#why do african grey pluck their feathers

[orcacharm]

So a lot of you may not know this but I have a rescued African Grey Parrot named Mavi. I know what you must be thinking:

"How hypocritical of you to own such an intelligent animal when you are anti-captivity!"

Well yes, that is hypocritical. I 100% agree, I don't like the parrot pet industry either. I know full well and have seen with my own two eyes just how negatively captivity has affected these birds.

So you may ask "Why do you have him then?"

Well, when you sign up to be a foster for exotic animals with the humane society you never know what they'll call you with. Mavi was surrendered because he was highly aggressive to his previous owner and his other bird. He had plucked the feathers off his right wing, chewed his feet, and broke most of his tail feathers. I was horrified went I first met him and the rusty cage he was surrendered in.

I was given an ultimatum: get him to be less aggressive or he will be euthanized. That didn't seem fair to me, I have a strong belief that no animal wants to die. So I took him in and never gave him back (which the rescue was fine with).

Turned out, Mavi only disliked men and got on really well with me. Within a month, he was very attached and even protective of me. He spends his days either in my (bird proofed) room or outside in his (predator proofed) aviary. He has tons of toys from an amazing company that make fairtrade, safe, environmentally friendly foraging and shredding toys. We train together twice a day to keep his mind stimulated and I just hang out with him and give him attention throughout the rest of the day.

This is and will never be enough. He still chews his toes, he still overpreens, he still can't fly, and he still has a fatty liver. I have talked to bird sanctuaries and they won't take him because he has a history of bird aggression and they've seen many cases of permanently grounded birds becoming more self destructive when around flighted birds. We decided it was best he stay with me where he can get all day one on one care.

So why am I making this post? Simple, to make a point. Wanna know the difference between me and most pro-caps?

I can admit that this is wrong and am doing everything I can to change my own birds life and the industry all together.

[chibimonkey]

Pipe Dream Pets

There are a handful of pets I would die to own, but for one reason or another, I can’t.

FOX. Russia has a domestication experiment with foxes, and exports them to one company in the US. These foxes are as domesticated as dogs, and they run from $6k and up. The price is not the biggest deterrent to me. The biggest deterrent is the fox’s behavior and lifestyle. The owner of Juniper the fox has described in detail the downsides of owning a fox, namely that she can’t travel because she can’t have a sitter and foxes are illegal in several states; Juniper has destroyed multiple pieces of furniture by being herself, engaging in activities such as digging (in her couches), possession hoarding (food, shoes, pillows), and peeing. Fox pee is very much like cat pee in that it is extremely hard to get rid of. Juniper’s owner has stated “you smell it the second you walk in, that a fox lives here.” Another reason for concern is that there ar4e no rabies vaccines approved for foxes, which is the reason why Juniper can’t ever be babysat when her mom goes away - if Juniper were to bite someone, she may have to be put down and her brain tested for rabies. Foxes are off the table for me.

SEAHORSES. I love seahorses. I really do. I always swore I would have some, but as I researched them and their care, and as I researched saltwater tanks, I realized that I may never be able to have seahorses and keep them healthy. I might be able to keep them alive, but living is not the same as thriving, and I don’t want to keep any animal that can’t thrive with me. Seahorses are just too delicate for my clumsiness.

AFRICAN GREY PARROT. Oh boy do I love African greys. And oh boy could I never have an African grey, for nearly the same reason I couldn’t have seahorses. I doubt my ability to provide an environment engaging and stimulating enough for what is essentially a feathered child. Maybe if I had no other pets and no children, but I do want those things. And just like with foxes, there are things parrots do that I just don’t think I could live with. Parrots are large, noisy birds, and I do not like noise. They are messy and with how big their enclosure has to be, plus their out of cage wanderings, I don’t think I’d ever be okay with the amount of MESS they’d produce, or the amount of things they would ruin by investigating it in their parrot way (chewing on things, taking things apart, etc). Finally, parrots are tame, not domesticated. Tame animals tend to have more difficulty as pets than actual domesticated animals. Feather plucking and self mutilation are a high possibility. I could never watch my bird hurt itself because it was unhappy with my best ability to provide for it. I love African greys tremendously but I severely doubt my ability to keep one happy. This also goes for any large bird, and wild-caught animals.

This is not to say that people who have these animals are bad or abusive. I’ve seen people on this site keep their parrots beautifully, I’ve seen aquariums keep seahorses, and Juniper’s owner does a wonderful job with her. I am saying that I could not do it, even as much as I want to. Their needs exceed what I could provide for them at my best.

[ravenousnightwind]

Having issues with my African Grey

My current objective right now, is trying to figure out how to get my African grey to stop screaming. It's not his fault he's like this. It's due to humans acting a certain way and him reacting to it. What really concerns me most right now is his plucking. I don't know, I was thinking about looking into a trainer or someone who's a bird behavioralist. Because sometimes when he doesn't get his way he will pluck his feathers out. All he wants to do is spend time with us, that's literally all it is. It's just every time he doesn't...he screams. I'm not sure why this has become a problem because it wasn't before. I'm not sure if it was because we kind of flip flopped schedules or what. If we'll have to redo all the shit we did before. I'm not sure. But for the last two weeks all he's been doing is screaming his head off every time we're not in his sight or close enough. Even when he's out and he's near us he'll now just scream. I have to wear headphones because it's affected my left ear. It's almost a non-stop thing. Yesterday he did it all day long even though he had spent some time with me. I was really frustrated.

[truemedian]

Dog the Bounty Hunter's Parrot Gifted by Late Beth Has Died

Dog the Bounty Hunter African Grey Parrot Dies ... Gift From Late Wife

5/7/2020 12:40 AM PT

Exclusive One of the last reminders Dog the Bounty Hunter had of his late wife, Beth, is now gone too ... the African grey parrot she gifted him years ago has passed away. We're told the parrot, a female dubbed Baby Bird, died Wednesday morning and just days after the bird started plucking its feathers ... a behavioral problem that can cause them physical harm like infections from open sores. We're told Dog believes the cold climate in Colorado may have possibly led to her death.

Rainy Robinson Our sources say Beth gave Dog Baby Bird a few years ago ... and in that short span Baby Bird, as most smart parrots often do, started mimicking how Beth said "hello" while also blurting out phrases like "Bail Bonds." Baby Bird also learned how to say "Francie" ... a nod to Dog's new fiancee. We're told these are just some of the reasons why Dog -- an avid animal lover -- is devastated by Baby Bird's sudden passing. However, he feels comforted knowing Baby Bird is now by Beth's side. Baby Bird was 3.

