Alice Wender

This story has not appeared in print before. It has not been told aloud. Popcorn and I did not realize that he was a bird, so we did many things inappropriate for a bird. But we loved doing it all wrong.My wife Carol met a cockatoo when the two of us were visiting a business … Read more

The avian egg goes through three major stages in its life, the process of forming the egg, incubation after the egg is laid and finally the hatching of the chick. Each stage is a wonder of nature and has its own unique processes. The Forming of the Egg It takes approximately 25 hours for an … Read more

Angel the Jenday Conure was found one April day immediately under his cotton candy preening toy. He was standing perfectly still with strings of shredded cotton wrapped tightly around his throat. Angel also had his right leg hung in those same strings from trying to free himself from the ones around his throat and he … Read more

If one were to look at the most popular species of pet birds, then 3 groups of birds would pop to the top of the list – parrots, softbills and pigeons or doves. But there are many other kinds of birds, such as raptors. And these fall into other groups called families or orders.There are … Read more

I think everyone has a fleeting thought on breeding birds once they have had pet birds for a couple of years. Especially if they have the “dreaded” Multi-Bird Syndrome. We did and we actually acted upon it. We got a pair of Hahns Macaws and a pair of Quakers. Once we had them, we realized … Read more

Birds have a population of bacteria known as ‘normal microbial flora’ which colonizes the skin and mucous membranes of the respiratory and gastrointestinal tract. These bacteria are not disease causing and are referred to as ‘nonpathogenic’.Bacteria may be classified as ‘gram-positive’ or ‘gram-negative’ based upon certain staining characterisitics. Gram-positive bacteria are the predominant normal inhabitants … Read more

Have you ever seen a bird swinging away on a swing while emitting sounds of great pleasure? Or perhaps you’ve seen a bird hanging from a swing by one foot or doing somersaults around the perch while it moves to and fro? Swings are wonderful for birds. They are a source of enjoyment, body exercise … Read more

Edible flowers delight the eye as well as the palate and are becoming quite popular with adventurous cooks. But people have used flowers as food for thousands of years-and so have parrots! A glance through the pages of Parrots of the World, alerts one to the huge variety of parrot species that feed on flowering … Read more

With the end of summer and the beginning of fall upon us, bird fairs are in full swing all around the country. At any of these fairs, prospective buyers can find almost any species of exotic bird, cages, cage accessories, feed, treats, toys, breeder supplies, and anything else that could be remotely bird related. For … Read more

TEFLON No product that has Teflon or any non-stick coating belongs in a house with a bird. Teflon – and any non-stick coating – is very serious business for birds. Non-stick coatings are everywhere – space heaters, irons, bread machines, ovens and racks, ironing board covers, waffle irons, burner pans or grilles, etc. Be sure that any … Read more