral Problems?
How Have You Socialized This Bird?
What Have You Been Feeding This Bird?
May I Visit and Get to Know the Bird Before Buying?
Chapter 18: Ten (Or So) Must-See Avian Websites
Fun for Kids — and Adults, Too
Behavior Help and Then Some
Enraptured over Raptors
Help Us Get Home
Meet Alex, the Star
Birds of a Feather, Flocking Together
Sources for Health Information
Helping Birds in Need
Chapter 19: Ten Best Birds for Beginners
Canaries and Finches
Budgies (Parakeets)
Chickens
Cockatiels
Quaker Parakeets
Poicephalus Parrots and Parrotlets
Pionus Parrots
Pyrrhura Conures
Amazon Parrots
Peach-Faced Lovebirds
Chapter 20: Ten Common Dangers to Your Bird’s Life
Predators
Flying Free
An Open Door or Window
Inhalants
Toxic Plants
Certain Foods
Heavy Metals
Over-the-Counter Medications
Your Feet
Electrical Cords
Chapter 21: Ten Disaster-Planning Tips for Bird Lovers
Consider the Possibilities
Make a Contact List
Make Sure Your Bird Carries ID
Make and Trade Bird-Care Files
Collect Food and Supplies
Keep a First-Aid Kit Fully Stocked
Plan, Plan, Plan, and Practice
Keep Your Bird Secure — and Separate
Keep a “Lost Bird” Kit Ready
Be Prepared to Help Others
Appendix: Resources
Aviculture and Veterinary Organizations
Behavior and Care
Books
Conservation Groups, Research, Reference Resources, and Raptors
Periodicals, Podcasts, Websites, and Apps
Rescue and Adoption Organizations
Toys and Supplies
Index
About the Authors
Supplemental Images
Connect with Dummies
End User License Agreement
List of Illustrations
Chapter 1
FIGURE 1-1: The lively sounds and antics of little birds like this shaft-tail f...
Chapter 2
FIGURE 2-1: Canaries and other finches delight with color and song but generall...
FIGURE 2-2: Budgies are often dismissed as common, but they’re fun-loving, beau...
FIGURE 2-3: Parrotlets (like this blue mutation of a Pacific parrotlet) are pac...
FIGURE 2-4: Cockatiels are pleasant to live with and come in a range of color m...
FIGURE 2-5: Quieter and more easygoing than many other parrots, the Senegal is ...
FIGURE 2-6: Galahs, sometimes referred to as rose-breasted cockatoos, aren’t ne...
FIGURE 2-7: Macaws such as the amazingly gorgeous hyacinth are beautiful and fr...
FIGURE 2-8: Spicoli, who resembles the avian version of a Dalmatian, is a silve...
Chapter 3
FIGURE 3-1: A clean and well-lit bird store is a wonderful place to familiarize...
Chapter 4
FIGURE 4-1: Many different types of carriers can be suitable for birds.
FIGURE 4-2: This finch is enjoying his natural perch.
FIGURE 4-3: Good bird stores, pet stores, and online retailers carry every kind...
FIGURE 4-4: A rose-breasted cockatoo has an assortment of toys on the play stan...
Chapter 6
FIGURE 6-1: Having birds work to get their food, such as with puzzle toys, help...
Chapter 7
FIGURE 7-1: Harley, a 20-year-old red-bellied parrot, has dilated pupils and he...
FIGURE 7-2: Many birds love a good head scratch, but not all! And they have pre...
FIGURE 7-3: When correctly introduced, a towel is a safe, kind way to restrain ...
FIGURE 7-4: Companion birds in free flight is a wonderful thing to see, but it ...
FIGURE 7-5: Birds can enjoy outings just as much as the rest of us. Solomon, an...
Chapter 8
FIGURE 8-1: A green-winged macaw soars over the Hollywood Hills in Southern Cal...
FIGURE 8-2: A keel-billed toucan at Omar’s Exotic Birds in Lake Forest, Califor...
FIGURE 8-3: Different feathers have different jobs: Some provide insulation, wh...
FIGURE 8-4: Preening is both a grooming activity and a social behavior.
FIGURE 8-5: A parrot’s opposable toes are invaluable when it comes to perching,...
Chapter 9
FIGURE 9-1: Birds can receive high levels of veterinary medicine. Here, a pengu...
FIGURE 9-2: This pigeon needs the same kind of preventive medical care as a mor...
Chapter 11
FIGURE 11-1: This budgie suffers from obesity, which can severely affect the qu...
Chapter 12
FIGURE 12-1: Feather-damaging behavior can leave birds partially or fully naked...
FIGURE 12-2: Cockatoo species in general are a common group of pet parrots with...
Chapter 14
FIGURE 14-1: Pictured are an Australorp (black) and a millefleur Belgian Bearde...
