Cassowaries are rarities, very large flightless birds in the genus Casuarius native to the tropical forests of New Guinea, nearby islands and northeastern Australia.There are three extant species recognized today.
Joe Krathwohl (Facebook)
Both of ours are tame and perform in our bird shows.
Cockatiels are the smallest, actually a miniature Cockatoo, and is from Australia. The only bird more popular with caged bird keepers is a parakeet (budgie).
The Cockatiel is biologically classified as a genuine member of Cacatuidae because they share all of the Cockatoo family’s biological features. They are the only Cockatoo species which can sometimes reproduce by the time they are one year old.
The Cockatiel’s distinctive erectile crest expresses the animal’s state of being. The crest is dramatically vertical when the cockatiel is startled or excited, gently oblique in its neutral or relaxed state, and flattened close to the head when the animal is angry or defensive.
Why is DNA so VERY important even for your non-breeding parrot?
About 20% of parrots, like budgies, eclectus, and cockatiels that are sexually dimorphic.
That means that the gender of the bird can be identified by physical differences.
In the case of budgies and cockatiels, they have to reach near-adulthood to exhibit differences while Eclectus are readily identifiable upon feathering out the first time since females are red and blue while males are green.
The weather is cooling off and humans like to begin cooking comfort foods such as pots of chili, chicken, and dumplings, bean soups, and other hearty meals to warm the tummy and spirit. The same applies true to your parrots.
As the weather becomes colder, we slowly lower our indoor temperatures unless we don’t care how high our heating bills run.
It is important to remember that if you are cold, your birds are chilly as well and need to have supplemental heat such as thermo perches or heated cage panels that allow them to position themselves at the temperature they prefer. (more…)
Oh No! My Conure Went to the Library Alone and Won’t Come Home
Retrieving Escaped or Stolen Parrots: Part Three
A Surprise Flight Lets Mango Fly to the Library Trees and How He was Retrieved
I am a proponent of clipping wings. I know not everyone feels this way, but I’ve had a cockatiel break his neck flying into a mirror when a loud, unfamiliar noise outside frightened him and other bad experiences with flighted companion parrots.
Hello!
We are loyal patrons of WCP and look forward to the Sunday brunch every week. Perhaps this topic has already come up, but it is a question about bird species.
We have 3 parakeets that get along well although they did not grow up together. All are rescues. We are thinking about adding a cockatiel to the family and are wondering about cages. So, the parakeets have a large cage (approx 2.5′ H x 2′ W X 1′ D) and we have a smaller cage (about 1.5′ HWD) that is just lying around empty.
First question: would a cockatiel require a separate cage or could they all sleep together in the same cage?
Second: Assuming that they cannot share a cage, would you recommend the keets in the smaller cage or leave them in their current habitat?
Third: Would cockatiels and parakeets be competitive/territorial in an open space (like an aviary)?
Thank you for any advice you have on this.
Cheers,
Gemma
On Sun, Oct 16, 2016 at 12:54 PM UTC, Joyce wrote:
Hello,
We live in southern TX, and would like to take our Amazon outside since the weather is so nice this time of year. I will purchase a cage of course, but my concerns are what types of bugs and disease am I potentially going to expose her to? She will also be in a covered patio. How do I keep her safe?
Thank You,
Joyce
Why are those feathers on the cage floor? Is it plucking, molting, or over-preening?
We received an email from a subscriber of Sunday Brunch that I am sharing with you below:
About two years ago, I spotted a bird in a pet store (large chain). On his glassed-in cage was the label “Sun Conure.”
I decided that I wanted a bird like that. First, I ordered a large cage from you; then I waited about 9 months for a bird to become available. During that time the label changed to “Fancy Conure” vice Sun Conure.
The bird I purchased, my friend “Conrad”, is identical in coloring and in temperament (as described in several references) to a Sun Conure. Since we haven’t mentioned any names of pet chains (so we aren’t subject to law suit!), can you offer any thoughts on the name change.
Crossbreed? Avoiding the endangered species controls? Has anyone else ever raised this question???
Sanford
Birds that have been only given one food for all their lives are harder to convert to a better diet but it can be done with time and patience.
A wide flat dish with chopped veggies, mashed carrots, squash, and a big hunk of green romaine lettuce placed on the center of the bottom of their cage every day for a month should get them rolling. Sprinkle the plate with some sed, and take out their main dish for a few hours after placing the fresh food dish in the cage.
Here is just one option using bird bread to get them to eat pellets.
