THe birds entered into the show at the AFA in Portland brought wonderful colors and feathered beauty foe everyone to enjoy. The bird shows at the AFA conventions are bosted by Lory League and bring a different style of education, in a different format, along with some fun competition. The bird shows give exhibitors recognition for their part in aviculture, along with educating the exhibitors and the gallery watching the show. Attendees have a chance to see different species of birds in the best condition, and beginners, who are considered a Novice, get to learn more about exhibiting, and what the judges are looking for.Lory League researches the area where the AFA Convention is to be held, and attempts to host show divisions which are the most popular in the specific region and which has the best chance of having a large number of entries in the show or species that are not often seen at shows.This year the bird shows at the AFA Convention included many different species and mutations of Finches, several speies of Softbills and variety of parrot species...
What kind of parrot is mine?The wish of many people to have the best pet, the biggest, the most colorful, the rarest, the most beautiful of all take them to do things that are against common sense because of lack of information. In many cases, the end up receiving misleading or just false information.This is the case of dyed parrots, birds that are subjected to harmful procedures to make them look like what they are not, or at least, not the species we were told they were. They are fake. This is a very common problem that happens to owners when they decide to get a parrot as a pet. In the daily consultation, we have found a broad list of names given to certain species of parrots that actually neither belong to them nor even exist. Sometimes they just seem not to fit with the characteristics of th presumed species.The incorrect names are just the beginning of a long list of problems that our feathered friends have faced. The names range from such as Papagayo Parrot....
Sheer numbers and enormous diversity among animals indicate that members of the Aves Class must be earth's most successful animal. There are around 10,000 different kinds of birds inhabiting our planet. That is more than twice the number of mammal species. What is most unique about birds, and which undoubtably has contributed to their success, is that they all have feathers.Nowhere in nature will you find anything better than feathers. You will not find in the entire animal kingdom a more . versatile and stunningly gorgeous body covering than feathers. They have so many necessary functions that help birds survive and flourish. Feathers can keep birds cool in hot climates and warm in colder climates. They can repel water adn can protect from ultraviolet light, can act as camouflage and can attract mates during breeding seasons, and let's not forget that feathers give most birds the ultimate freedom of flight.The evolution of feathers started with the dinosaurs, the avian variety of course....
As active aviculturists, we should all consider educating people about avian life incredibly important. To sustain the AFA's educational mission, we encourage our members to share their love of birds with others in order to increase the exposure of aviculture. This can be done in a myriad of ways and some have already been engaged in this for some time. It is no secret that other organizations with missions of stopping the use of all animals in education have made their way into today's classrooms and communities sp it is imperative that we have a positive presence and are part of the debate. But we have an edge over these organizations: we have live animal ambassadors that engage people of all ages and increase their appreciation of nature and of aviculture.Offering an educational program with your birds can be either interactive or just a display. Many programs held throughout the country involve conservation messaging where all participants can learn about the fascinating aspects of the many different species with which we share our lives. Many other organizations use outreach programs in order to spread their messaging and we should, too. Including our birds, however, allows people to make a personal and long-lasting connection with birds and it is a great way to educate while having fun along the way!Program PurposeThe purpose of this program is simple: we want to provide some ideas to those....
Many years ago, scattered throughout the United States there were pockets of people with a strong interest in birds. These individuals sharing a common passion formed clubs so that they could share their love of birds. Most clubs had an educational component, although, there was so much to be learned about birds at that time and so little information available. Many of these clubs had exhibitions, some had marts, and numerous ones had both.Internet groups ad connections...The early Internet discussion groups such as rec.petbird were places to ask questions and sometimes get adequate answers. In those early days you were just as likely tp be beaten up verbally as you were to get an answer you could use. THose groups evolved into discussion groups like Yahoo groups. If you are searching for a Yahoo group and type in the keyword bird and parrot and....
Anyone attending an AFA convention in the mid 1980's and later would know the name Joe Freed, or his business Thief of Hearts. Joe was always the one laughing, telling jokes, and rebel rousing the attendees as they filtered through the exhibit hall. His generosity toward aviculture as a science was apparent in the many pieces of equipment he donated to the fund raising events and raffles. As well, Joe himself often grabbed the microphone and encouraged convention attendees to dig deep and support the organizations and research that would further our professions. Joe was a good spirit; he is the kind of guy that everyone will miss.What many did not know was how and why Joe appeared in aviculture, and that Joe knew something was wrong. After multiple tests and work ups in someof the top hospitals across the US, he was beginning to despair that the medical profession would ever get it sorted out. It was in the mid '80's and he was laying in bed in a major medical center in Boston, with his wife Kathy by his side, when....