Read More Read the full article

[charliebirddd]

Why is my bird plucking? Non-Medical Causes of Feather Plucking

(Here is a thing I wrote for a Wordpress blog! Contains academic sources!)

Feather plucking in birds can be a confusing situation. Sometimes birds pluck themselves, sometimes they pluck other members of the flock; the cause can be a medical issue or the cause can be a behavioral problem. In this post, we'll take a look at the non-medical side to feather plucking.

Note: If your bird is plucking, please do not try to diagnose the cause on your own. Seek veterinary care, as the plucking could be caused by an underlying condition.

Birds are incredibly smart creatures, and without the proper environment and stimulation, they can turn to self-mutilation. Likely causes for behavioral-based plucking include stress, separation anxiety, lack of enrichment/interaction and attention seeking. It's also important for bird owners not to encourage behavioral plucking, especially if plucking is used as an attention grabber.

However, in a study called "Nonmedical Factors Associated with Feather Picking in Pet Psittacine Birds," published in the 2014 issue of Journal of Avian Medicine and Surgery, researchers found that some species are more inclined to pluck. They found that African greys and cockatoos were more likely to pluck than other birds. A few other studies included macaws and eclectus parrots as being more likely to pluck. The researchers also found that rescue birds and birds given more than eight hours of out-of-cage-time were more likely to pluck.

So why would African greys and cockatoos be singled out as the most likely to pluck? African greys are extremely intelligent birds -- they're compared to human toddlers for a reason. Their intelligence may lend them to be more likely to suffer from lack of interaction and enrichment and turn to feather plucking. Cockatoos are also intelligent birds, but lean toward the affectionate side. Cockatoos crave socialization, and if they are denied that, especially if it is a single bird, they may pluck due to separation anxiety, lack of interaction or attention-seeking behavior.

On the flip side, over-stimulation can lead to plucking and feather damaging behaviors, too. Lack of sleep or downtime and constant noise (think young children playing or a noisy neighborhood) are examples of over-stimulation that are likely to cause stress and possibly feather plucking.

Mating behavior and territorial behavior may also lead to feather plucking. Either of these could lead to one bird plucking its flockmate. If this occurs, the owner needs to separate the two to prevent further aggression.

Why is your bird plucking? Even on the behavior-based/non-medical side, there is a plethora of reasons why a bird may pluck. Other research, which wasn't even discussed in this article, cites cage placement, sex and obsessive grooming as causes. It can be difficult to pin down the exact reason. The best way to answer the "why" is to evaluate yourself, your bird and your relationship. If you are able to examine your bird's behavior, diet, sleep schedule, toys, etc., you can narrow down your possible causes.

A vet can help you diagnose the cause of your bird's plucking, as well as correct it.

[all-for-pets]

The African grey parrot’s ability to talk and mimic sounds makes this medium-sized parrot a captivating companion. African grey owners often report that their greys oftentimes talk in context and seem very attuned to their people’s emotions. The African grey parrot is not just a top talker — this bird is also known for its extreme intelligence, which gives them the moniker “The Einsteins of the Bird World.”

Care & Feeding

There’s a reason why the African grey is often considered the poster bird for parrot intelligence — not only is this bird inclined to amass a large vocabulary, African greys also demonstrate an aptitude for recognizing the meaning of words and phrases.

The grains and seeds are mostly whole and formed into a berry shape, it encourages African greys to hold, nibble, and even play with the Nutri-Berries. This mimics the foraging that African greys do in the wild.

African grey parrots are more prone to deficiency in vitamin-A/beta-carotene, and therefore benefit from eating vegetables high in beta-carotene, such as cooked sweet potato and fresh kale. Vitamin-D deficiency is another concern, especially for greys on a poor diet. Offering a balanced, pelleted diet, such as Nutri-Berries, for the main diet of an African grey helps prevent vitamin and mineral deficiencies. A grey that consumes a pelleted diet generally does not need vitamin supplements added to its food.

Personality & Behavior

Most bird keepers believe that only an experienced bird enthusiast should keep a grey. They are complex parrots, highly sensitive, and more than a little demanding. They are also charming and brilliant, but this match of sensitivity and brains can lead to behavioral issues. They are creatures of habit, and even a small change in routine can make a sensitive grey unhappy. They are prone to plucking and chewing their feathers, among other bad habits. Anecdotally, the TAG has a hardier attitude and may be better for households with a lot of people coming and going. The CAG prefers a little less chaos.

African greys are social parrots that need a lot of hands-on time, however, they aren’t “cuddlebugs.” They will tolerate some head scratching and a little bit of petting, but they do not appreciate intense physical contact, though some individuals don’t mind a little snuggling. Every bird has individual tastes and preferences. A grey can also become a “one person bird,” even if every member of the household socializes with it from the beginning.

African greys need plenty of toys that challenge their intelligence, such as foraging and puzzle toys.

Speech & Sound

Much of the grey’s appeal comes from its talking ability. It is among the best talkers in the parrot family, able to repeat words and phrases after hearing them just once or twice. This bird reaches full talking ability around a year of age, and most individuals become capable mimics much earlier.

Not only will a grey develop an outstanding vocabulary, research has shown that this species can come to understand what it’s saying. The most famous CAG, Alex, and his colleague, Dr. Irene Pepperberg, may be the reason for the popularity of this species, and certainly for its high profile. Alex and Dr. Pepperberg worked together for 30 years at Brandeis University until his unfortunate death in 2007, due to a catastrophic event associated to arteriosclerosis (“hardening of the arteries”). In their three decades of research, Dr. Pepperberg taught Alex to recognize and identify objects, colors, and shapes. Alex could also understand the concepts of same and different, category, and could even count objects. Though Alex was on his way to much more complex thought processes, including how to read, his fellow African greys Griffin and Arthur (AKA “Wart”) are continuing to work with Dr. Pepperberg trying to reach the point that Alex had reached and even further.

But just because greys are smart and may choose to talk rather than scream, it’s a mistake to believe that they aren’t noisy. They aren’t as loud or persistent as some of the South American species, but they will learn household sounds and use them tirelessly to the dismay of guardians. Imagine the microwave beeping incessantly, or a cellphone ringing madly without the luxury of turning it off.

Health & Common Conditions

African greys are especially susceptible to feather picking, calcium deficiency, vitamin-A and vitamin-D deficiency, respiratory infection, psittacosis and psittacine beak and feather disease (PBFD).

source: African Grey Parrot Personality, Food & Care – Pet Birds by Lafeber Co.

