2009 - Issue 2
Peach-faced Lovebirds
By Pauline James
,
he breeding season usually begins with the male lovebird regurgitating to the female, on a regular basis. But it is the hen who is the dominant partner in the relationship, and it is often she who instigates this behaviour, by bobbing her head under his beak.
By Pauline James
,
he breeding season usually begins with the male lovebird regurgitating to the female, on a regular basis. But it is the hen who is the dominant partner in the relationship, and it is often she who instigates this behaviour, by bobbing her head under his beak.
Specimens at the Smithsonian
By EB Cravens
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One might think that, with a collection of over 600,000 bird specimens, the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History would not have a large demand for more such material.
By EB Cravens
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One might think that, with a collection of over 600,000 bird specimens, the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History would not have a large demand for more such material.
Feeding Your Bird the Best Nutrition Available
By Leslie Morán
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When you think about the variety of foods you can select from when feeding the parrots under your care, what criteria direct the choices you make? Do you want to choose foods that will help improve their health and prevent illness and disease?
By Leslie Morán
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When you think about the variety of foods you can select from when feeding the parrots under your care, what criteria direct the choices you make? Do you want to choose foods that will help improve their health and prevent illness and disease?
The Scarlet Macaw – is Aviculture the Answer?
By Robert Alison
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Measures being taken to halt the declining number of wild Scarlet Macaws in the neotropics
The spectacular Scarlet Macaw (Ara macao) is one of several prominent macaws and large parrots in steep decline in the neotropics. Habitat loss and nest robbing have reduced their numbers to critical lows, and some local populations have disappeared entirely. Aviculture might be the key to saving some of those that remain.
By Robert Alison
,
Measures being taken to halt the declining number of wild Scarlet Macaws in the neotropics
The spectacular Scarlet Macaw (Ara macao) is one of several prominent macaws and large parrots in steep decline in the neotropics. Habitat loss and nest robbing have reduced their numbers to critical lows, and some local populations have disappeared entirely. Aviculture might be the key to saving some of those that remain.
The Blue Macaws of São Francisco do Perigara
By Ana Maria Baretto and Pedro Scherer Neto
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An interview with Ana Maria Barretto and Pedro Scherer Neto on an amazing project to protect the largest known population of Blue Macaws in Brazil
By Ana Maria Baretto and Pedro Scherer Neto
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An interview with Ana Maria Barretto and Pedro Scherer Neto on an amazing project to protect the largest known population of Blue Macaws in Brazil
Dealing with the Intensity of an Emergency Rescue
By Tim Lacy
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The Executive Director and Founder of the Healthipet Network Corporation in Anderson, Indiana, gives us an insight into the world of rescue and rehabilitation
Rescue work of any type can be intense and stressful, but when an emergency rescue comes up, the intensity and stress level can often triple or even go beyond that.
By Tim Lacy
,
The Executive Director and Founder of the Healthipet Network Corporation in Anderson, Indiana, gives us an insight into the world of rescue and rehabilitation
Rescue work of any type can be intense and stressful, but when an emergency rescue comes up, the intensity and stress level can often triple or even go beyond that.
The Evolution and Behaviour of the Extraordinary Eclectus Parrot
By Jessie Zgurski
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Eclectus Enigma
High in the canopy of the dense rain forests of Australasia lives one of nature's most extraordinary and beautiful birds, the Eclectus Parrot (Eclectus roratus). Although their strange behavior sets them apart from other birds, they are most well known for their brilliant and unusual colors. The handsome males are a vibrant emerald green, while the elegant females are a dark ruby red, usually with a vest of violet or cobalt feathers.
By Jessie Zgurski
,
Eclectus Enigma
High in the canopy of the dense rain forests of Australasia lives one of nature's most extraordinary and beautiful birds, the Eclectus Parrot (Eclectus roratus). Although their strange behavior sets them apart from other birds, they are most well known for their brilliant and unusual colors. The handsome males are a vibrant emerald green, while the elegant females are a dark ruby red, usually with a vest of violet or cobalt feathers.
Hope Grows for Birds in Brazil
By Carolyn Gonzalez
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When someone mentions Brazil, most people think of exotic retreats like Rio, says Carolyn. But when Mark and Marie Stafford invited my husband, Omar, and me to accompany them there, we knew it wouldn't be a beach party.
By Carolyn Gonzalez
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When someone mentions Brazil, most people think of exotic retreats like Rio, says Carolyn. But when Mark and Marie Stafford invited my husband, Omar, and me to accompany them there, we knew it wouldn't be a beach party.
The Macaw Reintroduction Project – Foz Iguacu
By By Mathias Dislich, DVM, staff veterinarian for the Foz Tropicana Bird Park
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The Iguacu Falls National Park attracts a large number of visitors every year, wishing to see the incredible waterfalls and to visit the last remaining rainforest in Southern Brazil.
By By Mathias Dislich, DVM, staff veterinarian for the Foz Tropicana Bird Park
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The Iguacu Falls National Park attracts a large number of visitors every year, wishing to see the incredible waterfalls and to visit the last remaining rainforest in Southern Brazil.
The Parrot Whisperers of Amorentia
By Howard Blight
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A truly remarkable thing happened on the Amorentia Estate, near Tzaneen, in the northern part of South Africa. Howard Blight tells the story.
Early this year, a farm labourer, Johannes Ramadikela, found an endangered Cape Parrot flopping about on the ground near his house. He caught the bird and placed it in a box, noticing as he did so, a very nasty crack on the top of the bird's beak. It had obviously flown into something.
By Howard Blight
.
A truly remarkable thing happened on the Amorentia Estate, near Tzaneen, in the northern part of South Africa. Howard Blight tells the story.
Early this year, a farm labourer, Johannes Ramadikela, found an endangered Cape Parrot flopping about on the ground near his house. He caught the bird and placed it in a box, noticing as he did so, a very nasty crack on the top of the bird's beak. It had obviously flown into something.
uPholi* Want a Forest – the Plight of the Cape Parrot
By Steve Boyes
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Status
Parrots have the largest number of threatened species of any bird family, whereby over 90 of the 332 recognized parrot species in the world are threatened by global extinction. Around 73 of these species have habitat loss, fragmentation or degradation as factors influencing their threat status, while 39 are under pressure from capture and nest poaching for the wild-caught bird trade. The Cape Parrot (Poicephalus robustus) falls in with the 28 parrot species affected by both pressures.
By Steve Boyes
.
Status
Parrots have the largest number of threatened species of any bird family, whereby over 90 of the 332 recognized parrot species in the world are threatened by global extinction. Around 73 of these species have habitat loss, fragmentation or degradation as factors influencing their threat status, while 39 are under pressure from capture and nest poaching for the wild-caught bird trade. The Cape Parrot (Poicephalus robustus) falls in with the 28 parrot species affected by both pressures.
The Superb Parrot
By John Cooper
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For over 10 years, the Superb Parrot (Polytelis swainsonii) was very high on my 'must-have list' to photograph in the wild at close quarters. I'm fortunate to live right in the middle of this parrot's limited geographical range, a small area in central New South Wales, but their affinity for very high nest hollows - 50 feet plus - puts them well out of reach for my observation towers.
By John Cooper
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For over 10 years, the Superb Parrot (Polytelis swainsonii) was very high on my 'must-have list' to photograph in the wild at close quarters. I'm fortunate to live right in the middle of this parrot's limited geographical range, a small area in central New South Wales, but their affinity for very high nest hollows - 50 feet plus - puts them well out of reach for my observation towers. 