FIGURE 14-2: A chicken wearing an apron — it’s not just about looking good.
FIGURE 14-3: Ducks don’t need a large pond or lake, but they do need a source o...
FIGURE 14-4: Guineafowl are endemic to Africa, but the helmeted variety, pictur...
Chapter 15
FIGURE 15-1: Lovebirds can be happy with you as a companion; they don’t have to...
FIGURE 15-2: The African grey parrot is a species especially gifted at picking ...
Chapter 16
FIGURE 16-1: Gordy the Wonder Goose with Brian.
Chapter 17
FIGURE 17-1: Cute as they are, unweaned babies such as this blue-fronted Amazon...
Chapter 18
FIGURE 18-1: Alex is arguably the world’s best-known African grey, even years a...
Chapter 19
FIGURE 19-1: Finches like this Lutino Gouldian are delightful and beautiful pet...
FIGURE 19-2: Tufted budgies have a crest of feathers that stick up and forward....
FIGURE 19-3: Chickens are no longer found only in farmyards; they’re surprising...
FIGURE 19-4: Cockatiels come in a variety of color mutations and can be charmin...
FIGURE 19-5: Quakers are named for the quivering motions of their babies.
FIGURE 19-6: Affectionate and playful Senegal parrots are popular members of th...
FIGURE 19-7: Parrotlets are the classic “big bird in a small package.” This is ...
FIGURE 19-8:
Pionus
parrots tend to be easygoing and can be quieter than other ...
FIGURE 19-9: A black-capped conure, one of the smallest members of this family ...
FIGURE 19-10: A green-cheeked Amazon, also known as a Mexican red-headed parrot...
Guide
Cover
Title Page
Copyright
Table of Contents
Begin Reading
Appendix: Resources
Index
About the Authors
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Introduction
Welcome to Birds For Dummies, the only book you need to turn your admiration and appreciation of birds into a lasting, loving relationship with an avian companion!
Many people purchase birds for their status, for their beauty, for their song, or even for how well they match the furniture! But no one wins when someone picks a pet for the wrong reasons or has odd ideas about what it takes to properly care for a new family member.
This book has everything you need in order not to end up in that group of uneducated bird owners. Whether you already have a bird or you’re thinking about getting one, this book is your guide to caring for your bird for years to come!
About This Book
Birds are not simple creatures. They have needs and desires (some people call them demands!), and many are highly affectionate and social. Some birds can test your tolerance when it comes to noise and mess. You need to know all this going in, along with which bird to buy, where to buy one, and how to deal with the inevitable behavior problems that challenge nearly every bird owner from time to time.
Successful bird lovers are knowledgeable, realistic, and flexible, and most of all, they have a good sense of humor. If that description fits you, you’ll be rewarded by sharing your life with a marvelous feathered friend. We want you to be among the successful bird owners, and every line in this book is part of our heartfelt effort to help you be exactly that.
This book is a reference, which means you don’t have to read it from beginning to end. Instead, you can dip into the book to find the information you need, whenever you need it. Also, you don’t have to remember what you’re reading — there isn’t a test at the end.
If you’re short on time, you can skip anything marked with the Technical Stuff icon, as well as text in gray boxes (called sidebars). This information is interesting, but it’s not essential to your understanding of the subject at hand.
Within this book, you may note that some web addresses break across two lines of text. If you’re reading this book in print and you want to visit one of these web pages, simply key in the web address exactly as it’s noted in the text, pretending as though the line break doesn’t exist. If you’re reading this as an e-book, you’ve got it easy — just click the web address to be taken directly to the web page.
Finally, a word on gender: We use male and female pronouns to refer to pets. Although many bird owners don’t even know the gender of their birds (see Chapter 3 for more on that subject), we think using the word it for any living being sets up an association that’s just not right. Animals aren’t things like a piece of furniture or this book. They’re living, thinking, loving beings — hes and shes. We alternate the use of the male and female pronouns throughout the book, but in any given reference, you can rest assured that the information applies to both genders, unless specifically noted otherwise.
Foolish Assumptions
As we wrote this book, we made some assumptions about you, the reader:
You already own a bird or you’re considering adding one to your home.
You may have no experience with birds, or you may have lived with them for years. Either way, you’re sure to find valuable information to make life with your avian companion even better!
You’re interested in being the best bird owner you can possibly be.
Icons Used in This Book
Every For Dummies book has little pictures in the margins called icons that help you navigate through the book. Here’s a rundown of what each icon means.
The Tip icon flags especially useful clues to make life with your bird easier or help your pet be happier and healthier. It highlights time-savers and money-savers, too!
If we think something is so important that it deserves restating or remembering, we flag it with the Remember icon to make sure you don’t jump over that vital information.
The Warning icon denotes some common mistakes bird owners make, along with advice for avoiding them. Pay heed! Some of these errors can be deadly to your pet.
