Animal Stories - People Talking About Birds



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Latest Animal Stories on Birds (4277)

Kathy - 2012-12-22
I have a hawkhead that I've had since she was 5 months old. She is a spoiled, stubborn, loud, bossy, over confident, wild-like, self-absorbed, food-obsessed little demon. She is also a very affectionate, playful, funny, in-tuned with my feelings, cuddle monster. I wouldn't trade her for a thing. She views my youngest daughter as her play toy and loves to chase her around daily, multiple times, in fact every chance she gets. My kids have learned to watch VERY closely for body language, even during play, because she is a very rough player and can cause a severe bite. Being aggressive in everything they do is their nature. With me, she is sweet as can be, but I still need to watch body language. I tell people all the time that Hawkheads are not birds for amateurs. They are very high maintenance and require someone who is extremely patient, able to handle hard bites, and is very experienced with other parrots. They are definitely NOT a beginner bird. I have a cockatoo as well, which are notorious for being a high maintenance bird, and I feel that a Hawkhead is on the same level, if not harder. Noise wise, they can be just a loud as a cockatoo, if not more. They also tend to be a lot more unpredictable than a cockatoo. Please, if you are thinking of getting a Hawkhead, be sure to do lots and lots and LOTS of research first. They are not easy birds by far. You will get bitten. You will get rejected. You will get ringing in your ears. You will get all your food stolen ( :P ). BUT, if you are patient and respectful of their nature, you will be rewarded with a best friend that only hates you sometimes, especially when you don't share your food.

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Anonymous - 2013-02-25
you probaly dont play wth him or her enough.
Anonymous - 2013-02-26
did you get it from eggsotic parroting
Kathy - 2013-05-12
Anonymous - 2013-02-25 you probaly dont play wth him or her enough. Anonymous - 2013-02-26 did you get it from eggsotic parroting Huh? I don't play with him enough? I don't get what that is a response to. My post wasn't asking for advice, I was giving it. My hawkhead is played with plenty. In fact, she's spoiled and a big 'mamma's baby'. Also, no, I did not get her from eggsotic parroting.
Clarice Brough - 2013-05-13
Hey kathy, I for one think your info is great! And I also think this is an absolutely fascinating bird. Thanks for sharing:)

pat - 2013-05-11
I have gotten two budgerigars as a gift. My question is how do you tell the difference between male and female? I have looked through all books, and you can tell by the cere, but they don't tell you if the light cere is female or male or a dark cere is a female or male? Help.

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Jasmine Brough Hinesley - 2013-05-11
The cere is the best way to tell between female and male. Males are generally blue and females are a lighter color - usually yellow or tan. Also, the color changes as they become sexually mature. How old are your birds? If they are younger than 3 months, these colorations are not an accurate way to sex these birds.

Brenda Ann Braley - 2013-05-09

i got two for mother day now i had birds in pass not parkeets now can i get them to talk or there just whisleed only can i train them talk ,,,,,

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Jeremy Roche - 2013-05-09
Yes you can teach them to talk. They will be limited, but it can be done. cover 3 sides of the cage to keep their attention when teaching. Speak slowly and clearly. Having the 2 birds will help andthey will talk to each other.
Clarice Brough - 2013-05-10
What cute little birds Brenda!... and happy mother's day! Talking or not... they're adorable and will bring you much happiness. Unfortunately budgies aren't really big talkers. Although some parakeets will occasionally learn a word or two, most won't really become talkers. Budgies can be trained to perform tricks however, and possibly whistle, but it still takes patience and persistence. Talking is something you'll find more common in the larger parrots, especially Amazon parrots and African Grey parrots (like the Double Yellow-headed Amazon of this page). Actually none of the other types of parrot hold a candle to the ability of these two types for talking, others can learn some words, but those two types are simple the best at it.. You can read more about your birds on the Budgerigar - Parakeet page. Enjoy!

jayashree - 2013-05-07
hi, I have 6 months old Alexandria. hope its female. she is very friendly and doing some tricks like step up, kiss, hand shake, spin, and fly to my shoulder. she also try to talk a bit. but rarely she says hello. she is healthy and i hope she is undergoing her molting period. I have an idea of getting male Alex chick. is it right time to get? will she mingle with him? or I have to get an elder Alex? expecting replies...