[windycityparrot]

How And Some Of The Why's African Greys Molt Differently Than Other Parrots

Your African grey may have upwards of 8000 feathers. Feathers keep a bird warm, dry and enable flight.   For a molt to occur, the old feather must be removed. Before molting begins blood vessels that support the feathers dry up so the attached feather becomes loosened by the surrounding tissue. Thus if a molt is occurring naturally, the feather follicle (bud) will start a new feather before the old one has completely left the bird's body. editors note: When folks walk into the shop and tell me they have  an african grey they are alway taken aback when I ask "what kind"? Actually more like a deer in the headlights.          African greys come in 2 flavors Congo and Timneh. Congos can weigh up to 450 grams, Timnehs - 300 grams (a Pategonian conure is bigger than a Timmy) Thus a Timneh may need a smaller perch, food size - just an fyi. end note In a simplified way yes, the new feathers push out the old feathers.   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WW-oPni7K8M Usually downy feathers in healthy parrots are used to stay warm in a cool environment. Duster birds like cockatoos, African greys and cockatiels have down that disintegrates.   The resulting dust creates a lubricant and waterproof substance. The dust/powder is spread across the bird's body as the bird preens.   African greys (as well as Amazons and Cockatoos) will first have what's called a baby molt at around eight months old. Smaller birds may start as soon as they are fledged.   Most birds molt once a year.   These cute little soft downy feathers will seem to explode from your bird's body requiring lots of vacuuming.   Then about three months later (11 months old) a grey will start the real molt.   Usually starting with the outer wings, molting is perfectly symmetrical. What is ever lost on the right side of the body is lost on the left side of the bird’s body.   The inner wing feathers will follow. Next the tail feathers onto the contour feathers and so on.   An African grey gets it’s shape and coloring from the contour feathers which are the outermost ones on their bodies. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dbSKTncrwLE That first molt can take up to three years.   It's important to note here that although feathers seem dead in that you can cut them like a human’s hair and nails As feathers are coming in they will have blood inside the shafts.   A feathers shaft will have a purple blue color when its still alive and if the feather shaft gets cut it will bleed a lot.   The feather shafts starts as a hollow base which is named a quill or calamus. The rest of the feather shaft is called a rachis.   Small barbules on top of individual barbs which are the feathery side or vane of the feather keep the feathers "zipped”.   If a feather breaks during that growth, it usually should be removed either by you or your veterinarian but it needs to be done sooner or later because of bird can easily bleed out and die - yes from blood loss of a single feather.   This is why it's a good idea should you elect to clip your bird, never do it during the molt because you may be cutting into feathers whose shafts are filled with blood.   After the baby molt all the feathers basically come out on the second molt which will occur at about 18 months of age.   During the secondary molt all the baby feathers are replaced by adult feathers.   If you take a look at your African grey's tail after the molt you’ll see that end of baby tail feathers kind of almost look smudged or black.   If your bird is healthy he or she will only lose a couple of feathers from each side of the body at a time.   The secondary molt comes on quicker than the first molt but will be ongoing for several months during which time all the feathers will be replaced.   Diet plays an important part in the molting process as a bird's metabolism increases up to 30%.   Pellets are recommended to be introduced but if your bird is on a seed diet a full range supplement should be introduced to ensure proper nutrition.   Light cycles play a huge part in signaling birds when to molt. Unless you have full spectrum lighting over the cage on a timer with lights coming on and off every 12 hours your bird is relying on ever changing North American lighting cycles.   The circadian clock, located in the pineal gland containing a group of cells that chemically isolate, which is their way of "ticking" much like musicians use metronomes.   This can be very confusing to a bird and is one of the leading causes of screaming, plucking and other hormonal behavior.   Many chemicals affect the molt. Cytokine (chemokines) - is used in cellular communication and it's been noted that this signaling chemical increases at the beginning of a molt.   Melatonin is the actual chemical that signals the bird when to molt but it has nothing to do with feather loss or growth. It's a hormone and it is found in the pineal gland. Melatonin is considered the timekeeper hormone.   LH (Luteinizing Hormone aka Interstitial Cell Stimulating Hormone or ICSH) is the hormone that gets ovulation started in female birds and in male birds it triggers testosterone production.   Progesterone is created in the ovaries of birds during their reproductive cycle.   Thyroxin (thyroid hormone) is given to chickens in a near toxic level in order to trigger their molt but we are not sure if this hormone triggers a pet bird's molt. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NpVo4TB6Phw   If your bird is exhibiting brooding behavior like crawling under the couch or looking for boxes (nests) to crawl into or being extraordinarily snuggly with one person they may be going through a reproductive cycle.   Nutrition plays an even more critical role because nutrients are being depleted by the calorie burn from both the molt and the reproductive cycle.   As I stated before if your artificial lighting is not synchronized with normal sunrise and sunsets bird might experience abnormal molt cycles.   If you're observing abnormal feather formation, that usually points to a poor diet and/or the bird is under stress.   Birds can be stressed by the simple moving of a piece of furniture or piece of artwork on the wall so it's important to pay attention to your birds demeanor.   If you haven't been weighing your bird on a regular basis and your bird has been experiencing health problems that you've not noticed, a molt can often bring these health problems to the surface.   You may want to bring your bird in for a checkup during a severe molt to avoid making the problems worse than they already are.   You'll also want to look for things called stress bars on your birds feathers and insure the feathers are getting a constant blood level of nutrients. If the bird is too warm or too cold or other environmental issues, all can all lead to feather stress bars.   Molting can also be a gateway to feather plucking as the bird tries to remove the annoying pending feathers coming into its body.   Rub your bird’s head in the middle of a molt and you'll feel hundreds of tiny needles coming out of their scalp - please be extra kind during "the molt". written by mitch rezman approved by catherine tobsing your zygodactyl footnote via GIPHY Read the full article

[windycityparrot]

The Ultimate Guide To How are African Grey Parrots to Keep as Pets

The question “How are African Grey Parrots to keep as pets?” came from Quora “Come on, fess up! You’ve done the unthinkable. You've actually thought of getting an African Grey but the horror stories of screaming, biting and plucking keep you "centered" or "sane". What if you had a mentor?  That's why you have me! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQvsjgrJoak I love Quora. I love to argue.  I love setting the record straight. The single most important lesson I learned in outside commission sales over 20 years was, God gives you one mouth and two ears that should be used in the same proportion. Regarding that first answer on Quora, Don't you find it unnerving to hear some one dictate the actions you should take based upon a question asked of you, without knowing your life’s skill set? Him: “Do you have an avian vet? No”   Me: I didn't have an avian vet - until - I knew I was certain to be getting a bird.  Board certified Avian vets are hard to find. According to the American Veterinary Medical Foundation there were only 114 in the US in 2016. Which begs the question do you really need a board-certified avian veterinarian?  To be a board-certified avian veterinarian you must know about almost every species of bird on the planet which is about 10,000.  You need to know about chickens, seagulls, raptors and so forth. A veterinarian that specializes in exotics can be very well equipped to care for a mere several hundred species of hook bills, wax bills, horn bills and soft bills. Our veterinarian  Dr Byron DeLa Navarre Is not a board-certified avian veterinarian but he does travel around the globe teaching other veterinarians the latest exotic trends and surgical techniques on species like geckos and snakes.  He's a pretty bright guy and I trust him explicitly with our birds.