We’re bird experts, and sometimes we like to get a little technical. When we do, we use the Technical Stuff icon. You can safely skip anything marked with this icon without missing the point of the subject at hand.
Beyond the Book
In addition to the material in the print or e-book you’re reading right now, this product also comes with some free access-anywhere goodies on the web. Check out the free Cheat Sheet for information on what to buy for your new bird, signs of a healthy pet bird, and a schedule of routine care. To access the Cheat Sheet, go to www.dummies.com and type Birds For Dummies Cheat Sheet in the Search box.
Where to Go from Here
If you’ve never had a bird in your life and you’re just starting to entertain the idea of adding one, you may want to start at the beginning of this book. If you already have a bird, you can skip around, checking out the chapters that address your needs at the moment. Either way, let the Table of Contents and Index be your guides.
Part 1
Getting Started with Birds
IN THIS PART …
Discover the history of birds and humans.
Choose the right bird for you.
Plan your bird-buying strategy.
Chapter 1
Birds and Humans: It’s Only Natural!
IN THIS CHAPTER
Appreciating the history of the human–bird relationship
Considering whether owning a bird is right for you
Who among us hasn’t looked up with awe and even envy at the sight of a soaring hawk or the V formation of migratory waterfowl? Who hasn’t smiled at the clever capering of chickadees or the luminescent colors of a hovering hummingbird? And what about the sweet song of the canary or the clever mimicry of the parrot? For as long as our collective consciousness can remember, we’ve shared our environment with birds, creatures of myth and magic, soaring spirits who remind us of a dimension beyond our own. Look up, they remind us, and in so doing we gain both perspective and inspiration.
Perhaps humans have always wondered what it would be like to bring birds closer to us, out of the heavens and into our lives. And in response to the immense and primeval appeal of these flighted creatures, we’ve done exactly that, enjoying their song and their beauty in our homes. Ancient civilizations in China, Egypt, and Rome, among others, found pleasure in bird keeping, a joy that follows us to modern times as more people than ever discover the benefits of sharing their lives with avian companions. According to the latest statistics from the American Pet Products Association, approximately 5.7 million U.S. households live with a pet bird.
But have we done birds any favors by taking them under our wings? Clipped and caged, often admired more for their ornamental presence than for their companion qualities, these marvelous creatures are too often sold short. When we treat them with less respect than they deserve, we can make our birds miserable and sick, and we deny ourselves the full pleasure of their company. Even worse, through greed and ignorance, we decimate their numbers in the wild, driving some incredible species to extinction in our quest for their uniqueness and their habitat.
Fortunately, knowledge of how to properly care for pet birds — physically and emotionally — has grown in the last several decades, thanks to pioneering avian veterinarians, researchers, breeders, and bird lovers themselves who are no longer satisfied to allow birds to be second-class compared to pet dogs or cats. We’re part of an evolving society that increasingly appreciates the creatures with which we share our world.
The changing times are exciting, and by buying this book you’re claiming your interest in becoming part of the new and improved perspective on pet birds. Finding out how to care for them properly is a wonderful first step on the road to bird keeping. First steps lead to lots of new territory, and in this chapter we help you explore a promising trail of information.
As with all companion animals, doing your homework is essential to success as a bird parent. You need to know what you’re getting into and where to find the bird of your dreams. And you need to know how to care for your bird and what to do when things go wrong (and they will, sometimes!). So, don’t rush! Enjoy discovering details about birds, and you can expect to be better prepared for the time you bring home a bird of your own.
Getting to Know the History of Birds
Birds For Dummies isn’t a history book, and we aren’t historians — and we certainly don’t want to bore you! But we think some historical perspective is both important and interesting. And besides, sometimes looking back helps clear the vision of what’s ahead. So, read on! We promise: You won’t face a test at the end of this section.
BIRD TALK
Because birds have been a big part of our lives and cultures for so long, many of the words we use when we talk about our feathered fellows are ancient in origin, derived from avis, the Latin word meaning “bird.” Count in this group the words avian (having to do with birds), aviculture (the keeping of birds, especially for breeding purposes), and aviary (a place to house birds). And what about aviation, aviator, and avionics? You got it: When you see the letters avi– at the beginning of a word, you can figure a connection to birds or to one of their most notable qualities — flight!
Food, feathers, and (finally!) friendship
Our earliest ancestors didn’t have the luxury of enjoying birds as pets — they needed them for food, and they hunted birds and collected eggs to meet their most basic sustenance needs. Before long, though, humankind started to realize the benefits of domestication (changing wild creatures so that they not only provide us with food, but also serve as helpers and companions). These changes began 10,000 to 12,000 years ago and haven’t stopped since. The worldwide growth of fried-chicken fast-food chains is just a modern milestone on the road that began in the jungles of Asia, where people first discovered the tasty ancestor of domestic chickens, the red jungle fowl.
