Investigations Of Parrot Sounds

Have you ever wondered whether or not those marvelous parrot sounds, human words for example, actually mean anything? Some researchers absolutely think they do. One African Grey parrot expert, Irene Maxine Pepperberg, has worked with two very famous parrots, the first whose name was Alex. Because of the huge vocabulary, of over 1000 words, she was able to teach him, and because he could work identically with other trainers, those in Pepperberg's camp believe that the more intelligent parrots are able to genuinely communicate.

Pepperberg and her colleagues use something called the Model Rival Technique, which requires two trainers, one to give the commands, the other to exhibit the desired behavior. The trainer, or parrot's rival, models both the desired and undesired behavior, and then the parrot is enticed to compete with the trainer for the commander trainer's attention. A deeply-seated animal instinct, rivalry can elicit lots of behaviors, and these behaviors, Pepperberg believes, prove that the brilliant birds have the ability to communicate.

Alex proved a marvelous student. Not only was he able to answer questions for his primary trainer, Ms. Pepperberg, but he was also equally able to answer other trainers as well. But not everyone is convinced. They base their disagreements on a case that occurred in 1907 and a phenomenon that came to be called the "Clever Hans" syndrome. A horse was seemingly trained to do arithmetic problems. At first the results seemed astonishing. But then it was discovered that the trainer was giving subtle clues that the horse picked up. Whether or not the clues were intentionally given, it was proved that the horse really couldn't do low-level math. The difference with Alex seems to be that he can answer the questions given by more than one trainer, and he can do it simply through sound without the trainer even being visible. So at this point you'll just have to decide for yourself!

Alex didn't live the long, full life he was expected to, and no one really knows what caused his demise. On September 6, 2007 he was found dead, but he has not been forgotten. Pepperberg created the Alex Foundation to make money to support her research with other African Grey's.

No matter what you believe about the parrot's ability to truly communicate, there can be no doubt about its intelligence and beauty. With a lot of patience, training, and love, they can do many things in addition to just making parrot sounds.

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3 Steps for Keeping Finches As Pets

There are many different varieties of finches as pets but the common ones are the Society finches and the zebra finches. They remain favorites due to the fact that they are easier to care for and more flexible when compared to other varieties of finches which are more exotic like the Gouldian finches. Keeping Finches as pets are great for bird lovers who would like to keep a charming and magnificent looking bird. Their cheerful singing especially during the mating season is delightful. These birds generally have a cheerful disposition in life.

Color variations for finches as pets

It would depend on the breed and if they are male or female. For example, for zebra finches the males would have a bright red beak, chestnut flanks and black stripes on the chest. There would be slight differences and some of them can be solid whit to gray or have a pencil-line. Some of them have mutations as well as more color. The males are generally more colorful while the females would tend to have lesser variations so that they can easily blend it with the environment.

How do you select finches as pets?

You do not just decide to go inside a pet store and select the finches depending on the color. You would have to check if the bird is healthy. First look for signs of activeness and alertness. Recognize a healthy one by the way they sit, they should sit up tall on the perch with their tight feathering. Some of the birds will have pulled feathers but this is normal and not a sign of illness. If you are going to get a pair make sure that they are compatible at ease with each other without signs of attacking.

How to select a good and quality cage for keeping finches as pets?

If you only have one or two pairs then you can use the cage, the cage must not be made of brass and must be wide enough to have flying space. It must be located safely where it cannot be reached by too much sunlight in order to avoid over heat. It should also be away from too much cold. It must be of the perfect temperature in order for the finches to survive. If you have 3 or more pairs, then you would have to consider creating an aviary in your backyard. Keeping finches as pets you need to have a lot of flying space for their exercise and to prevent stress due to territorial concerns.

The bigger the cage, the better. Make sure that the design that you will make will be enough for all of them as well as for the coming younger birds. If you do not intend to let them multiply and just keep finches as pets, then you must not keep sets of males and females, you can try to place all females and males. For this to work, they must still have other birds to interact with even if they will not necessarily multiply.

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Bird Feeding - A Cheap And Enjoyable Hobby

As the economy continues to deteriorate, families find themselves having to find entertainment and hobbies that they can afford and yet, still enjoy. As a result, more and more families are rediscovery birding or feeding birds as a fun inexpensive hobby.

Bird watching or birding, which is already one of the more popular past times in the country, is destined to become even more popular. Feeding birds has always been a hobby that many people without a lot of money enjoyed. Walk to any city park on a nice day and you may see city residents sitting on the park benches and dropping bread crumbs for the visiting birds. If you own a home, you can do the same thing in your back yard.

Feeding birds is a fun activity that the entire family can enjoy together - the adults as well as the children. You don't need to buy special expensive equipment, you don't have to spend a lot of money traveling to far away places, and you don't have to build your schedule around the timing of specific events. Birds are pretty much active at some sort of activity practically all times of the day giving you plenty of time to enjoy your past time.

The key to attracting birds to your yard is providing them with food. You can even aim towards attracting specific species of birds by placing their food favorites it your back yard feeders. When birds discover that your yard has food, which they eventually will, you may find your yard turning into a virtual aviary.

And, if you have trees or suitable nesting places nearby, you may even find some taking up residence in your back yard to be near the new source of food that they have discovered. You may find that watching some of these bird families are as much enjoyable a attending the latest romantic or action film in the movies.