Editors note. You would think human doctors have it easy dealing with only one species and not having to guess about their sex. At Windy City parrot we are very sensitive to knowing your bird's species. Telling me you have an African Grey is only half the information I require. Congo Grey Parrots vary in weight between 400-650 grams depending on the diet of individual birds. Timneh Greys vary in weight between 275-400 grams. Thus some Congo Greys can be almost twice the size of some some Timneh greys. Timneh African Grey parrots have deeper shades of dark charcoal feathers – gray color on their wings and back while sporting maroon tails. Congo Greys have a red tail and possibly even more red throughout its feather system. The red factor (video above) stretches things a bit don't you think? When I interact with "Grey" companions they are more often than not caught off guard when I ask them "what kind of African Grey"? They usually have to stop and think about the fact that there is more than one species of grey parrots. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=thGFpnt6LBo To put things in a more granular perspective, an Alexandrine parakeet can weigh almost as much as a Timneh African Grey. The patagonus sub species of Pategonian conure weighs 315-390g making it almost the size of a small Congo Grey. Yes that’s right, a conure the size of a grey. Once we know the sub species of your grey parrot we can more accurately talk about nutrition, bird toys, cage accessories and bird cages. Depending upon the size of said grey parrot, you have two stories to tell about the maintenance of these two distinct grey subspecies. Let's start out by talking about Timneh Greys. In that birds are flock animals, they enjoy a social setting. We advocate putting a new bird regardless of history, in the most active area of the home so that they can enjoy human interactions and participate with their human flock as much as possible (this holds true for any new bird). Even if the bird came from an abusive home or poor environment (basement/garage) let him or her see that interactions with other flock mates is a positive experience and nothing to be afraid of. Contrary to popular belief I feel that it is wrong to let a bird quietly settle into his surroundings. Isolation will only make the bird more skeptical and skittish. I shot the video below after getting peaches our Senegal. I put her on multiple stands and in a few birdcages including a travel cage and took her to work. It keeps a bird off balance but keeps her interest up while looking to you for stability. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GfHID6m4Aqw Fast forward nine months later and Peaches has settled in quite nicely both at home, weekend home and work in a small part to the constant interaction between the two of us and others in the household as well as customers who come into our bird supply store. Cages can be purchased new, or used on Craigslist for pennies on the dollar) and you can buy lots of expensive toys or make your own. We give you some ideas here in with a couple of videos below. As far as FaceTime I think as long as you're in the room with the bird and the bird knows you're there, you're golden. I don't know a bird or human who really wants six hours of FaceTime with someone else. Personally, and please take no offense to this (my readers) but at some point during the evening I need to shut down and not talk to any of you. The noise of the several hundred thousand people we interact with on social media and email and on the website can be deafening throughout the day. So I like to binge watch Netflix and Amazon or read from my Kindle Fire. Getting back to the point, I used my good friend Kim for a brilliant example of a new Timneh African Grey pet bird keeper. I spoke about her in another recent post about the pros and cons of having a pet bird.

It is said that having a pet bird is the equivalent of having a two or three-year-old autistic child in a feather suit who speaks another language which could be quite trying. Kim has been running a daycare for 25 years dealing with two and three-year-olds en masse. Her words to me were “who better to care for an African Grey parrot”? I recently wrote Kim with a quote from Mark Twain that really explains her: “She was not quite what you would call refined. She was not quite what you would call unrefined She was the kind of person that keeps a parrot.” Yes, digression is my middle name :-) Point is wouldn't a mother who spent 5 or 10 or 20 years raising children be an ideal candidate for keeping a parrot? Or did I miss the memo that children are no longer noisy, messy and require socialization? The world is about supply and demand. Worry less about the origin of the bird and more about the care of the bird. Think about how you tortured your mother for all those years. A bird just might be a cake walk for anyone with parenting skills to draw from. We strongly encourage adoption. We work with local rescues here in the Chicago area. Unfortunately there is not always a bird rescue near you with a particular species of bird that you are seeking. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zG-4fxBeF9g sorry about the dubbing but this was the best vid (so far) illustrating the differences between the two African grey sub species There's also the universe is too complicated to be arbitrary method of bird acquisition: We pulled Popcorn from a bush after a call from a woman two blocks away from the Birdie Boutique. Bacon was found in a tree across from the shop. When we decided to get our next big bird, I casually mentioned a Senegal would be really cool. Three weeks later one showed up at my door delivered by a rescue volunteer (who has known us for many years). Peaches is 111 g, the term big bird is relative. "hmmmmm" As one reader pointed out, "it's not the fault of breeders which everyone likes to blast". If there wasn't a demand then there wouldn't be any breeders. Saying breeders should be banned is like saying porn is disgusting, evil and should be censored - and everyone agrees, yet Pornhub is the 38th most visited website on the Internet. Visited more than Wordpress.com (41st), MSN.com (42nd) and Microsoft.com (48th). Once you've made the decision to acquire a bird be it an African Grey or any parrot for that matter it's time to seek out an avian veterinarian. You want to interview him or her getting insights on their current avian patient base. Their views on the use of Lupron to treat bird hormonal issues? How they feel about light affecting circadian rhythms? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6cTdSGVMZ4I Veterinarians are also a good source for "sourcing" your future pet bird (or cat or dog or gerbil). They know where the good and bad birds come from. They have insights into people looking to re-home animals. Editors note: There is only ONE species of dog. Don't look at your (potential) veterinarian as simply a source of veterinary advice and care.  If they can't help you holistically with regards to nutrition, housing, foraging and enrichment, perhaps they are not suited to be your bird’s veterinarian. Veterinarians can also be a great source for finding your next pet. They know the patients and the breeders. If you're looking for a bird and you can't find it at a rescue, or don't have a bird rescue reasonably close, start your pet bird (or any pet) search with local veterinarians. Editors note: If you live in a rural area with no access to a veterinarian competent in avian species, a bird may not be your best choice of pet. There's always the problems of medical emergencies, questions of day-to-day nutrition and housing. You are going to need a go to veterinary authority especially with animals that live for decades.. We can help you out with just about all of your birds environmental needs inside and outside the bird cage. We can't and won't answer veterinary related questions because we're not qualified. Think about it in terms of having a team - veterinary - environmental - day-to-day caregiving as necessary to maintain the equilibrium of an animal that's been evolving for 99 million years - literally. Circling back to the original question, we never really touched on Congo African Greys. Our simple advice is bigger bird bigger brain. Congos are going to be somewhat more demanding, louder and a bit more complex than Timneh African Greys. Bird toys need to be bigger for Congo's Greys over Timneh Greys. The size of the food has to be offered accordingly. Cage size might be based upon the bird’s wingspan and/or lifestyle. Other than that we’re back to having a three-year-old autistic child in a feather suit that's entire lot in life is to make a mess. Birds were put on the earth to spread seeds across the land. Unfortunately they don't understand the difference between the waterholes on the Serengeti Plains of Africa, the ground under the rain forest canopy and your new Pergo floor. They don't know the difference between a $200 play stand and a $5000 armoire, both offer wood to chew. It's all something to be tongue tested and tasted. It's up to you the captive bird keeper to guide the bird towards right decisions. Place in front of them the right things to eat, chew and land upon (should you choose to keep them flighted), much like teaching a child who doesn’t know what hot is until they burn themselves. Thus keeping a Timneh or Congo African Grey, an Eclectus parrot, an Indian Ringneck, a Caique or a Sun Conure will always have its nuances but will have a similarity of experience that one must be prepared for in order to keep any kind of parrot is a pet. Something to ponder:  It takes African Greys longer to mature than many other species. Young African Grays may be part of the family group for many years before entering the flock as a flock member seeking a mate. And this is where it gets really interesting: This would explain the African Grey parrot re-bonding with another human in the household out of the blue. Remember - there's 99 million years of DNA at work here, literally. So maybe, just maybe, African Greys are not being irrational but are moving away from whoever brought them up first (mom/dad) in their search for a mate to grow old with. In the bird's mind, instinctually this helps prevent inbreeding and keeps the gene pool strong and deep. In other words, the initial caregiver human is seen as a parent while the next human to bond with, is a flock mate. written by mitch rezman approve by catherine tobsing your zygodactyl footnote https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QnnOx178Z64   Click to Post