Domestic fowl were admired and worshipped for their fertility, their courage, and even their role as the earliest alarm clocks. With so much going for them, birds quickly graduated to a place of honor for their nonmeat attributes — their beauty became reason enough to keep them around.
Although many of the world’s cultures are horrified at the very idea of eating dogs and cats, the use of birds for food is nearly universally accepted (with the exception of individuals who abstain for philosophical or religious reasons). Why is it that some birds are prized as family members and others are best appreciated when served with orange sauce? We don’t know, but in Chapter 2 we show you how some of the birds we routinely consider “food” really have decent pet potential!
Humans’ enduring involvement
People keep birds today for many of the same reasons Egyptian pharaohs or ancient Romans captured them — for beauty — as well as for some reasons bird fanciers of times past probably never gave much thought to. Figuring out what attracts you to birds can give you an understanding of the trade-offs you can live with (and those you can’t). And those realizations are bound to set you up for success in choosing your avian companion.
The beauty of birds
Let’s face it: Humans are plain. Oh sure, we have some different skin tones and different hair and eye colors, but put us next to birds, and we have to admit to being pretty dull. And that’s probably one reason why humans appreciate the beauty of birds and why our history with them in close company spans hundreds of years — we just want to be able to gaze upon (or wear) their glorious feathers.
Is it any surprise that some of the more popular pet birds are also the flashiest? The beautiful macaws — the scarlet, the blue-and-gold, and the giant blue hyacinth — are breathtaking to behold, as are their glorious smaller relatives, such as the dazzling sun conure, with a beautiful complement of sun-yellow feathers. And non-parrot species are not to be left out! Just consider the beauty of some of our fancy chicken and waterfowl breeds, as well as prize pigeons. Even smaller birds are prized for their plumage. From a simple singer discovered on a far island, the canary has been bred into all kinds of fancy feathered forms.
The lust for beauty spelled extinction for more than a few species of birds, ruthlessly slaughtered for feathers to adorn ladies’ hats in the last century — as many as five million a year died for their plumage. Among the victims: one of the only two parrot species native to the United States, the Carolina parakeet. By the turn of the century, groups such as the Audubon Society were working to stop the killings. Too late for the Carolina parakeet, though: The last one died in the Cincinnati Zoo in 1918.
How beautiful do humans consider birds? So much that if you’re trying to attract attention to a product or service, a picture of a bird typically works wonders. The eye-catching potential of birds makes them popular with the folks in the advertising and marketing businesses. Fans of the sketch comedy TV series Portlandia may recall the catchphrase “Put a bird on it,” satirizing the trend toward avian motifs. Brian, who always has his eye out for birds, has noticed that about a quarter of the booths at veterinary conferences use birds in their displays, even if birds can’t use the products!
The Latin term rara avis, meaning “rare bird,” is often used to reference an unusual or unique person or object. Roman poet Juvenal is credited with it in a sentence describing “a bird as rare upon the earth as a black swan.”
Of song and speech
Birds use song and mimicry to protect their territory, warn of danger, and attract mates, and throughout history, their fascinating music has also engaged a human audience. Such birds as the canary and the singing greenfinch have long been prized for their song, and the members of the Psittaciformes order — otherwise known as parrots — are so well known for their vocal talents that they’ve inspired a figure of speech. (To parrot something means to repeat it, whether you’re a bird or a human being.) Even finches such as the ones shown in Figure 1-1 keep up a companionable twittering.
Photograph courtesy of Claudia Hunka, Your Basic Bird (Berkeley, California)
FIGURE 1-1: The lively sounds and antics of little birds like this shaft-tail finch add to their wide appeal.
The breeding of canaries dates to the 16th century, and humans’ relationship with wild-caught parrots is traceable to even earlier times. Ancient Greeks and Romans fell in love with parrots, so much so that a trained one was considered more valuable than the slave who trained him. A favorite phrase to teach a Roman parrot? Why, “Hail the Emperor!,” of course.
Some 1,800 years later, companion birds were still found in the highest halls of government. Yes, the White House. James and Dolley Madison brought their “green parrot” with them to the Executive Mansion, Thomas Jefferson kept mockingbirds there, and Andrew Jackson had a parrot named Polly known for her (pardon the pun) “fowl” language. John Tyler had a pet canary he called Johnny Ty — nothing like naming a bird after yourself — and, of course, Abraham Lincoln is known for the earliest of the presidential turkey pardons. An admirer sent James Buchanan two bald eagles, whom he sent to live at his home in Pennsylvania. William McKinley had a parrot named Washington Post, known for whistling “Yankee Doodle.” Calvin Coolidge may well have had the greatest number of presidential pets, including four canaries, a thrush, a goose, a troupial (the national bird of Venezuela), a mockingbird, and a “yellow bird” named Goldy. Dwight Eisenhower’s parakeet, Gabby, died while he was in office and is buried on White House grounds, as is Caroline Kennedy’s pet canary.
