Birds For Dummies. Gina Spadafori
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Название: Birds For Dummies
Автор: Gina Spadafori
Издательство: John Wiley & Sons Limited
Жанр: Биология
isbn: 9781119643258
isbn:
Lovebirds are also popular as aviary birds and for breeding purposes, and many hobbyists are working hard to increase the available varieties of these lovely birds.
Fine for almost any living situation, lovebirds have life spans of 8 to 14 years, and well-cared-for birds over 20 years old are out there. Costs run from $50 for the normal peach-faced variety to $200 for newer color variations or less-common lovebird species.
Parrotlets and lineolated parakeets
The tiny parrotlet (see Figure 2-3) can fit in your hand, but anyone who owns one can tell you they have as much attitude as any macaw, more proof that good — no, make that great — things can certainly come in small packages.
Photograph courtesy of Amy Baggs
FIGURE 2-3: Parrotlets (like this blue mutation of a Pacific parrotlet) are packed with personality and love to be part of your life.
A newer arrival to this group is the lineolated parakeet. These vibrant green, yellow, or blue wonders have great potential for companionship and make wonderful friends to hang out with.
Parrotlets and linnies generally have minimal talking ability, but they’re great fun to handle and to watch. Both can be fabulous to train and can do impressive things! In so many ways, they demonstrate how they’re just big parrots inhabiting a little parrot body!
Reasonably priced, starting at $150 and going up to $500 or so, parrotlets can and should enjoy a life span of up to 20 years. Linnies are priced at about $300 for a pair and typically have a ten-year lifespan.
Cockatiels
The cockatiel is likely the most popular single pet bird species, at least among the parrot family. With crests reminiscent of the larger cockatoo, these birds were, for a while, known as “cockatoo parrots” until the modern coinage of cockatiel, from the Portuguese word cacatilho (meaning “little cockatoo”).
Cockatiels (shown in Figure 2-4) justly deserve their legions of fans. Handsome and affectionate, the cockatiel is a perfect fit for any living situation, and a relatively easy breeder for anyone who wants to give that hobby a try. Many people have enjoyed the adventure of breeding cockatiels over the years, producing lovely varieties of colors and patterns, from the naturally occurring gray to the pale yellow lutino, the pied (blotches of two or more colors), cinnamon, pearl, and albino.
Photograph by Kim Campbell Thornton
FIGURE 2-4: Cockatiels are pleasant to live with and come in a range of color mutations.
Prices can start at $50 for some of the mass-produced birds, and rise as high as $275, with the cost of most pet cockatiels somewhere in the middle. Hand-raised babies and the rarer colors and patterns are at the higher end of the scale. Life spans for most cockatiels are often quoted to run 10 to 14 years, but again, a bird who starts healthy and is well cared for can live well into the twenties and beyond. In Brian’s practice, birds in their late twenties and early thirties are not uncommon.
PET BIRDS AND CHILDREN
Birds can be wonderful companions for children, but sometimes the reverse isn’t so true. Children who are too young or unable to understand the importance of gentle, respectful handling can end up with a dead bird pretty quickly — truly a tragedy for all involved.
The look-don’t-touch birds such as canaries and other finches are best for very young children. From the age of 8 or so, a child can begin to understand instructions for correctly handling smaller parrots, making budgies and cockatiels a good match for these older children. When kids enter their teens, almost any bird who fits the family’s lifestyle can be a good match.
In Brian’s experience, children who learn to communicate nonverbally with a bird in a constructive, mutual way often have a great learning experience that stands them in good stead later in life, both with humans and with other animals. Birds can really help to teach us how to be better people, as well as better communicators with other humans and with birds.
Remember, though, that taking proper care of any pet is the parent’s responsibility. Lead by example. Don’t make the pet the focus of a tug-of-war between you and your child. The lesson of responsibility is a good one to draw from a relationship with a pet, but so, too, are the lessons of compassion, caring, and respect for another living being.
Males are usually better at vocalizing, with whistling a specialty. Cockatiels are generally not the best talkers, but males can pick up a few words or phrases. Don’t let the lack of verbosity dissuade you, though: The gentle cockatiel is about as fine an avian companion as you can imagine.
Medium-size parrots
Pricier and less commonly available than budgies and cockatiels — and generally less flashy and colorful than their larger relatives — the medium-size parrots are often overlooked and underappreciated. And that’s a shame, because in this group you can find some wonderful companions — handsome birds who are relatively neat and quiet (with a couple of notable exceptions) and reasonably priced to acquire and care for. A great bunch!
Poicephalus
The Senegal (shown in Figure 2-5) is probably the most popular of the class of smaller African parrot species known collectively under the genus Poicephalus. The Senegal parrot is reasonably priced, at around $600 to $800 for a hand-fed baby. Senegals are neat and quiet as parrots go, and handsome in a somewhat unspectacular way — green feathers on the back, a mango-colored breast, and a gray head.
Photograph courtesy of СКАЧАТЬ