-
Birds in Shoes
From my memories today. My Kea parrot on rollerblades. This Kea suggestion came from member Denise Gilles. They are also known as the New Zealand mountain parrot. This parrot fascinated me. From the outside they look brown and olive green. That is until they open their wings and then lots of beautiful colors appear. The Kea Parrot is a very playful, inquisitive and brave bird. They have a tendency to enter buildings, once inside buildings, nothing is sacred, if something can be chewed then they will have a go at it. They will even attack cars for their wiper blades and windshield wipers. This video captures their personalities perfectly:…
-
Foster Birds
From time immemorial, birds have been tamed, often by children (boys) who took corvids out of the nest for hand rearing. It was often not a long-lasting bond. In autumn, the tame birds flew away anyway. Even today, the budgerigar and parrot-like birds are still popular as tame roommates. The famous couple Oskar and Magdalena Heinroth gained fame by hand rearing over 1,000 European birds of over 250 species, often from egg hatch. This is beautifully described in the book: “Die Vogel-WG, die Heinroths, ihre 1.000 Vögel und die Anfänge der Verhaltensforschung” They raised the most diverse birds, from herons to reed warblers and long-tailed tits to sea eagles. The…
-
Yellow Cardinal (Gubernata cristata)
It was in autumn of 2018, when I looked around at a bird trader to find “something” in the field of insectivorous birds for my empty breeding aviary. And I hate empty breeding aviaries! It is never the case that all birds breed successfully (far from it), so there has never been a lack of aviaries for fledglings. But unfortunately there was nothing of my interest at the trader. Only that one couple of yellow cardinals, they were very beautiful, weren’t they? Completely against my habits, I bought the couple at instant, without reading or studying in advance. That would come when I got home. The yellow cardinal is found…
-
2022 Apr/May/Jun – President’s Message
November 2-5 was our 16th annual educational conference and fundraiser for the Avicultural Society of America in Tampa, Florida. I want to thank some of the many people and organizations that made this event possible. Thanks to Carol Stanley, Nick Pendergrass, Nathan Pizar, and Susie Kasielke for all of the work they did helping me organize the ASA Conference this year. They all did so much behind the scenes and we couldn’t have done it without them. Also, even though this was the first year Taylor Hains, Brock Stone, Terry M. Stone, Kelsey Searcy, Joanna Roth, and Terri Jones attended, that didn’t hinder them from jumping right in and helping…
-
2022 Conference
Nov 2 – Nov 5 | Tampa, FL Join us in beautiful Tampa, Florida for the 15th Annual 2022 ASA Educational Conference! Register today to secure your spot in the after-conference activities. Make sure to be a part of the exclusive behind-the-scenes guided tours and a catered dinner after. Mark your calendar for November 2nd through November 5th. Conference venue, schedule, and speakers to be announced soon. ASA conference attendees have come to expect the unexpected! Come see why for yourself! DON’T MISS IT! One-Day Registrations now available! Extra Banquet tickets and passes to the zoo tour & dinner can be purchased separately for guests not attending the lectures. [ Register…
-
What the Flock – March-April 2017
From page 27 Answer: Senegal thick-knee (Burhinus senegalensis) The Senegal thick-knee (Burhinus senegalensis) is a stone-curlew, a group of waders in the family Burhinidae. It is a resident breeder in Africa between the Sahara and the equator, and in the Nile valley. Senegal thick-knees are medium large waders with strong black and yellow black bills, large yellow eyes — which give them a reptilian appearance — and cryptic plumage. The scientific name refers to the prominent joints in the long yellow or greenish legs. They are similar but slightly smaller than the Eurasian stone-curlew, which winters in Africa. The long dark bill, single black bar on the folded wing, and…
-
Dr. Cromwell Purchase – An Inspirational Leader
[DR. CROMWELL PURCHASE AND TEAM ATALWABRA] What does it feel like to plan the future for an entire species? Last year, ROSEMARY LOW renewed her acquaintance with someone in just that position: Dr Cromwell Purchase, whose drastic conservation techniques include influencing the sex ratio of baby macaws in the egg. [SPIX’S MACAWS (CYANOPSITTA SPIXII) PHOTO CROMWELL PURCHASE] QUOTES AND NOTES 2016 In 2016 I was fortunate to attend several parrot symposia. It is always a privilege to hear Dr Cromwell Purchase speak as I did in North Carolina in April and at the Parrot Society of Australia meeting in Brisbane in July. At the latter he presented a fascinating topic.…
-
The Lutino Plum-headed Parakeet
Fabulous photos by Steve Duncan [PLUMHEADED PARAKEET (PSITTACULA CYANOCEPHALA) LUTINO MALE ] The Plum-headed Parakeet, Psittacula cyanocephala, is arguably the most beautiful of the smaller Asian parakeets. In comparison to other Psittacula, it is compact in size, but maintains its dignity because of its sleek physique, long elegant tail, and of course the customary psittacula demarcation above the neckline. Although the hen’s head remains a slate color, the cock’s handsomeness becomes obvious in maturity, becoming an exquisite purple-red color. Unlike other larger, boisterous, and audibly annoying Psittacula species, Plumheads in general are typically gentle, calm, and pleasantly quiet. When hand-fed, they can make wonderful pets and never seem to become…
-
A True Aviculturist
Nestling in the Santa Clara River Valley Just Out of Filmore, California Is the Charming Home of Francis H. Rudkin With Its Wonderful Collection By Dr. Dave Silverstone, Los Angeles, Calif. WHILE rambling through the country one day last Fall, I saw a Military Macaw circling over the orange grove. This was, indeed, a surprise and as the bird descended to one of the trees I could not resist the temptation to follow. The virtual paradise that greeted my eyes well repaid my insatiable curiosity. Nestling in the Santa Clara River Valley just out of Filmore, Calif., is this home. The owner is sure an avid aviculturist is the thought…
-
Correspondence
In a letter from the Marquess of Tavistock he informs me that young Lovebirds will begin to take ordinary seedspray almost as readily and at an early an age as they will eat spray millet. He and seems surprised that spray millet is not sold in the pet shops in America. I herewith quote a part of his letter: “For some strange reason most of the smaller and delicate finches and parakeets are extraordinarily fond of it and appear unquestionably to derive more benefit from eating it than they do from eating, which is apparently the identical seed out of the seed head. Even the pioneers in aviculture were aware…