Recent research strongly suggests that birds don’t, in fact, merely parrot, or repeat, what they hear — some understand the words they’re saying. The work of Dr. Irene Pepperberg and her African grey, Alex, changed everyone’s understanding of the intelligence of birds. Sadly, Alex passed away in his sleep at the young age of 31, as a result of atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries), but his legacy continues to be a guiding light for us all. Alex didn’t just talk — he had the ability to identify objects and colors and understand concepts such as “bigger” and “smaller.” You can learn more about him at the Alex Foundation (www.alexfoundation.org).
A charming companion
Although birds have lived as part of the human family for tens of thousands of years, the here and now may be the best time to enjoy an avian companion. Laws enacted to conserve birds in the wild and to stymie the worst sins of the importation trade (in which thousands upon thousands of birds died, either in transit or after entering the public realm as pet birds) have put the focus on breeding. The birds who come out of the best breeding programs make the very best quality pets, better than any Caesar could have known.
CLOUD: A THERAPY BIRD
Our flying friends can be much more than companions in our homes. Birds have made a place for themselves as our helpers as well. Pet birds help children with autism improve their social skills, gain self-confidence, and develop trust. Parrots have helped people with disabilities manage stress and anxiety. Some emotional support parrots have learned to recognize stress in their humans and to say calming phrases that help them to relax or overcome anger. And although they aren’t as common as therapy dogs or cats, therapy birds bring joy to patients in hospitals, residents of nursing homes, and children in schools.
Cloud, a ringneck dove (shown in the nearby photograph), was handled by humans — including kids — from the time he cracked out of his shell. He grew up to be a docile, friendly bird who was especially used to interacting with children. His owner, Daleen Comer, was involved in pet therapy visits, and she thought Cloud would be a natural for the children’s reading program. She trained him to wear a flight suit (think of it as a bird diaper) and created a special basket in which he could ride and be secure. To help prepare him for making visits, she began taking him places: the bank, the dry cleaner, the pet store, hobby shops. He wasn’t afraid of anything. When Cloud was 2 years old, she had him evaluated by Pet Partners to see if he was suited to the work, and he received a perfect score.
They started making visits to the library and then weekly visits to classrooms. Cloud, now 12 years old, sits on his blanket on a table at school. Kids take turns coming up to see him, give him a treat, and read to him to practice their skills with a noncritical listener. He attends programs where students learn about the differences between therapy animals and service animals and demonstrates how therapy animals can help people. College students at exam time also benefit from his stress-relieving presence. Comer says Cloud is an ideal partner for the communities in which they visit and hopes he has several more years of bringing happiness to people.
Photograph courtesy of Daleen Comer
Socialized since infancy to see humans as part of their “flock,” many of today’s pet birds have companionship potential that can amaze anyone who believes the old stereotypes about wild-caught birds. Every bit as beautiful as their wild relatives, breeder-raised babies are loving and intelligent, and improvements in what we know about their care keep them healthier than ever before. Our newfound knowledge, combined with centuries of experience and perspective, means that if you educate yourself to care for your pet, you can expect a phenomenal relationship — better than you may have imagined when you decided to become a bird owner. The depth of a healthy and interactive relationship with another living being is immense. Birds can certainly be a part of our lives and we a part of theirs.
Deciding If You’re Ready for a Bird
Pet birds bring so much to their owners’ lives — color, song, speech, and a relationship that, at its best, approaches what you would find with a mate or a child (and, at its worst, approaches what you would find with a mate or a child). And that, for some people, is the problem. Birds give as good as they get. Sometimes birds are a joy to live with, and other times, they’re a big pain in the tail feathers.
Having a bird in your home is different from having a dog or a cat (we have both). Birds are birds, unique and magical in their own right. To be ready for them, you have to be open to their own feathered flavor of magic.
Having a bird is more rewarding than you could ever imagine. We believe that learning to share life with a bird can make most of us better people. When you understand your bird’s wide range of nonverbal communication, your own communication skills are enhanced, making you more sensitive and better able to interact with others (of all species).
But living with a bird isn’t easy. For your own sanity, and for the health and happiness of the bird you hope to introduce to your world, you need to ask yourself whether you’re really up to the challenge. Forewarned is forearmed, after all.
Putting in the time
Forget any notion you ever had about birds being low-maintenance pets. Canaries and finches can fall loosely into that category, although even those species require more attention than you may expect, but the same can’t be said of all the other birds we love as pets. From budgies to cockatiels to the flashiest of macaws, birds can be — how shall we say this politely? — demanding. You can’t just put them in a cage, change the papers, add food and water, and ignore them. They won’t let you.
