Plucking vs. Preening vs. Molting

I’ve seen and read people mistaking these three importantly different aspects of parrots and their plumage. Although plucking parrots can tend to look somewhat like those parrots going through a molt and sometimes the act of plucking can look somewhat like a preening parrot – all aspects are entirely different and it’s important to be able to te...
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Socializing Toucans

Photo by Dave Location: The Dawn Princess, Princess Cruise Lines Twins: Swainson Toucans "Meaka" and "Fiji" It wasn't always this way with these two toucans... A lady in Sandpoint, Idaho owned Meaka (left) and she was the same age as Fiji (right) who we got at six months old. Meaka stayed in a pet shop all day and was a very calm and sweet bird...
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Listen to a Swainson Toucan

I was obviously trying to be really sneaky when filming this video of my Swainson toucan, Meaka, while she was making noise. So it's not the most fun video to watch as I wanted footage of her actually crying for people to see how different the body language is from a parrot's but you can't really so I failed at obtaining that. However, you can...
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Are Toucans Cuddly?

Photo by Jamieleigh Location: Reno, Nevada Getting lovin': Swainson Toucan "Meaka" The question I get asked the most about toucans are, "Are they cuddly?" well, I think this picture says it all. This is my Swainson Toucan about a year and a half old at the time. She was always gentle and cuddly and would rub her head against you kind of like ...
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How a Swainson Toucan Sleeps

Photo by Jamieleigh Location: Reno, Nevada Sleeper: Swainson Toucan "Meaka" One of my favorite things about Toucans is how they sleep. This picture is of Meaka, a Swainson Toucan I adopted from a lady in Sandpoint, Idaho of all places. She owned a petshop there and Meaka's original name was Skittles. She didn't know her name yet, so I chose ...
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Fiji's New Favorite Playtime: Shredded Newspaper

Photo by Jamieleigh Location: Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands Playmate: Swainson Toucan "Fiji"   Fiji is my four year old Swainson Toucan. I've raised her since she was six months old and she is so different from my parrots. Everything from her mannerisms to what she likes to eat in her diet, to her entire diet completely, actually! Mos...
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