Restricted to a narrow coastal strip of Atlantic rainforest in southeast Brazil, the Red-tailed Amazon is a threatened species, but for which there is real optimism. At the end of the 1990's, BirdLife International estimated its entire population at between 2,500 and 3,500 individuals, and it was classified as 'Endangered' in the Red List of Threatened Species. Responding to that serious situation, since 1997 the Loro Parque Fundacion (LPF) has been supporting in situ conservation actions to prevent the sissappearance of this handsome species.The results of these consevation measures are very encouraging. Since they began, the population has gradually increased year-by-year, and the most recent census, conducted in 2014, has revealed a population which now numbers a record 7,452 individuals. The LPF first supported Pedro Scherer-Neto, of the Curitiba Natural History Museum, to undertake the annual counts, which in the most recent decade have been continued by the Society for Wildlife Research and Environmental Education (SPVS- Sociedade de Pesquisa em Vida Selvagem e Educacao Ambiental). The partnership between the LPF and SPVS is not only the conduct....
The coastal plain of Tamaulipas, Mexico, is home to three species of Amazon parrots: red-crowned Amazon (Amazona viridigenalis), double yellow-headed Amazon (Amazona oratrix) and red-lored Amazon (Amazona autumnalis) (see Figure 3 in previous article in this issue). Like many Neotropical parrots, these populations have been under sonsiderable stress during the last decade of the 20th century and the first few decades of the 21st due to habitat loss and capture for the pet trade. Habitat loss eliminates the large trees needed for nesting and reduces food supplies, while capture for the pet trade directly eliminates birds from the environment through a mixture of capture of adults and chicks. Sometimes chick harvesting is done by cutting into the nest cavity to remove the young or felling the entire nest tree, which further impacts the population by removing good nesting sites. Many parrot species can tolerate moderate to even heavy habitat modification, while some small species recover quickly even from the harvest...
Close to the equator, and with about 7,640 islands, the Philippines has countless sun-drenched, white-sand tropical beaches and warm, crystal-clear waters. The western-most island of Palawan (and its satellite islands) is well-endowed with these natural assets which, together with the greater area of forest which it retains, is designated as a Biosphere Reserve under the Man and Biosphere Programme of UNESCO. It also constitutes the stronghold of the Philippine Cockatoo (Cacatua haematuropygia), a species classified in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species as ‘Critically Endangered’. The threats to the existence of the Philippine Cockatoo are various, but the two main cause of its highly threatened status are the widespread destruction of its lowland forest habitat and the illegal removal of mainly young cockatoos for the pet trade.Result of these pressures is the disappearance of cockatoos from most of the Philippine islands, and an upper estimate of only 1,120 wild Philippine Cockatoos. The lower estimate could be as few as 640, but without doubt this would be worse without the strenuous conservation efforts made by the local Katala Foundation Inc. (KFI) within its Philippine Cockatoo Conservation Program (PCCP). Katala and Kalabukay are two local names for the cockatoo. The Loro Parque Fundacion (LPF) has since 1999 been the principal supporter of the PCCP, with its main partner donors being the Chester Zoo, ZGAP (Zoological Society for the Conservation of Species and Populations) and Beaval Nature. Without the US$1,679,278 contributed to date, it is likely that the species would now be extinct in the wild, but instead we now have a much more optimistic scenario where recovery of the wild population increasingly becomes reality.The island of Palawan certainly has its idyllic side, but even with Biosphere Reserve status there are substantial challenges that the conservation heroes of the KFI, co-directors Peter Widmann and Indira Lacerna-Widmann and their team are tackling head-on. To deal directly with the poaching...
