Parrots magazine - August 2020

In this issue

Parrot News – Please send us your news stories; News from Loro Parque – Parrots enjoy the summer; Complete Psittacine by Eb Cravens – Does Your Parrot Need a Friend? You Might Try One of These?; The Swimming Kakapo – Sirocco surprises everyone; The Holistic Parrot by Leslie Moran – The amazing kiwifruit; Houdini budgie – Leaf’s many escapes; Crimson-fronted Parakeet by Robert Alison; Parrot breeding – Aviaries and nest sites, by Rosemary Low – Think carefully about the location being suitable for the species; Wild Diets – captive options, by Jamie Gilardi, Executive Director, World Parrot Trust; Will protected areas ensure the future of the Tucuman Amazon? By David Waugh, Correspondent, Loro Parque Fundación; Sky to the rescue – Supplying parrot food to the Cockatoo Sanctuary since 2019; Blue-throated Macaws in Bolivia – numbers rising!; Your parrot queries answered – our panel of experts is available to answer all your queries on companion or breeding parrots; Letters; DVDs and Back Issues for sale – a selection of mostly parrot related DVDs and many back issues of this magazine, all with delivery included in the price; Parrots Helpline. If you have a parrot problem – whether it be health, diet, or whatever – you can contact any of the advisors listed here; and lots more…

Mind-bendingly beautiful

Based in Sydney, Australia, science communicator, Bec Crew, has a love for weird and wonderful animals and describes the Eclectus Parrot, “With its intensely pigmented emerald and crimson plumage, the Eclectus Parrot is like a living gemstone.”

2 mins

News from Loro Parque: Parrots enjoy the summer

At this time of year in the latitudes of the Canary Islands we are entering into the summer period.

2 mins

The Swimming Kakapo

Once upon a time, very few people had heard of a Kakapo, “Whatever is that bird,” someone said. The Kakapo is ground dwelling and the largest parrot in weight, which can produce a unique booming sound that can travel considerable distances.

1 min

Crimson-fronted Parakeet

The Crimson-fronted Parakeet (Psittacara finschi), also known as Finsch’s Parakeet or Finsch’s Conure, is a large parakeet found primarily in Central America from Panama to Nicaragua. It is fairly common in deforested areas and agricultural parts of Costa Rica, especially Heredia, Alajuela, Guanacaste, and recently the Valle Central.

2 mins

Parrot breeding Part II: Aviaries and nest sites

In my article in the last issue, I mentioned some of the factors to be considered when setting up breeding aviaries. Think carefully about the location being suitable for the species. When I was curator at Palmitos Park, Gran Canaria, in the breeding centre we had a lovely pair of the rare Purple-bellied Parrots (Triclaria malachitacea) – one of my favourite species.

5 mins

Wild Diets – captive options

Wild parrots get their beaks into all sorts of foods and their tastes change from day-to-day, and season-to-season. During my graduate work in the early 1990’s, I had the privilege of studying large parrot communities in southeastern Peru near the now-famous clay licks along the Manu and Tambopata Rivers. My work specifically focused on what sorts of foods the 17 parrot species we observed (from parrotlets to Macaws) consumed in both dry and wet seasons. Having published those findings with my former advisor, Catherine Toft (see www.psittascene.org) it seemed an opportune time to explore how wild diets can inform our approach to feeding captive parrots. To add depth to the discussion we’ve called upon EB Cravens as well who has graciously offered his thoughts on this topic from his decades of successful natural parrot care. Eb will feature in Part II of this article in the next (September) issue of Parrots magazine.

5 mins

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Parrots magazine Magazine Description:

Parrots magazine is exclusively about parrots and parakeets covering a wide range of topics including how they can become valued companions, behavioural issues, breeding, veterinary and healthcare, conservation, general husbandry and many other interesting aspects about these unique birds. Apart from information being interesting and appealing to readers, the magazine always encourages responsibility and education in order for owners to provide the best care for their birds. Information on shows, conventions and many other visitor attractions. Advertisements from a wide range of suppliers of feeds, accessories, ecotours, vet listing, ‘Lost and Found’ register, and other parrot related items