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The Truth Is You Are Not The Only Person Concerned About What Are The Pros And Cons Of Having A Pet Bird?

What are the pros and cons of having a pet bird? was asked on Quora. This answer motivated me to set the record straight. Pros If you do it right, you're going to have a loving companion animal for the next 60 years. Cons, If you do it wrong, you're going to have a very unhappy bird for the next 60 years. They can live sixty years or more. They're loud (a cockatoo’s scream has been measured at over 100db, compared to 130db for a jet engine at 100 feet). They throw food. They throw tantrums. They can inflict a very serious bite; I have the scars to prove it. These are not domesticated animals. They are only one generation from their cousins in the wild. They're wild animals that have adapted to captivity and unpredictability is to be expected. They aren't potty trained and shit anytime the need arises. They chew…everything! They are extremely intelligent and require constant interaction, 6-8 hours a day… minimum. Their cages need to be cleaned a minimum of once a day, preferably more, or you're going to have a very stinky bird. Their food and water dishes must be monitored several times a day and freshened up accordingly. They need annual check-ups by a qualified avian vet, not your garden variety dog and cat vet. These check ups often cost hundreds of dollars. They require roomy cages costing hundreds of dollars. They must constantly be supplied with a variety of expensive toys, around $20 each. They require specialized diets. If I think of any others, I'll make the necessary edits. You'll see the other answers I am "reacting" to on the Quora question here We need to look at this question rationally. Applying a list of bullet points to the term "pet bird" is naïve at best. Call me crazy (and many do) when I think of pet birds I think of all the types of birds that are kept in cages by humans. That's a lot of bird species, actually more than 500 species of birds and parrots. Some parrots do live 60 years or more. Smaller species like canaries and budgies live 10 to 20 years. When someone says a cockatoos scream has been measured at over 100 dB, to be clear that's an Umbrella or Moluccan cockatoo and it's actually 139 dB. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FxUo2YZorNY The naïve part comes in that there are about 30 species of cockatoos. There's white cockatoos, salmon colored cockatoos (Galahs - Major Mitchells) and black cockatoos. Major Mitchell cockatoos don't make great pets I'm told but they're also not very noisy. Goffin cockatoos are actually very sweet. If you're a purist you know that cockatiel's were re-classified as the smallest cockatoo (see classification below). I've yet to hear a 100 dB cockatiel-too and I've heard a lot of cockatiel's. Scientific classification Cockatiel Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Aves Order: Psittaciformes Family: Cacatuidae Subfamily: Nymphicinae Genus: Nymphicus Wagler, 1832 Species: N. hollandicus Scientific classification - Cockatoo Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Aves Order: Psittaciformes Superfamily: Cacatuoidea Family: Cacatuidae G. R. Gray 1840 Genera Probosciger Callocephalon Nymphicus Calyptorhynchus Eolophus Lophochroa Cacatua   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pIzm3oF8qsw We have a Senegal parrot - she's 111 g. On a good day her screeches might wake a child up - or not. She throws no food, she just drops on the floor because she chooses to forage all day long. She passes on her open feeder dishes of food for the most part. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QCxNFRSvVe4 In the mean time I'll stop here and shift gears for a moment. In a former life I raised dogs for 25 years. I've had dogs rip up houseplants, destroy couches and in my mushing days they would bite me until I bled and threw me from my sled causing broken ribs, new frostbit fingers and fractured bones. We, my dog sled racing partner, a veterinarian even clipped one of our dogs vocal cords because it wouldn't shut up 24/7. Nothing would work including bark collars. There's no ideal pet. Turning back to the subject of birds again, we have a good friend recently got a Timneh African grey as her first bird. When somebody says they have an African grey I always ask them what kind (along with macaws and cockatoos because of the multitude of species and sizes) Timey's are two thirds the size of Congo African Grey parrots. She's a good friend and we chatted about this for probably two years where I constantly injected doses of reality in the conversation. A few weeks ago she shows up with the bird. I smiled. She looked me in the eye and said "I thought a lot about what you told me. But you know that I run a world-class daycare and have been taking care of 10 to 20 toddler's every day for the past 20 years. I don't see the bird is a big challenge I see her as something to help bring more life into our home". 'nuff said I was recently at the Chicago Cage Bird Club rescue in Villa Park Illinois. They currently have 75 birds ranging from finches to Green wing macaws. I asked which ones with the problem birds? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FtoQudLXhk8 The volunteer staffer said the biggest problem is plucking self-mutilation. I said what about the screamers? She said they all really keep each other entertained in a pretty calm day in and day out. If a pet bird bites you, it's your own damn fault. For some reason captive bird keepers feel that receiving a bite now and then is acceptable. It is not. Peaches our Senegal is a one-person bird, she's in love with me. We learned early on that when Catherine my wife walks by, Peaches will give me a warning peck if she's on my shoulder. Guess what? We learned to keep our separation when I was handling Peaches. We are now working to gently allow some sort of physical interaction between the two of them to reduce the biting. A biting parrot needs to be trained not to bite and done so with positive reinforcement usually starting with clicker training. Birds and parrots (as well as dogs) are morally agnostic do not understand "no" or "bad bird". The words were lost on them don't waste your breath Shifting gears if you really pay attention to your cage set up and I have set up hundreds of birdcages literally, you can create an environment where 100% of the poop lands on the floor of the cage. Feathered factoid: Most birds when in their comfort zone i.e. not traveling poop every 15 minutes. Try returning the bird back to it's cage or cage top during that cycle. We have four budgies, many weekends we leave on Friday evening and come back on Sunday evening. The cage doesn't get cleaned for two and half days - whoopdy do. The biggest issue is hulls from the two millet spray's we leave them for the weekend. editors note: you can not leave a dog alone for 2 days. I keep a small wet vac under the budgies cage and a Hoover not far from the Senegal's cage which also addresses the errant popcorn on the floor that I leave while watching TV at night. If you want to make cleaning cages a chore at your choice. Here's a video that I shot why cleaned to cages and six minutes. Don't let that hold you back from getting a bird. Birds poop is not very stinky. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ghkn57fQw_A Peaches sits in a swing that I've strung under a reading lamp in our bedroom. I keep a dozen pieces of newspaper layered on top of the nightstand. When she poops I toss where the top piece of paper. We do that in her cage too. A dozen layers of newspaper in every day or two we remove a layer of newspaper. No grate to clean. Peaches who is learning to fly at the ripe old age of eight does poop anywhere. So we control where anywhere is. She's always on her cage, a stand or accessory that has disposable paper under where she might poop so cleaning her poop isn't much of a chore. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_dB--06PA_4 Both cages get fresh commercial bird food every other day and topped off in between. Water dishes get changed twice a day and I keep a tub of backup dishes for both cages so that I always have dry dishes to offer fresh water in the mornings and evenings All the birds enjoy large romaine lettuce leaves daily The budgies have a water bottle that we fill with bottled water and replace that every 24 hours but it also ensures that they have freshwater the 48 hours we are gone over the weekend. The size of the cage is relative the lifestyle of the bird if the bird is out of the cage for many hours during the day it does need of the cage. A good-sized flight cage for budgies can be found for under $200 with the stand. I don't know anyone who interacts with the bird for 6-8 hours a day - minimum. What when I talk about with ta canary for six hours? Maybe play canary singing albums? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=frI0HQYJXVg Peaches comes to work with me everyday weather permitting. She hass a cage for one there's open doors in the shop. She is a stand inches away from my left elbow and a very nice stand 6 feet in the air with gateways between the two and a swing in between. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DDmD9aM1yZA Once you want some attention she climbs down or flies down to my desk and sidestepped slowly slipping her head underneath the palm of my hand forcing me to stop typing and provide scratches on demand. So this a few minutes several times a day but not hours. You can tell by her chortles - she's one happy little bird. editors note: A large cage filled with finches is like a living breathing floral arrangement require little time care https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P4Y40IzYIYA Parrots need toys for privacy and interaction. They like to chew. You can spend $20-$30 or more on a bird toy for a big parrot or you can give that bird a phonebook. The result will be the same. The bird wants to chew and is just looking for an opportunity. Your Job Is a bird keeper is to avoid allowing the bird to chew furniture or something valuable as they don't know the difference. Unlike dogs and cats birds do need specialized diets. We sell 26 brands bird and parrot food and can work with any Bird keeper I'm providing the proper nutrition to your pet bird. Not only that will teach you how to keep the waste down. A well bird checkup with a full blood panel with a qualified avian veterinarian will run between $200 and $300 which is what you'll spend on a dog or cat once a year with all the tests, treatments and required shots and licenses. The single biggest fact that is opaque to most people is house marked birds are. That's the biggest challenge along with people not taking the time to learn how to "speak bird." They are special. I called three dimensional pets because they can fly. Feeling Peaches feathers rub against my ear and neck gives me the chills because it's so soft and sweet. Teaching her how and where to land is enormously rewarding. If having a pet bird was easy everybody would be doing it. Pet birds even the small ones require a much broader learning curve the most mammalian pets. Feel free to message us on Windy City Parrot's Facebook page for any care information you need on any species of pet bird 24/7 written by mitch rezman approved by catherine tobsing your zygodactyl footnote https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=coVhwOC7_GI   Click to Post

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What factors affect the lifespan of parrots?