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Clarice Brough - 2013-05-07
As you can see in the breeding section above, they don't reach maturity until about 2 years. So your bird's too young to breed, but as birds are very social, so getting a companion would be nice. Just make sure to let the birds get comfortable with each other before putting them in the same cage, this is important no matter what age they are. If you do decide to try and do some breeding when it's an adult, have your bird sexed by a veterinarian. DNA sexing works really well.

Gma - 2011-01-19
I have 2 male and 2 female zebra finches. I have eggs constantly and my males sit on them but they never hatch. Also my males chase and fight with my females if they get close to nest. What should I do? Thank You Any answers will help.

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Prashanth - 2013-05-07
two pairs zebra finches should never be housed together. they will constantly fight.
Clarice Brough - 2013-05-07
The Zebra Finch is one of the easiest to breed. However they can sometimes develop bad habits, and a young pair will behave strangely. In the wild they pick their own mates, but in captivity that is rare, and sometimes a poor pair bond results. If they seem incompatible, separate them and then get new mates to try them with. To be successful they also need to have a comfortable environment; a cage that is large enough and located in an area that is quiet and away from disturbances.

Anonymous - 2013-01-08
Hello everyone, i have a beautiful Bavarian Queen. Its a year old. Has all the papers. It came from a very good exotic bird place in FL. Very healthy. The bird is lovely! Very sweet and gorgeous. Very docile with everyone. Unfortunately, i am unable to keep the bird anymore. I am looking for a nice home for him. I have beautiful pictures of him. If interested, please reply to this comment. Thank you

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marie - 2013-01-15
Please email picture and price to miabent@yahoo.com. Thank you!
teresa - 2013-01-24
please email me so we can exchange numbers, I am looking for a feathered family member! Thanks for your time! Teresa
teresa - 2013-01-30
please contact me at teresamoon5m@yahoo.com... I am very interested! Please let me know if he/she is still available.. Thanks!
Donna Ptasinski - 2013-02-03
I'm interested in your Concure. Is it still available? If yes, please email me. Thanks Donna
jody - 2013-02-13
How much are you asking for the bird
Anonymous - 2013-04-19
Do you still have the bird?
tish - 2013-05-06
Do you still have this bird for sale?

Anonymous - 2012-02-01
I have a 10 month old goffin and I was told to start teaching her tricks and how to speak. She is very hyper most of the time and I really don't know how to teach her to talk or do tricks. I've gotten her favorite seeds as treats, but she will either just go for the seeds or lose interest and do her own thing. Help?

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Charlie Roche - 2012-02-01
AHH it is sooo very ,much easier to let the goffin train the human - honest. Let's start with some really easy stuff. When your feathered one comes up on your hand say 'UP'. When you just sorta grab her beak and plant a kiss on the beak say 'Kiss' When you tickle scratch under her wing - just gently pull it out (extend it) and say 'PRETTY' I would say 'I am a bird I fly high, I am a bat I lay down' and I would raise my bird really high above my head and then lower it down on its back. Put words to the things your feathered companion does naturally. You can bop 'UP and DOWN' in a beat and she will learn to bop 'UP and DOWN' in rhythm - think country with a good bass works best for this. Start just putting words to the things she does naturally, then show her new behaviors. Remember, she is just 10 months - still really a baby. I found that most birds aren't all that receptive to actually training before 1 - 1/2 years but putting words to their actions just like you would a human child - works great. Let them train you - definitely works best. You will learn. She also does not associated her treats wityh a behavior. It is too soon - just put the words to her actions first. (NO TREAT) and when you know she has that one thing down - then say the 'Command' and give her a treat. No treats for regular obediance though such as 'UP' 'DOWN' 'POTTY' You wouldn't give a child a treat for those things - right. A feathered friend is a 3 year old human dressed in feathers but yours is just 10 months old.
Mary - 2013-05-06
Goffins cockatoo's don't usually talk. I've never seen one that did. I had one for over 23 years. I would talk to her and she'd listen. She liked to scream and try to ram the other bird she saw in my mirrored walls. She became best friends with my female chihuahua when she was a pup. My goffins did not like people. She was a mature hen when I got her and needed medical intervention immediately to save her life. She lived a long time with me. I didn't trim her wings. I allowed her to fly freely throughout my condo. She ate my vertical blinds, tryed to nest in three couches and ate any plants I tried to keep indoors. She also ate my floor boards,furniture, kitchen cabinets and electrical wires till I started to lock her in her cage when I left my unit. It was hard but we found ways to get along. A squirt gun works great when trying to get her to settle down. I think she liked it. Water mist is helpfull to a cockatoo so that they can cleam up. So is a large water bowl. Also, loved to shred apples hanging on a spiked metal toy in her cage. Small PVC pipe can be fitted over your electrical wires, even use elbow joints at table edges so the bird can't chew the wires. a replacement electircal plug can be reinstalled at the end of the wire after the pipe is installed over it. Her name was Kiwi. I thought of getting another, but another bird might be afraid of my dogs. I have three of them. She used to dive bomb my boys (dogs) because she felt they were not freindly enough. She used to walk pigeon toed into my bedrooom in the mornings, looking for the dogs. She was content to sit on the edge of the bed an take a p**p. Kiwi decided where she wanted to sit. I just accomadated her. She was wonderful. I will miss her for a long time.

