Birds For Dummies. Gina Spadafori

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alt="Tip"/> For a pet, a single lovebird is best; otherwise, your pair will only have eyes for each other, not for you. Forget that old myth about them dying of loneliness — it just isn’t true. One healthy, well-socialized lovebird will be your contented pal.

      Lovebirds are also popular as aviary birds and for breeding purposes, and many hobbyists are working hard to increase the available varieties of these lovely birds.

      Parrotlets and lineolated parakeets

Photo depicts Parrotlets are packed with personality and love to be part of your life.

      Photograph courtesy of Amy Baggs

      FIGURE 2-3: Parrotlets (like this blue mutation of a Pacific parrotlet) are packed with personality and love to be part of your life.

      A newer arrival to this group is the lineolated parakeet. These vibrant green, yellow, or blue wonders have great potential for companionship and make wonderful friends to hang out with.

      Parrotlets and linnies generally have minimal talking ability, but they’re great fun to handle and to watch. Both can be fabulous to train and can do impressive things! In so many ways, they demonstrate how they’re just big parrots inhabiting a little parrot body!

      Reasonably priced, starting at $150 and going up to $500 or so, parrotlets can and should enjoy a life span of up to 20 years. Linnies are priced at about $300 for a pair and typically have a ten-year lifespan.

      Cockatiels

      The cockatiel is likely the most popular single pet bird species, at least among the parrot family. With crests reminiscent of the larger cockatoo, these birds were, for a while, known as “cockatoo parrots” until the modern coinage of cockatiel, from the Portuguese word cacatilho (meaning “little cockatoo”).

Photo depicts cockatiels are pleasant to live with and come in a range of color mutations.

      Photograph by Kim Campbell Thornton

      FIGURE 2-4: Cockatiels are pleasant to live with and come in a range of color mutations.

      Prices can start at $50 for some of the mass-produced birds, and rise as high as $275, with the cost of most pet cockatiels somewhere in the middle. Hand-raised babies and the rarer colors and patterns are at the higher end of the scale. Life spans for most cockatiels are often quoted to run 10 to 14 years, but again, a bird who starts healthy and is well cared for can live well into the twenties and beyond. In Brian’s practice, birds in their late twenties and early thirties are not uncommon.

      PET BIRDS AND CHILDREN

      Birds can be wonderful companions for children, but sometimes the reverse isn’t so true. Children who are too young or unable to understand the importance of gentle, respectful handling can end up with a dead bird pretty quickly — truly a tragedy for all involved.

      The look-don’t-touch birds such as canaries and other finches are best for very young children. From the age of 8 or so, a child can begin to understand instructions for correctly handling smaller parrots, making budgies and cockatiels a good match for these older children. When kids enter their teens, almost any bird who fits the family’s lifestyle can be a good match.

      In Brian’s experience, children who learn to communicate nonverbally with a bird in a constructive, mutual way often have a great learning experience that stands them in good stead later in life, both with humans and with other animals. Birds can really help to teach us how to be better people, as well as better communicators with other humans and with birds.

      Remember, though, that taking proper care of any pet is the parent’s responsibility. Lead by example. Don’t make the pet the focus of a tug-of-war between you and your child. The lesson of responsibility is a good one to draw from a relationship with a pet, but so, too, are the lessons of compassion, caring, and respect for another living being.

As with budgies, you can find plenty of mass-produced cockatiels with price tags that may seem irresistible. If you’re looking for a healthy, long-term companion, however, the hand-raised bird is a much better bet, even if the price is higher.

      

As interesting as the many variations of cockatiels can be, some health problems have slipped into the mix. Some varieties, such as the white-faced and cinnamon, may develop problems on certain formulated diets. Talk to a veterinarian who is qualified and experienced in avian medicine to determine how to best keep these birds in optimal health and how to detect or avoid early problems.

      Males are usually better at vocalizing, with whistling a specialty. Cockatiels are generally not the best talkers, but males can pick up a few words or phrases. Don’t let the lack of verbosity dissuade you, though: The gentle cockatiel is about as fine an avian companion as you can imagine.

      Medium-size parrots

      Poicephalus

Photo depicts quieter and more easygoing than many other parrots, the Senegal is a good choice for first-time bird owners.

      Photograph courtesy of

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