Originating from New Zealand the Kaka is a brush- tongued parrot of great intelligence and interest. To some they may look somewhat odd and out of this world and not be immediately recognized as a parrot. A parrot they are though indeed and like many parrot species they have declined throughout their range. The following is a small article that has been compiled with the assistance of aviculturalist’s and zoo people. Sub-species There are two sub-species of Kaka. Quite simply the two are divided between the North and South Island. The South Island containing the nominate race Nestor m. meridionalis. The North Island sub-species Nestor m. septentrionalis is said to be smaller and not as intensely coloured as the nominate form. They are found in native forests and on islands and at times venture close to suburbia. Current Status There are currently estimated to be between 1,000-5,000 individuals in the wilds of New Zealand. As it stands the Kaka is listed as vulnerable and breeding programs have worked on producing birds in captivity and releasing them into the wild. These have been quite successful with captive bred released Kaka being seen in areas they had disappeared from long ago. These captive bred birds appear to mix in well with wild Kaka and are breeding. Threats Threats come in the form of habitat clearing and predation and competition for food by pest species. These include possums, cats, stoats and more. The advent of pest free fenced off reserves has helped not only the Kaka but also other native species. Diet Wild Kaka consume a diet of seeds, berries, honeydew, nectar, sap, and live food. The foods consumed are seasonal...
The 19th century was an exciting time for bird illustration. The vast number of expeditions within the United States and around the world enabled ornithologists, naturalists and artists to identify, study, draw and research species across Continents. This article will provide a brief overview of artists who spearheaded bird illustration in the United States and those who contributed to making London the center of the finely illustrated bird book publishing industry in the 19th century. Scottish born poet and naturalist, Alexander Wilson (1766- 1833) became a teacher in Pennsylvania in 1794 and met famous naturalist William Bartram who encouraged Wilson’s interest in ornithology and painting. Bartram’s encouragement assisted Wilson from 1803 through 1813 to create a nine- volume series entitled American Ornithology. This series was not only the first major scientific publication focusing on American birds in the United States but also the first to provide hand-colored engravings. As a result, Alexander Wilson is widely known as the Father of American Ornithology. To observe birds and also obtain subscriptions for his planned work, Publisher Samuel Bradford of Philadelphia provided Wilson with the first printed volume to show prospective buyers with a goal of 200 subscribers at $120 for the series. Wilson returned with 250 subscribers among them were Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. He also returned with specimens to be used in later volumes. By 1811 Wilson had nearly doubled the number of subscribers. As another way to reduce cost, Wilson frequently included multiple species on one plate. For 10 years Wilson traveled more than 12,000 miles in 15 of the 18 states as well as the Tennessee, Mississippi and Louisiana territories. He described 264 species and added 48 species using the Linnaean species classification system. During that time he also hired and supervised colorists, familiarized himself with the scientific literature of each species, produced pictures of each bird and composed descriptions. He died of dysentery at the age of 47 and his final volume was completed after his death and published by George Ord, an American naturalist, ornithologist and writer. Wilson later had several species of birds...
The sun slowly sets down, turning the blue sky into a bright orange/red. There is an instant flash of blue color caused by the plumage of a native Common Kingfisher, quickly flying over the water and vanishing into the trees. The Weltvogelpark Walsrode closes in half an hour. There are hardly any visitors left in the park and a very romantic silence settles over the 24 ha large park area...Suddenly, a very loud and vivid, goose- like cackling penetrates the silence. An animal keeper, doing his last inspection round, parks his Caddy next to the flamingo enclosure. While getting off he claps his hands, shouting “Workday ends! Closing time!”. The cackling becomes louder and a graceful flamingo colony walks in single file, well- behaved like dogs, into an aviary. The animal keeper jumps sportive-elegant over the fence of the enclosure and closes the door of the aviary behind the flamingo colony. Worldwide six different flamingo species exist: The Red Flamingo (Phoenicopterus ruber ruber), which occurs in North- Middle- and South-America, the Chilean Flamingo (Phoenicopterus chilensis), which also occurs in wide parts of South-America, the Greater Flamingo (Phoenicopterus ruber roseus), which is widespread in Africa, South-Europe and Asia, the Lesser Flamingo (Phoeniconaias minor), which only occurs in Africa, the Andean Flamingo (Phoenicoparrus andinus), which lives in South-America, in the high mountain regions of the Andes, and finally, the also in the Andes occurring James’ Flamingo (Phoenicoparrus jamesi).Only few zoos keep and breed various flamingo species. The Weltvogelpark Walsrode presents three of the six species: Red, Chilean and Greater Flamingo. With more than 240 birds the Greater Flamingo colony is the biggest colony kept in European zoos. Although the different species can be kept in mixed colonies the Weltvogelpark Walsrode presents them separately. On the one hand hybrids shall be prevented and on the other hand the Weltvogelpark likes to emphasize the different species by clearly presenting them separately to the visitors.