dddd - 2011-12-21
About a year ago a tangerine dove flew into our yard and my dad caught it and we kept him (I think?) as a pet. He's in a large aviary with budgies, a cockatiel, and a finch. He seems to have a liking towards my finch, he coos and bows to her and I was wondering if I should get another dove for him.

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Charlie Roche - 2011-12-21
That would be more up to you. He sounds like he is happy but he would probably like one that is like himself.
dddd - 2012-01-02
I did get another one, he seems way happier and wants to raise babies now :D
Audrey Delgado - 2013-05-05
I have had a female ringneck for 5 months, and have just yesterday gotten a new one we believe is a male, the female is being very violent toward the new dove and i am just wondering how to get them to share a cage?
Clarice Brough - 2013-05-05
Sounds like the female is a little territorial, probably because she was alone and became comfortable in her cage. It's her home... and her safe place. Bringing in a new bird is great, but your best bet is to have a separate cage initially so they can get to know each other. Familiarity is important for a friendship to develop.
Audrey Delgado - 2013-05-05
Alright, thank you i will give it a try! she gradualy seems to become more and more friendly with our new dove

laura - 2013-05-05
I have two budgerigars male and female. They are brother and sister They always fight and the female sometimes will not let the male eat until she has her full then she will let him eat but then will share, the male said his name as loud as he can What can I do to try to get them to get along at times

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Clarice Brough - 2013-05-05
It sounds like they may have established a 'pecking order'. You might have better compatability if you get them a bigger cage with more perches and toys, but the female may still 'rule the roost'.

Nelly - 2013-05-04
I have a male Pintail Whydah who is not hand tamed at all. His nails started getting too long and making it difficult for him to get around. I tried to very carefully trim them but the clenched his feet and I was too scared I'll hurt him if I tried to separate his toes. After this I decided to let a vet or breeder do it. While I started looking for someone who could do this, I noticed his nails getting shorter and caught him in the act of biting them off. Make sure your Whydah cannot catch itself on anything in its cage if its nails are long. If it is not hand tamed and you are not experienced in trimming nails then find someone who is experienced to do it for you. If the preceding is not an option then don't panic. Apparently Whydahs will give themselves a pedicure when they get annoyed enough with the situation. While it is not recommended that you put sandpaper covers on their perch (it hurts their feet), I have cut a sandpaper perch cover in half and taped it to the bottom half of his favourite perch. That way his nails get filed when they are long enough to reach the paper, but he is never standing on the sand paper. Hope this information is helpful to someone.

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Clarice Brough - 2013-05-04
That's some great information about their nails. I am glad to know Pintail Whydah will give themselves a pedicure! I had an untamed male kept in an aviary and never had an issue with its nails, must have taken care of it himself. For other finches I've kept in cages, I usually provide just one sandpaper perch, and the others not, so they aren't forced to be on this type of perch non-stop. It has worked well.

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