Pet Bird Beak Health and Trimming

The practice of beak trimming is somewhat controversial, and in making up your mind as to whether or not to trim your bird’s beak, it may be helpful to look at why a bird’s beak may need to be trimmed. The beak of a bird is made up of the jaw bone, which is covered by a sheath of keratin known as rhamphotheca. Keratin is the substance that our fingernails are made up of, and just as our fingernails continue to grow, a bird’s beak continues to grow throughout its lifetime. In the wild, this growth is worn down through the bird foraging for food, eating a hard diet, using its beak to climb, grooming activities and rubbing its beak on abrasive surfaces.

Showing and Displaying

Preparation for showing and displaying of birds typically begins about four months before the date of the show. At this time you should decide which birds you are going to be showing and then place each bird in its own cage to prevent damage to feathers and so on. The birds chosen for showing and [...]

A Closer Look at Beak Problems

Those of us fortunate enough to own one or more feathered friends will understand that it is always a good idea to have at least a basic knowledge of common bird ailments. Forewarned is forearmed, or so they say, and this is especially true when it comes to your bird’s beak. Birds use their beaks for numerous things, so anything could go wrong with it at virtually any time.

CPR Saves Bird Lives

Understanding the principles of Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR), and being able to put these effectively into practice, could result in saving a life. CPR is used extensively for humans, and has a good success rate on domestic animals such as cats and dogs, but few bird owners are aware that CPR can be performed on their pet birds with very positive results.

Why Birds Bite and How to Avoid it

It can be very disappointing to a bird owner when their beloved pet bird starts biting, often for no apparent reason. This may result in a reluctance to handle the bird, which in turn can lead to further behavioral problems. So why do birds bite and what can be done to overcome this problem?

The Important Role of Birds in Pollination

Pollination, whereby pollen grains (male) are transferred to the ovule (female) of a plant, is an irreplaceable step in the reproduction of seed plants. Most plant fruits are unable to develop without pollination taking place and many beautiful flower varieties would die out if not pollinated. Bees and insects are the most common pollinators, but bats and birds are known to do their share in this vital activity. The agent moving the pollen, whether it is moths, bees, bats, wind or birds, is called the “pollinator” and the plant providing the pollen is called the “pollenizer”.

Kiwi Birds

One of the world’s oddest bird species is the kiwi. This New Zealand bird species seems to break all the rules on what it means to be a bird:

Guide to Birds and Birding

Birds are warm-blooded species, that lay eggs in order to reproduce, they are characterized by feathers, hollow bones and forelimbs that are modified as wings. They range in size from tiny hummingbirds to humongous Ostriches and Emus. There are approximately 10 000 bird species in the world that are known to man, making them the most diverse class of terrestrial vertebrates.