Most of the birds people keep as pets are highly intelligent and very social. People often have denied them the company of their own kind and the stimulation of an appropriate environment. We ask them to be happy with us — and they can be, but not without effort on our part. And effort takes time. When you take one of these sentient beings into your life, you must take responsibility for her health, happiness, and welfare. If you’re not prepared to spend that time working with your bird, training your bird, providing healthy social interaction for your bird, and allowing your bird plenty of supervised out-of-cage time to enjoy, you’re going to have an unhappy bird. An unhealthy bird. A biter. A screamer. A feather-picker. And it doesn’t need to be that way.
Cared for properly, birds can be as time-consuming as dogs. Really. They need to be loved, handled, trained, fed, and cleaned up after — a lot! If you don’t have that kind of time and energy, reconsider choosing a bird as a companion unless you’re sure you’ll enjoy the pleasant sounds of a charm of finches (charm is the delightful term for a group of finches), who prefer the society of their own kind rather than interactions with humans.
With any relationship, the more you put into it, the more you get out of it. The same is true when it comes to birds. The more time you spend with your bird, the more loving and socialized she’ll be — and the more time you’ll want to spend with her as a result! But don’t forget to grant these individuals the opportunity to be just that: individuals. Their personalities and their likes and dislikes vary just as much as ours do. Not all birds are suited to all people and living circumstances. In this regard, think of them as feathered humans.
Another aspect of time that you need to consider when it comes to birds: longevity, yours and theirs. Healthy pet parrots can live for decades, which requires a major commitment to such companionship. In general, the larger the parrot species, the longer the life expectancy. For example, the large macaws can live 70 to 100 years or more, while the little budgerigars rarely will live to be 20 years old.
Can you imagine spending most of your life with a pet? Are you able to plan for the pet who outlives you? These issues are very real for bird owners, and you need to factor them into your decision-making. Some pet trusts, which ensure that pets are cared for after an owner’s death, can be in effect for up to 150 years — a must if you have a long-lived pet such as a macaw, Amazon parrot, or tortoise.
For help in understanding an older bird and in keeping her healthy, check out Chapter 11.
PARAKEETIS TYRANNOSAURUS?
One of the more unusual aspects to consider when taking a bird into your life: This association is likely to be the closest you’ll ever get to sharing space with a dinosaur. Although scientists once figured that reptiles were next of kin to dinosaurs, they now believe birds are even closer. Birds are descended from a small meat-eating dinosaur that walked on two legs. The link between the two was made with the discovery of Archaeopteryx (meaning “ancient wing”), a Jurassic-period fossil of a creature that was part bird and part dinosaur.
If you have a hard time making the leap between birds and dinosaurs (the word dinosaur means “terrible lizard,” after all, not “terrible bird”), check out the foot of an ostrich sometime — but not closely. The claws alone may give you Jurassic Park jitters. Scientists have learned that many of the dinosaurs once considered to be reptiles actually had feathers. Based on fragmented DNA recovered from a T. rex fossil found in the United States, one published study found that the closest living relative to a T. rex is, yes, the chicken! We love that.
Photograph courtesy of D. Davidson Harpur
Shelling out the bucks
Birds are expensive to care for properly, much more so than most people anticipate. The price of acquiring a bird itself can run from the inexpensive for finches, canaries, and budgies to the monthly-salary figures some people are willing to shell out for large, flashy parrots. And that’s just the beginning.
Safe, roomy caging isn’t cheap, nor is a proper diet of pellets and fresh foods. Preventive veterinary care to keep your bird healthy is a pricey must, and if your bird gets really sick, be prepared to dig deep. All these aspects of care must be factored in, along with such necessities as toys, which a large parrot can go through with awesome efficiency. It all adds up.
Throughout this book, we note places where you can save money without cheating your bird. A good place to start is with your choice of bird. Although many people are drawn to the largest and most colorful of parrots, some of the other species are less expensive to acquire and maintain. We highlight these alternatives in Chapters 2 and 19.
Dealing with the noise and mess
To hear some people tell it, the best tools for anyone who wants to keep a bird are earplugs and a handheld cordless vacuum. And it’s true: Some birds can give a rowdy rock band a run for their money when it comes to decibel levels and the ability to trash a room.
Some of the problems are natural and normal, and some are caused by humans, but either way, the potential for noise and mess is an important consideration when you’re thinking about a bird.
But then again … these problems shouldn’t stop you, unless peace, quiet, and a clean house are the things that matter most to you in life.
For a better handle on which birds are noisiest, see Chapter 2. For ways to minimize mess, see our cage and cage setup information in Chapter 4.
We’re not trying to put you off bird keeping. But we believe in the importance of understanding potential problems before you take the plunge. The best attributes a bird lover can have are the same as a good parent — love, patience, structure, and a good sense of humor. You’ll need them all! But the payoff … oh, it’s grand. (And unlike being a parent to a human child, you don’t have to save for a college fund.)