One day I'll stop apologizing for stepping on toes. Although I have great respect for my esteemed associate who answered this question previously (on Quora)  I have a totally different point of view. The most influential factor in determining the lifespan of any companion bird in captivity, in and of itself - is daylight and the daily duration of light vs darkness. 50 million years of hard wiring for an animal to believe that he or she can go where they want anytime changes the moment they occupy a bird cage. Unfortunately many captive birds do die of malnutrition. Many captive bird owners mistakenly believe that human food in the form of something called “chop” can replace commercial bird food that has been researched and produced under exacting conditions for dozens of years. There is also a misconception about seed diets. According to Mark Hagen, the creator of Hagen bird food who happens to have a Masters Degree in agriculture. “The most dramatic nutrient problem with seed based diets is not their deficiencies, which can be met with supplements, but their excesses of fat which can not be removed prior to feeding. Fat levels in the three most commonly eaten seed kernels are so high that these seeds are referred to as “oilseeds”. Although safflower is a smaller and less palatable oilseed than sunflower, its fat content is, in fact, higher than sunflower. All birds may not like the bitter taste of safflower and thus tend to eat a larger variety of seeds when eating a diet based on it. Read more here Withholding seeds from a bird deprives them of the texture they enjoy on their tongue as well as different tastes. We talk about  foraging and enrichment which I'll get to in a moment, but without providing large seeds to an African grey parrot, or parrots in general, the birds are missing out on doing natural tasks like cracking the shell on a hazelnut. Now let's circle back to nutrition. The majority of experts are great proponents of a pelleted diet, Something that supposedly will extend a bird's life expectancy.  Full transparency,  I am an internet retailer bird supplies (we sell no livestock just the supplies). We offer 26 brands of bird food all for captive birds and for 15 years I have been reading labels while entering them into the internet (our website) so I'm familiar with the ingredients of not only the commercial bird foods that we sell but our competitors and the ones we don't sell, for reasons of Our Own. Naming Harrisons & Kaytee in the same sentence is like comparing aged Prime beef versus taco meat. That said, Harrison's contains toasted soybeans. Soy Has been shown to be a plucking trigger and plucking is a common behavior found in African grey parrots. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DgLd5nUR55Q&t=41s That  is why we sell 26 brands of bird food which still really isn't enough because we have to satisfy the dietary requirements of close to 700 + species of captive birds many with unique digestive systems. Most Captive Bird Keepers neglect to offer the birds food with an enrichment delivery system.  Birds are hardwired to work for food.  You can change food a dozen times but it all looks the same to them.  Many birds when offered unlimited food in an exposed bird food dish versus food that is much more difficult to get to will select higher levels of difficulty to feed themselves -  because they are birds. Let's shift gears and talk about lighting. EVERYONE gets lighting wrong.  I will debate anyone publicly on this subject be it a behaviorist or a veterinarian.  No one takes into account when talking about lighting two issues that are at the core of captive bird care. The Inverse Square law of light (an absolute physics law) and circadian rhythms. Let's start with the inverse Square law which I write about in detail here Let's say you have two 25 watt fluorescent tubes in the ceiling emitting a combined 3000 lumens over a bird cage. If the ceiling is 8 feet tall and the cage is six feet tall here’s the math: 3000 lumens are emitted at the source which is the ceiling. 1 foot away, halfway between the ceiling and the cage, it is receiving 1500 lumens. The Top of the cage at six feet is receiving 375 lumens and one foot down from the top of the cage, 3 feet from the ceiling the bird is receiving about 94 lumens of the original 3000 lumen coming from the ceiling. Moral of the story, to get any sort of benefit it is best to have lighting no more than a foot but closer to, 6 inches above the cage. This doesn't have to cost a lot of money. We sell a full spectrum light bulb for as little as $12 that feels great to the birds.  They do not emit UVA or UVB. We’ll sell you a full spectrum bulb with UVA and UVB for about $22 but the addition of UVA and UVB is not going to improve your bird's quality of life nor is it going to help your bird produce more vitamin D. We get a lot of phone calls asking about Full Spectrum Lighting because they want to help their  bird and improve their vitamin D. My first question is always “How do you know your bird is vitamin D deficient? Have you had a full blood screen work up that indicates any vitamin deficiencies because if you have not you're only guessing. If you want to improve vitamin deficiencies it's best to do it nutritionally.” Let's talk about that circadian rhythm thing.  This just blows me away because nobody talks about how Captive Bird Keepers will spend thousands to get the bird to stop plucking. They will whine about their bird screaming,  but they won't spend $10 on a timer to emulate equatorial light cycles. Birds lighting should be direct and top of their cages attached to a timer. Our bird cage lights come on at 8:20 in the morning regardless of daylight savings time which we do not respect.  That indicates to them the day has started. The budgies rarely come out of the cage but our Senegal is out most of the day. She's returned to the Bird cage five or ten minutes before the light goes out on top of her cage signaling to her the precise end of day. Without providing these light signals to our birds they may molt and get hormonal, at arbitrary times.  Without consistent light cycles they are confused and very stressed out which can lower the life expectancy of an African grey or any captive bird for that matter. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IR1NyWoELqg Many of you may have heard of SAD - Seasonal Affective Disorder. It's a human depression related to the change in seasonsand usually happensstarting in fall running through winter. Treatment for SAD can include light therapy (phototherapy) according to the Mayo Clinic. It's a real disorder. Why then do we assume our birds with a much greater sensitivity to light are immune to some sort of avian SAD? The fact is they are not! If we get our birds light cycles in order other positive behaviors will begin to fall into place. If you want to learn more about the science of The bird of time: cognition and the avian biological (circadian) clock click here The temperature of a parrot’s physical environment is important but doesn't need to be overstated.  We live in an 1800 square foot apartment with a nine and a half foot ceilings meaning that the furnace has to heat more than 17000 cubic feet.   We choose to keep the thermostat set to 65 in the winter but all the birds have heated thermal perches and or heated cage panels as well as oil-filled electric radiator heaters next to each bird cage providing necessary warm year-round. Heat the cage not the home. Generally speaking if you are warm your parrots are warm and if you are cold your parrots are cold  which makes your bird's comfort zone easy to determine. In summation, it's important to look at any bird's environment holistically. Meaning: nutrition - cage environment - lighting/light cycles - out of the cage environment - clipped or flighted - training  - sexuality - species - foraging/enrichment opportunities - exercise - frequency of bathing - other feathered flock members - human flock members. You will not solve your bird’s problems by reading answers on Quora,  watching a couple of webinars, or googling questions while working through endless YouTube videos. What you are facing is dealing with an animal having the intelligence of a 3 or 4 year old (autistic) child in a feather suit. If you're not ready to make that commitment - get a hamster not a bird. written by mitch rezman approved by catherine tobsing your zygodactyl footnote Click to Post

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Why do green parrots have no green feather pigments and why are their feathers different from other bird feathers?

