Articles

I once told my self that I would NEVER get involved with the debate that seems to erupt every time this subject is mentioned. Then why, I hear you asking, are you bothering to write this now? Well, I was recently reading through my e-mails from a finch-based group when someone from the good Olde […]

People often associate the word “parrot” with large, colorful, powerful birds, and rightfully so. As pets, large parrots are certainly bold, eye-catching, dynamic companions. However, not every large bird is a good pet, and not every bird lover is suited to being a large parrot owner. Explore the information on the popular large parrot species […]

Parrots are members of the order Psittaciformes, which includes more than 350 bird species, including parakeets, macaws, cockatiels and cockatoos, according to the Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS). Though there are many types of parrots, all parrot species have a few traits in common. For example, to be classified as a parrot, the bird must […]

The beautiful Lilac-crowned Amazon is endemic to the Pacific slopes of Mexico, from southeastern Sonora and southwest Chihuahua to southern Oaxaca, where they mostly inhabit humid pine-oak forests up to about 1,800 meters elevation. Lilac-crowns are on the small side, compared to other Amazon parrots, averaging 30.5 – 34.5 cm from head to the tip […]

The lead up to the breeding season is very important, as this is where the birds gain their fitness and vigour, so that they can go through the breeding cycle and support multiple nests of young birds, without becoming run down and either leaving the nest or dying. Preparation runs for the 3 months of […]

The beautiful Umbrella Cockatoo, also sometimes referred to as the White Cockatoo, is a medium sized cockatoo weighing between 500 – 700grams and measuring 43-48cm. They are large parrots with impressive white plumage. They have been named due to their impressive, broad, backward bending crest, which opens and fans out like an umbrella. When their […]

Scarlet Macaws have been long prized in aviculture for their size and beauty. Not only are they among the largest parrots in the world, they also have amazing personalities. The Scarlet Macaws have especially long tails, which are often as long as their bodies. Scarlet Macaws are a brilliant red with yellow coverts on the […]

The Chattering Lory is a member of the genus Lorius. The members of this genus is unmistakable: large, stocky lories with longish, broad tails. All species have green wings, and red predominates in the body plumage. In the Chattering lory, the mantle is a darker shade of red and is sometimes marked with a few […]

The Hawk-headed Parrot is the only member in its genus and has for many years baffled taxonomists and naturalists regarding its relationship with other parrots. It has to be said that there seems to be a close relationship to the Pyrrhura conures, as the Hawk-headed parrot behaviour is very similar to theirs. The Hawk-headed Parrot […]

For some years Arthur Alfred Prestwich was secretary of the British Avicultural Society, publisher of the prestigious Avicultural Magazine, which first appeared in print in 1894; the name of the society gave rise to the term aviculture, or the care and keeping of birds. In 1963 A.A. Prestwich published his “I Name This Parrot…”, the […]