A Herald reporter was interviewing me for an article about Miami’s wild blue and gold macaw flock when she asked, “How could I be a wild parrot advocate and conservationist and still justify keeping macaws as pets?” I replied, “Come watch.” I brought my fully flighted pet macaws outside with the wild blue and yellow macaws roosting in the palms. When the wild macaws flew away, my pet macaws stayed. I explained, “Pet macaws choose to be pets, and wild macaws deserve to fly free.” Hand raised birds will stay in their back yard just as your pet dog stays around his/her house because he/she loves her/his owner and home. I then asked the reporter not to include free flight into the article as Hillary Hanky’s lecture will teach us; free flight requires training and experience. I went on to add my observation that escaped parrots do not survive long in the wild, similarly to dogs abandoned by the side of the road. Of the 36 wild macaws photographed by the ornithologist Bill Pranty, only two were banded and these two were each mated to a wild macaw. Unfortunately, a banded military and scarlet were observed flying with the wild flock for less than a season. The Herald reporter’s lack of knowledge brings up a legitimate important concern, parrot lovers have often asked me, “Will making an exception to the non-native law for wild parrots, make me at risk of being arrested if my pet bird escapes?” The answer is absolutely not. While it is true, poachers often tell concerned bystanders that they have been “hired” to shoot down non native macaws with net guns (that often break the macaw’s feet when they plummet to the ground), an owner can show concerned bystanders a picture of their pet (or the band number) since each parrot has distinguishing characteristics. In the case of macaws, their facial feather lines are like fingerprints. I have included in this article a side by side comparison of the wild macaws in my palm trees compared to a wild macaw being sold in a disreputable pet shop in Homestead, FL. Responsible bird owners should have good photographs of their birds and/or their band information. Right now, it is perfectly legal to trap; capture and even kill wild parrots. This is a direct quote in the Miami Herald...
Rare indeed is a conservation project about which the news is so relentlessly positive, but without doubt one of them is the project to save the Yellow-eared Parrot (Ognorhynchus icterotis) from extinction in Colombia. A product of the partnership between the Loro Parque Fundacion (LPF) of Tenerife, Spain and Fundacion ProAves of Colombia, this project is arguably the most successful in South America. It is a project where the extraordinary increase in numbers speaks for itself. In the mid 1990s, the LPF was supporting the protection in Ecuador of the last known Yellow-eared Parrots, 20 individuals in total. By 1998 they had disappeared, and it was feared that the species was completely extinct. However, in the same year, and based on hearsay of its continued existence in Colombia, ProAves, with the support of the LPF, the Zoological Society for the Conservation of Species and Populations (ZGAP) and American Bird Conservancy, began the Yellow-eared Parrot project with the main objective of ensuring the survival of the species and habitat protection in the Colombian Andes. In 1999, after a year of searching, a population of 81 individuals was found in the central Andes, in the community of Roncesvalles, Department of Tolima. In January 2001, a second population with 63 individuals was found in foothills of the western Andes, in Jardin, Department of Antioquia.During the intervening years the LPF has been the principal supporter of this outstanding project. With all the results from 2015 now available, the headline news is that due to the project...