Hi Mitch I recently inherited a Yellow Naped Amazon and love her to pieces, but not being a bird person previously, I could use some advice. He is guessed to be about 50 years old, actually, I was told that Rhoda is a female but, she has never laid eggs so they say she is a he! No matter, I have noticed some of his feathers have black coloring on them. Is it true that could be caused by him not getting enough sunlight? His cage is in front of a window, but the window has a sun screen on it. What is needed to provide "sun" for him in his cage? I would also like to purchase a "Happy Hut" for him but I need to know what size I should order.  Thanks for any help you can give me and I welcome any advice! Ginger Oliveira Hi Ginger Congrats on the inheritance - first off should you want to determine the sex of your Zon you can do so here with an easy DNA test for $18. As for the feathers, I’d start by saying if your bird has not been to an avian vet I would strongly advocate a trip to confirm the overall wellness of your bird. That said the color of a parrot's feathers is not so straightforward. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vdi8oIPjmNY Feather color is affected not only by the birds diet and DNA but by who's eyeballs are perceiving the color(s) For example if the bird doesn't have a healthy sheen to it, what you might be seeing is a dark blue but the appearance of blue light-scattering is diminished thus the blue may look muted (black).  It also could be because you’re not seeing the feathers in the correct light and so with the following warning - science lesson ahead - we will try to figure this out for you. Centuries ago (or so it seems) my youngest daughter who’s hair was a never ending explosion of red curls found herself in an elevator with me. She was four. As we were descending, the elevator stopped and a woman entered the soon to be vertically moving cubicle. Before making the turn to face the front of the elevator which apparently is a rule, she looked at my daughter and said: "oh a carrot top" Alix looked her straight in the eye and with as much indignation as a four-year-old could muster, she set the record straight by exclaiming "carrots are green on top!" We all see life through a different lens.  Feathers are considered integumentary structures (organ systems that protect the body from various kinds of damage, such as loss of water or abrasion from outside) which include hair, scales, feathers, hooves, and nails all found in vertebrates. We mere mortals have to rely on complex man-made things like clothing to even begin to mimic the performance of feathers which includes flight.

They promised me a personal jet pack in the 60s. I even watched some knucklehead fly one from the balcony at McCormick Place for some event in my youth. Come on - you’d trade in your not-so-smart-phone for a jet pack in a New York minute?   Feathers enable birds to fly. They provide insulation against the elements. Add waterproofing the list, not to mention that for many species mate selection is based upon feather quality  Feathered factoid: someone who studies feathers for living practices “Plumology.” You need two things to create the incredible colors of parrot feathers. Pigments and a certain micro structural arrangement must exist within the feathers tissues (it’s a light reflection thing that you’ll learn about shortly).  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VdVAipRgvA Pigment colorization in birds comes from three groups: carotenoids, melanins, and porphyrins. Birds (non-parrots) metabolisms are not able to produce the carotenoid molecule. These molecules come from what a bird eats.  Feathered factoid: Pigments have been found to help boost a bird's immune system and provide antioxidants.  Parrots and parakeets represent a little less than 8% (about 700 species is our final guess) of the 9000 to 10,000 species of birds on the planet (take that - dog). So it should be no surprise that parrot feathers have their own class of feather pigments called psittacofulvins.  These parrot-centric pigments are like the carotenoids found in most bird species. They provide the reds, oranges or yellows. Because you won’t find psittacofulvins in a parrot’s blood it is assumed that these pigments are actually synthesized along with feather growth within the follicular tissue. anatomy of a bird's feather  Unlike the color of flamingos feathers which are determined by their diet such as shrimp (which is also why shrimp turn pink when boiled) and algae both high in carotenoids, parrot feather color is unaffected by said carotenoids.  Using cool science gadgets like liquid chromatography to look at red feathers on almost 4 dozen species of feathered parrots, researchers discovered that all red feather parrots use the same suite of five psittacofulvins for the red color in their feathers. If a particular species had a higher concentration of psittacofulvins it had redder feathers. Speaking of redder, sometimes you can have too much of a good thing. If you really want to show your commitment as a caged bird breeders go to the bank today and cash in your kid's college funds because for a mere $100,000 you could tell the world that "red is the new grey" Click here to see this beauty in your home by the end of the week This is where hybridizing feather color runs off the rails.

File under please stop screwing with mother nature. Walk down the hair color aisle in any big box store and you’ll see a mind-numbing rainbow of available hair colors. The manufacturers of these hair colors may have taken a cue from parrots because red parrot feathers alone occupy a huge range of the color spectrum.  You’ll find light pink feathers in Rose Breasted and Major Mitchell Cockatoos having a counterpoint of the deepest of red feathers on Lorikeets. All on the same continent. Something tells me there’s an evolutionary correlation here. Which begs the question - if the majority of parrots are green where is the green pigment coming from? Surprisingly there is no green pigment in parrot feathers. Although a bird’s green feathers appear to be green they are only harboring red and yellow pigments (no orange).  This is where the aforementioned melanins come into play. Melanins determine the lightness or darkness of feather color. Melanin pigment colors are black and brown which turns up and down the shades of a particular color.  How many times in the history of the universe has a child asked a parent “why is the sky blue?” “It’s because of something called the Tyndall effect Johnny.” “Thanks dad, what’s for lunch?” Really that's all you had to tell your inquisitive youngster? They already knew the answer because every kid now has access to google but they asked the question just to annoy you - FYI.  The Tyndall effect occurs when the shortest wavelengths of visible light being blue get scattered broadly across the atmosphere making the sky appear to be blue. Light reflecting off the feather structure is perceived by the combination of feather structure and internal chemistry aka psittacine pigments aka (parrot) carotenoids or psittacofulvine's and the "perceived" feather color is attributable to the Tyndall effect. Remember ...."microstructuralangement must exist within the feathers tissues?" That's the structure to disburse the colors (via light) that you perceive the feather feather colors as. 

Speaking of blue, a blue parrot like a Hyacinth macaw has no psittacin which is what makes it blue. And that porphyrines thing - the third factor. In birds other than parrots, porphyrines help generate red, brown, green and even pink in a number of birds.

Unlike parrots, porphyrines make Turacos (a group of African birds - above) green as an example. we need to move on - end science lesson  It’s good that you want to find proper lighting for your bird. Sunlight is more important to birds than most cage bird keepers realize You can find our birdcage lighting solutions category here.  Windows can be good news bad news for parrots. The good news is the light that they allow in the activity to help keep things interesting for the bird. Sunlight is good for birds but the light coming in through any glass window filters out all the UVA and UVB which may be helpful to your birds overall well-being. Assuming you live in North America the changing of seasons & daylight savings time can wreak havoc with a South American bird’s physiological stature. This is why we like to see full spectrum lighting on a timer for every caged bird.  The downside(s) to the window thing is the problem with predatory birds (hawks, falcons) flying by - your bird may see and does not understand the concept of glass. Self-destructive behavior like feather plucking could be triggered by the unwarranted stress. Further, parrots being prey animals, feel far more secure when the cage is against one or preferably two walls.

 The Happy Hut thing I would suggest you hold off on this for now until you get to know your bird a bit better. What we don’t want to do is encourage brooding activity. But we do want to encourage his socialization with you as opposed to hiding out in its own little tent.  Amazons are highly socialized animals and really enjoy engaging conversation.  Hope that helps  written by mitch rezman approved by catherine tobsing your zygodactyl foot note via GIPHY Click to Post