Blue and Gold Macaw

The cutest things on the planet may very well be (and not necessarily in this order): a baby cracking up laughing, kittens doing just about anything, and birds playing.  Some of the very best memories I have of my birds are of them playing, especially when it involves me.  There’s something so precious about watching the determination of a 100 gram bird tug on something twice its size, and the lengths they will go to to accomplish an nearly impossible task.  I am always on the lookout ...

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In the early morning hours, as the sun is rising and weather permitting, wild parrots all over the world visit clay licks on tall riverbanks to eat dirt.  This practice has long confounded bird watchers, conservationists and scientists alike, and while all of the benefits of this activity are still a mystery, more and more is being discovered and understood.

Wild parrots forage on plants, their fruits and their seeds as part of  their natural diet.  However, plants naturally produce chemicals, poisons, that protect themselves, their ...

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Umbrella Cockatoo

Breakfast time!  There are four macaws, four cockatoos, three parakeets, two cockatiels, one congo african grey, a swainson’s toucan and a quaker waiting patiently for their breakfast every morning.  On the menu today is fruit pasta blend, fresh broccoli, beets, sweet potato, and kale.

Breakfast time is always one of my favorite parts of the day.  I really enjoy the preparation of foods and I love seeing the birds watching everything I do in anticipation of their first meal.  I often let one of the birds be my “helper” ...

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Most species of parrot are monomorphic meaning that sex can’t be determined by visual means.  Usually DNA testing is necessary to accurately tell if Polly is truly a she.  There are a few species, however, such as the beautiful eclectus, who are notably color dimorphic.  The female is red and blue, while the male is a vibrant green. But, this is not the norm in the parrot world.

The cockatiel is another species that can be visually sexed.  Using a standard cockatiel as the example is this comparison, the male standard shown here (Tinky, my first born) you will notice the ...

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There are feathers everywhere in my apartment, from little gray or green ones to large white ones. Do I mind this extra mess? Not even a little bit!  It signals the end of breeding season, which is a beautiful thing. Of course, the one rule...

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Toco Toucans

I live in Austin, TX.  Since the onset of June, the temperatures have been over 100 degrees nearly continuously.  Three quarters of the year here is spent in A/C, and less than 1/4 of the year requires the use of heating.  My favorite times are those rare days when neither the heat nor the A/C is necessary, the windows are open, and the fresh air is blowing in on a balmy breeze.  If I am ever going to play hooky from work, it will be on one of these ...