A BIRB IS A BIRD IS A BIRB
Who doesn’t love birbs? No, we’re not misspelling that. Birbs is an affectionate term used on the Internet to refer to our feathered friends. What qualifies as a birb? According to Audubon (www.audubon.org/news/when-bird-birb-extremely-important-guide):
The subreddit r/birbs [www.reddit.com/r/Birbs] defines a birb as any bird that’s “being funny, cute, or silly in some way.” Urban Dictionary [www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=birb] has a more varied set of definitions, many of which allude to a generalized smallness. A video on the YouTube channel Lucidchart [https://youtu.be/FpCXlBWA6do] offers its own expansive suggestions: “All birds are birbs, a chunky bird is a borb, and a fluffed-up bird is a floof.”Birb, borb, or floof, we love them all. #BirbsForever
Chapter 2
Narrowing the Choices
IN THIS CHAPTER
Deciding what you can live with and what you can’t
Taking a look at some common (and not so common) pet birds
You may find bringing a bird into your life an easy decision. But what kind of bird? That call can be the most difficult of all. So many choices, so much stunning beauty, cleverness, and personality. How can you choose? We say: Choose carefully!
We know people who’ve chosen birds based on some really awful criteria, like which bird best matches their new carpeting — a parrot in just the right shade of blue. Other people choose birds for status — some rare birds can set a buyer back thousands or even tens of thousands of dollars. A decision based on these criteria can be a disaster. You may miss out on one of the big benefits of bird ownership — the company and closeness of a new family member — and the mess and noise delivered by that decorative avian status object aren’t likely to win any adoring coos. Vanity can be a pretty expensive lesson, especially when a bird who isn’t getting the care and attention she needs becomes sick or dies.
How can you avoid such a scenario? Start by understanding what birds really are about and what they need, and determine what you can and can’t live with. Even a little knowledge can be good — and the more you know, the better!
We’re not saying you shouldn’t choose a bird strictly for aesthetics. Some pet birds, such as finches and canaries, are content to live with as little human contact as possible, spending their days delighting our lives with song, color, and playful antics in their cages. But expecting a larger and more social parrot to adapt to such a situation isn’t a good idea. We want you to recognize not only the remarkable variety of birds available but also that the bird you’re naturally drawn to may or may not be the right one for you in the long run. Consider your lifestyle, your personal tolerances for noise and mess, and the amount of time you have to care for and interact with a bird. With this information at hand, you have the best chance of pairing up with the particular species that suits you.
Although we feature many varieties of companion birds in this chapter — including a few that the vast majority of bird lovers are best off avoiding — we offer a list of the ten best birds for beginners in Chapter 19.
Here’s a different way of looking at the question: What is a bird looking for in you? When you visit a retailer with birds, look for that individual who comes to you, wants to interact with you, and tells you, “I think you’re kind of special.” This bird may be an entirely different species from the one you were thinking of, but keep in mind, you’re looking for the right relationship with the right bird.
Deciding What You’re Looking for in a Bird
If you can’t just fall in love with the look of a bird, what characteristics are worth considering? In the following sections, we describe the traits most people love or hate, so you can develop your own standards and compare them to the various species.
Judging interactivity
Bird species range in friendliness from the “don’t touch me” attitude of most finches to the Velcro-like manner of some cockatoos. That said, some finches can learn to interact with you and come to your hand, and cockatoos often probably shouldn’t be encouraged to live their lives attached to you — a little independence is a good thing.
Do you want a bird in the hand or one in the cage? Even within the highly intelligent and social parrot species, you can find differences in the amount of attention a bird wants — or demands, in some cases.
Are you comfortable being the center of another being’s life, or are you likely to find the demands for attention from such a bird to be tedious or entrapping after a while? The answer to this question can take you a step closer to one group of birds or another, and responding too casually to the question can lead both to your own unhappiness and your bird’s. So, give it some serious consideration.
Considering size
No matter how friendly they are, large birds scare some people. Their flapping wings and impressive beaks have only a distant appeal to the person whose idea of the perfect pet bird is a budgie who can balance easily on a single finger. Other folks love the dramatic presence the larger birds command.
You can find charming personality types in all sizes. If you like a social bird in a small package, parrotlets, lovebirds, and budgies can fill the bill. You don’t have to buy a big parrot to get a big personality!
Size counts for more than presence, however. Large birds require larger, more expensive cages. Plus, they go through food, toys, and perches more rapidly than their smaller counterparts and generally make a much larger mess. The initial price of a large bird is often greater, too.