The Caiques (pronounced CAKE in the land down under) have long appealed to Australian aviculturalist’s and many tell of their desire to keep this species having arisen after seeing them in Parrot reference books many years ago. Their appeal lies in their overall charm, which includes their inquisitive and playing nature and beautifully adorned plumage. It is safe to say that they are widely referred to as clowns for their habit of bounding about the aviary and putting on a range of displays. Fortunately Caiques are regularly bred within Australia and are now well and truly held in secure numbers. The Black- headed Caique is held in greater numbers than the White- bellied Caique, which is also quite popular. This article though will focus on the keeping and breeding of the Black- headed Caique within Australia and take a look at a mutation that is currently being worked on by a number of breeders. It can be said that much of what is said here about the Black- headed Caique and its care is not dissimilar to the care given to White-bellied Caiques within Australia. Registration Whilst native Australian bird species may require registration with a state or territory authority the same cannot be said for the exotic species. Some states have restrictions on a number of bird species entering their borders however this does not apply for the majority of Australian states or Territories. At one stage almost all exotic species with the exception of a small number of commonly held exotics were required to be registered. Parent reared Caiques These were registered with the National Exotic Bird Registry Scheme or NEBRS as it still commonly referred to. Breeders joined NEBRS and recorded any transactions, breedings or deaths surrounding exotic birds and these records were sent back to a centralised authority at a national level as it was federally controlled and not controlled by states or Territories. NEBRS was eventually dropped and other measures put in place a number of years down the track to prevent any smuggling of species into the country from occurring. Though it is questionable as to whether these measures worked as the newer scheme was and is still voluntary. Housing The suspended aviary is by far the most common choice of housing for many species of Parrot within Australia and this too applies for the Black-headed Caique. Although some keep their Black-headed Caiques in conventional aviaries the majority use suspendeds. It is generally recommended by breeders of Black-headed Caiques in Australia that these birds be held as pairs in their own aviary due that the aviary be a minimum length of 3 metres regardless of it being conventional or suspended. In terms of aviaries housed in banks the aviaries adjoining are usually double wired or full partitioned to prevent toe biting etc. Suspended aviaries are ideal for these canopy dwelling birds that love to bathe and flick their food onto the aviary floor and walls. They will often take a chunk of food, fly to the perch and drop the food item once finished...
As mentioned in Part I, the inclusion of one or more New World Scarlet Ibises in the collection that included “Senegal Finches” received at Peale’s Museum in 1805 (Sellers, 1979, 206) might imply some connection with the “triangle trade” in African slaves. In 1807 the US Congress passed an act prohibiting the importation of slaves, which went into effect in 1808. Thereafter, the US had limited direct trade with Africa for the rest of the 19th Century, with New England ship owners turning their attention to whaling in the Pacific and the Arctic, and trade with China and Japan. A few African birds continued to arrive in America in the first decades of the 19th century: more Crowned Cranes, as well as Ostriches, Pelicans, and Secretary Birds (specially collected in South Africa in 1834) (Thayer, 2005), but I have found no evidence of small cage birds until the 1840’s. New England in the 1840’s had grown prosperous from whaling, sea-trade, railways, and industrial manufacturing, and had developed a vibrant and literate culture. In 1848, the English immigrant James Mann, “Taxidermist, Dealer in Birds, Natural Curiosities, etc.”, published The American Bird-Keeper’s Manual in Boston, where he maintained his shop. A good portion of this book is devoted to North American songbirds and canaries, but he did include a chapter on “South American, Asiatic, and African Birds”, which discusses a total of twelve species (Mann, 1848). An unusually heavily-spotted Tulsa Zoo female Red-billed firefinch with its mate. At least four pairs have nested at the same time in Tulsa Zoo’s Desert Atrium. Nick Walters, photo. Three are identified as African. Though all three are seed-eaters, none are estrildids: The “Broad-shafted” (Sahel Paradise) and “Red-billed” (Pin-tailed) “Widahs”, and the “Crimson-collared Widah” (Euplectes ardens). The estrildids are represented by Java Sparrows and Strawberry Finches (“Amandava, or Avodavine Finch”) and what Mann (1848) refers to as the “Senegal Finch, or Spice Bird” but states is “Found in various parts of Asia”! One might gather Mann (who did not use Linnaean names in this book) was discussing the Spice Finch (Nutmeg Mannikin) (Lonchura punctulata) but his description does not fit at all: “This pretty little songster is still smaller than the Amandava, and its note, although not quite so loud, is much more harmonious. The female also sings, and if there are a pair in the cage, they will sit closely together and sing alternatively, the male first, and then the female... The male has the bill red; sides and fore part of the head and chin, black; the top of the head reddish, with black spots; the rest of the plumage is of a light reddish brown, spotted with black and brown. The female has the upper parts of a light brown; the lower parts, reddish gray”(Mann 1848). While this description is initially baffling, in light of Derek Goodwin’s (1982) observation that the Gold-breasted or Zebra Waxbill (Amandava subflava) is “very prone to induced melanism under adverse captive conditions”, it would appear that Mann’s “Senegal Finch” came from Africa...
