How the Pet Trade Hurts Conservation Efforts

Recently, the crew on a docked ship in Fakfak, a port in Indonesia’s West Papua region, heard strange noises coming from a large box. Upon opening it, they found it full of plastic bottles, like water bottles. And each one had a parrot stuffed inside. Lorikeets. Black capped lories, highly endangered and sought by the illegal pet traders for the high price they will bring.

Potpourri for Fall 2020

My flock and I have been cleaning and moving things around so rather than give you one topic, I’ll share glimpses of a few tasks and funny things going on.

Fall In Love With Budgerigars

The most popular small parrot for pet lovers in the world is a Budgerigar! A what, you say? You probably call them parakeets, but while all budgies are parakeets, not all parakeets are budgies. From Bush Heritage in Australian, “You may know them as ‘Budgies’, but do you know that the common name is derived from a Gamilaraay Aboriginal language name ‘Betcherrygah’, which is thought to mean ‘good food’? It’s unknown whether this means that the bird itself is good eating, or whether their seed-seeking migrations led Gamilaraay to places of rainfall and abundant food.”

Out in the Cold

I’d really like to move almost all of my birds to outside aviaries and flight cages. Several things need to happen before I can do that. I need to get the outside rodents under control. I lost another male cape dove chick to rats and I’m very frustrated about that. Also, I need to have more cages with excellent set ups for safety. And finally, I have to be rady to do it when the weather is right.

Not Color or Song, But Soul

Too many people want a parrot that talks. They buy a baby Congo African Gray because they think the bird will talk when it grows up. But birds of any species are individuals. Just as humans range in abilities and interests, parrots might not want to talk or learn tricks. Cockatoos are much better at tricks and sometimes at talking than other parrots. But they come with a whole trunk full of needs and special care requirements.