Finding nourishment to give to the birds is not expensive at all. In fact, you can make quite a few of the recipes yourself. And, you don't have to provide all of the food that the birds eat, you are only supplementing it. It only takes a little food to attract them to your garden or yard.

Introducing your kids to feeding birds teaches them how connected we all are to nature and teaches them to respect it. Feeding birds is also an activity that brings the family closer together. If history is a guide, your kids will look back on this time you spent with them as some of the best times of their lives.

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Pets - Deciding on a Type of Parrot

Having a pet is something that most people consider and love doing these days. We have to admit that having pets is one of the things that could help us get rid of stress which is why most people look for the best pets to take care of. In case you are looking for the best pets, you might want to consider getting your own pet parrot. There are different types of parrots and to help you choose one, here are some things that you should consider before getting one:

- You really need to make sure that you consider your parrot's diet since if your parrot has an imbalanced diet, there is a high risk that your parrot would get sick and might even result to death. You need to be able to consult your veterinarian to check out what kind of food would be perfect for your parrot.

- You also need to consider the lifespan of the parrot. Most of the time, pet owners have a hard time accepting the fact especially when it comes to the illness or death of their pets so be sure to pick those parrots that have a long life span. Losing a pet is just like losing a member of the family so you need to make sure that you pick those that live for a long time.

- It is also important that you know what type of parrot you want to consider as a pet. Parrots have different species and it is important that you have an idea on what particular species you wish to consider so you would be able to easily take care of it. You might need some help from breeders so they would be able to help you take care of your chosen parrot specie.

- You also need to consider the reason for getting a pet. If you plan to be a parrot breeder or not. If you wish to breed parrots, then you should consider getting some professional help and you should also ask what particular specie would be best for breeding purposes. In case you just want to have it as a pet, then you can also ask help so you would be able to take care of it properly.

These are just some of the things that you need to bear in mind before you consider having a pet parrot. Make sure to consider these things properly since it will help you take care of your pet properly.

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Raising Finch Birds

Raising finch birds can be the easiest thing you'll ever do, but it can also be the hardest. It all depends on how you've prepared yourself for the set-up. If you've done your reading and research even before you've taken your new pet home, then you will have been able to make the necessary preparations for them. Not only that, you will have also equipped yourself to handle any potential emergency or problem that you may possibly come across. This is how important preparation is! It can totally alter your experience with these birds!

If you've always wanted to keep finch birds, maybe for future breeding purposes, or simply for household pets, then you can start your education now. We have some invaluable tips on how to raise them right! Read up and learn a thing for too, so your birds go to a happy and healthy home.

Tips for Your Finch Birds

1. Understand the nature of the kind that you get- Finches are social animals, so they naturally look for companions. It would make no sense to buy a single bird. He or she would feel lonely, and probably die in a matter of weeks. Keep your finch happy and engaged by making sure that you get a pair, or even multiple finches.

2. Find out what your pets like to eat- research will tell you what most finch birds eat, but you can also use your powers of observation to see if they prefer one type of food over the other. While you're at it, please don't forget to give them enough water. Lack of either may kill them.

3. Find a way for your pet to get some exercise- a fat or obese finch would not be ideal for breeding. Not only that, in the same way that humans suffer from being fat or obese, finches may also encounter complications from having the same condition. A great way to get your finch birds moving would be to provide them with a spacious cage. Perches and swings are also great additions so they can get some exercise. Lastly, clever placement of their food and water containers may force them to move from one end of the cage to the other to get either.

All these tips amount to finches that are happy and healthy, and believe us when we say that these are the kinds of pet that you want! For more tips on raising finches, don't forget to check our site!

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Parrot Stands For Every Feathered Friend

There is actually quite a bit to know about parrot stands before you make your choice. Some things, like the necessary size of the perches, are vital. Here is a standard to guide you: For the smaller birds like love birds, canaries, budgies, even finches, you need ones that are about 3/8" in diameter. For the medium-sized birds like African Grey Timenhs, senegals, cockatiels, or medium-sized conures, you need perches that are from 5/8" to 1". For the largest parrots, like Macaws, you need ones that are 1" to a ½" in diameter. Perch size is of vital importance for birds, because perching is the only method they have of supporting their body weight. They don't sit or lie like other animals.

When considering the kind of material you'd like your stand to be made up, you generally have 3 options, metal, java wood, or Manzanita wood. Each has its advantages. Metal ones can obviously come in many, many colors to match your décor, but if more natural is what you like, then one of the two woods is a better choice. Manzanita is especially beautiful because it has naturally curving branches that vary from end to end in circumference. You can even get it with bark for your parrot to chew.

Next you need to consider whether you want a table or a floor model. The size of your bird will largely determine this. Larger birds will naturally need floor models, and you must allow space for that before you even bring a new bird home.

Bird stands can come with many conveniences too, like rollers for moving them back and forth between rooms. It's extremely important that you allow your parrot to be in the room or rooms with the most activity because a bored parrot is a destructive parrot, to furniture, to family, and even to itself. Have you considered whether or not you will travel with your bird? You can get folding ones or ones that come apart, and this might be the best choice for you.

Even a decision as to whether you are willing to get the Manzanita with bark must be made. For your parrot's enjoyment, the bark could be well worth it. Manzanita wood is extremely hard and you won't have to worry about replacing it any time soon. There's a lot to know about parrot stands before you make that final choice.

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