The Cape Parrot is a geographically isolated population of Poicephalus robustus in South Africa which is under serious threat, mainly due to habitat destruction. A major limiting factor for the reproduction of Cape Parrots is the availability of nest cavities. Cape Parrots prefer to nest in dead yellowwood trees (Podocarpus latifolius), and there are few of these trees remaining. To alleviate this problem Wynand Espach, general manager of the Amorentia Estate in Limpopo Province started an artificial nest-box programme in 2013, but these boxes also present difficulties. A new threat to parrot nest cavities is the honey bee, which competes for the artificial nests and completely excludes the Cape Parrots. Therefore in 2015 the Loro Parque Fundacion, The Parrot Fund, Susan Hilliard, Explore Trees and others supported a project in partnership with Amorentia Estate to implement a method, already tested by expert Caroline Efstathion of the University of Florida, of integrated pest management for bees called the push-pull method. Twenty artificial nest boxes for Cape Parrots, ten each of wood and PVC, were installed throughout the Amorentia property by highly trained tree climbers, suitably protected against the bees. Nest boxes were placed facing east, away from wind and rain, in the upper third of tall trees, 30 to 60 m high. To push the bees away from the nest-boxes, the inside surfaces of the boxes were sprayed with a safe permethrin repellent. At the same time, to pull the bees away from nests, close to each nest-box there were two bee trap boxes installed at a lower level, each with an attractant pheromone to act as a...
Anew partnership to help protect birds on private lands was announced today by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the Trust Alliance. The goal of the new Trust Bird Conservation Initiative and associated website (birdtrust.org) is to improve conservation for declining species by pairing the bird conservation community with land trusts, which collectively protect more than 24 million acres of private land nationwide. It’s a natural fit, said Ron Rohrbaugh, the Cornell Lab's Assistant Director of Conservation Science. Thousands of local and regional land trusts are already protecting private land for all sorts of reasons. This initiative enhances that work by adding specific strategies for bird conservation and by providing land trusts with new tools and science support to help them make even better decisions about which lands are worth their resources. Land trusts across the United States make critical contributions to conserving birds and, in return, birds benefit land trusts by helping them grow support and increase their capacity to conserve land, said Erin Heskett, the Alliance’s director of national and regional services. Our ongoing, cooperative work with the Cornell Lab highlights the role land trusts can play in sustainably increasing the pace and effectiveness of bird conservation. A recent survey conducted by the Cornell Lab found that birds and bird habitat are a priority for two-thirds of land trusts. Many land trusts are already contributing to bird conservation in a variety of ways, such as putting land under easement and managing their lands to enhance habitat for birds. At the same time, a high percentage of land trusts expressed a desire for new resources, tools, and technical support to amplify and sharpen the focus of their bird conservation efforts. With that in mind, the Alliance and Cornell Lab partnered to create the Trust Bird Conservation Initiative and website. The Resources Directory of birdtrust.org is chock-full of technical...
For decades, conservationists have considered Blue-winged Warblers to be a threat to Golden-winged Warblers, a species being considered for federal Endangered Species listing with populations that have declined 66 percent since 1968, according to the North American Breeding Bird Survey. The two species are known to frequently interbreed where they co-occur, and scientists have been concerned that the more numerous Blue-winged Warblers would genetically swamp the rarer golden-wing gene pool. New research out of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s Fuller Evolutionary Biology Program shows that, genetically speaking, Blue-winged and Golden-winged warblers are almost identical. The scientists behind the research say that the main differences between the two species are in feather color and pattern, in some cases just a simple matter of dominant or recessive pairings of alleles. “We think we have finally pinpointed the proverbial genomic ‘needle in the haystack’ between these taxa,” says study co-author David Toews, who adds that the findings suggest conservationists should be less concerned with hybridization and primarily focused on preserving habitat for both species. “This is something that conservation practitioners have wanted for a very long time.” The research is published in the September issue of the journal Current Biology by Toews and his fellow Cornell Lab postdoctoral researcher Scott Taylor, along with partners from Cornell University’s Department of Biological Statistics and Computational Biology, the University of California at Riverside, and Environment and...