Making a mess
Logically, larger birds make larger messes, but some birds really are over the top when it comes to covering every available surface with feces, feathers, and food. Top of the list: lories and lorikeets, lively and colorful nectar eaters with the ability to shoot their runny droppings some remarkable distances. This trait limits their pet appeal for many people, but some folks take these talents in stride, figuring the extra work is worth the companionship of these charmers.
A BRAVE-HEARTED PIGEON
Pigeon-hearted? It doesn’t mean what you think. G.I. Joe was a homing pigeon noted for his service in the United States Army Pigeon Service, used for communication and reconnaissance during World Wars I and II. Hatched in March 1943, he was presented with the Dickin Medal — the equivalent for animals of the Victoria Cross or Medal of Honor — for gallantry, awarded for “the most outstanding flight made by a United States Army homing pigeon in World War II.” His 20-mile flight, achieved in an impressive 20 minutes, saved the lives of more than 100 troops by delivering a message that prevented a friendly-fire event. After World War II, he was housed at the U.S. Army’s Churchill Loft at Fort Monmouth, New Jersey, and died at the age of 18 at the Detroit Zoological Gardens. In 2019, he was posthumously awarded the Animals in War & Peace Medal of Bravery.
Although lories and lorikeets may be the messiest, no bird can be considered truly neat. Well-designed cages, plenty of newspaper, a hand-vacuum, and a large assortment of cloth and paper towels can keep things under control, for the most part. Again, it’s all a matter of preference, tolerance, and mutual compatibility.
You can train many different kinds of birds to eliminate on cue. This allows you to hold them over a wastebasket or other container to capture the mess. For help in accomplishing this nifty feat, see Chapter 7.
Bring in da noise
No bird is perfectly quiet. Finches keep up a constant chatter, and canaries have been encouraged through centuries of breeding to sing. Some birds, however, can make you yearn for the relative quiet of a house next to a major airport. Birds use their voices to communicate their feelings — of loneliness, of boredom, of isolation, or of just being alive. Some pet birds are noisy only at certain times, such as in the early morning or at dusk, while others can start up at any time.
You need to figure out your tolerance levels and balance them with the bird you’re considering. If peace and quiet is of paramount importance to you, no bird may fit into your life. Even the most patient souls may discover that the real screamers push their limits at one time or another.
Consider, too, your living situation — apartment, attached house, suburban dwelling, or acreage. The walls of an apartment building or attached house do little to muffle the sounds of the loudest birds, and that could lead to trouble with the neighbors — or even get you evicted. If you’re considering chickens or other backyard poultry as companions, keep in mind that zoning and homeowner’s association regulations may prevent the keeping of those birds. As an example, many cities have ordinances prohibiting the keeping of roosters or limiting the numbers of birds that a household can keep.
Sometimes bird lovers make matters worse by their reactions to screaming birds. For tips on what to do — and what not to do — with a screaming, noisy, disruptive feathered child, see Chapter 12.
Talking ability
The ability to mimic sounds is one of the things that makes parrots so popular, but the skill and ability of mimicry isn’t found equally in all parrots. With patience and work, many parrot species can utter a few words or phrases, but if you’re really looking for the gift of gab, be sure to choose a yellow-naped or double-yellow-headed Amazon parrot or an African grey parrot, species especially known for their speaking ability. Even then, you can’t be sure you’re getting a bird who will talk unless he was talking when you bought him. (The same thing, incidentally, goes for the singing skill of canaries. Make sure you hear singing before you buy, if that’s what’s important to you.)
For tips on teaching a bird to talk, see Chapter 7. Chapter 12 is the place to go for hints about how to coax your bird to be quiet for a while!
What do you call a group of parrots? A pandemonium, of course! They’re sometimes also referred to as a company of parrots.
Paying attention to price
The price of a pet bird can be considerable, starting from less than $20 for some small budgies or finches and climbing rapidly into the hundreds of dollars for some of the large common parrots and into the thousands and tens of thousands for species that are especially rare, large, or difficult to breed in captivity.
Bargain hunting is usually a bad idea when it comes to birds. Raising healthy, well-socialized birds is time-consuming and expensive, and the prices for these birds reflect the labor that goes into their raising. You have to wonder what kind of corners were cut when you find a price that’s out of line with what’s normal for a particular species in a particular area. Is the bird a medical time bomb just waiting to explode with the stress of a new home? A simmering behavior problem waiting to develop? Too often the answer is “Yes” to one or both questions.
Figure out the price you can afford to pay, and then shop for the best bird possible for that money. Don’t fret over the bird you can’t afford, because you can find many wonderful and underappreciated species in every price range, and they make wonderful pets. We’d rather see you spend what may seem to be an “outrageous” $50 on a healthy, well-socialized budgie with great pet potential than $20 on a mass-produced budgie of unknown genetics or health, or $300 on a sick or emotionally crippled parrot of a species that usually retails for considerably more. You’re better off with the well-raised and socialized budgie, trust us. Budgies are cool.
