World Animal Day

[emeraldking]

Happy World Animal Day 2025...

 

[Colin_T]

Look at that lovely parrot sitting on that animal

What sort of parrot is that?

 

[emeraldking]

Look at that lovely parrot sitting on that animal

LOL! And I also used to be a party animal...!

What sort of parrot is that?

She's a Meyer's parrot.

 

[Colin_T]

I hope you don't keep her up at night partying now

How do you sex Meyer's parrots?

I wonder what the babies would look like between her mate (you) and her?
Parrots with red & white singlets on

 

[emeraldking]

How do you sex Meyer's parrots?

A male is bigger, has more yellow on its head and shoulders. Also the colors of their feet are different.

 

[Colin_T]

What colour are their feet?
Oh baby, you got hot orange feet

 

[emeraldking]

What colour are their feet?

Males have more pruple colored feet while females have more greyish.

Oh baby, you got hot orange feet

LOL!

 

[Colin_T]

Grey feet is standard for parrots, purple feet are different.

I kept blackheart (shaft-tail) finches back in the 80s and there are 2 varieties. One from Western Australia that has an orange beak and orange legs/ feet. The other from the opposite side of the country has a red beak and red feet/ legs. No purple legs for them but they were fun to keep. One day there was a bobtail lizard sunbaking near the aviary and all the finches were on a perch closest to the lizard. They all had their heads down and tails sticking up making a warning call. It was fun to watch, an entire perch (6 foot long) covered in finches all looking at this lizard.
I miss my birds

 

[WhistlingBadger]

I didn't know Animal had his own day! I hope he enjoyed it.
BEAT DRUMS! BEAT DRUMS!!!

 

[WhistlingBadger]

 

[emeraldking]

Grey feet is standard for parrots, purple feet are different.

I kept blackheart (shaft-tail) finches back in the 80s and there are 2 varieties. One from Western Australia that has an orange beak and orange legs/ feet. The other from the opposite side of the country has a red beak and red feet/ legs. No purple legs for them but they were fun to keep. One day there was a bobtail lizard sunbaking near the aviary and all the finches were on a perch closest to the lizard. They all had their heads down and tails sticking up making a warning call. It was fun to watch, an entire perch (6 foot long) covered in finches all looking at this lizard.
I miss my birds

Well, those birds have their own system of warnings and communication. It's so interesting how each species interact with another.

 

[Colin_T]

Well, those birds have their own system of warnings and communication. It's so interesting how each species interact with another.

It's interesting you mention that because every bird in my aviaries knew the blackhearts warning call. I had Gouldian, double bar, star, painted finches, etc, along with budgies, pink & grey galahs, Major Mitchell cockatoos, weeros, Port Lincon parrots and a number of grass parrots, and they all knew the blackhearts warning call. As soon as the blackhearts started calling, everyone would fly to the end closest to them to see what was going on. Birds are really curious creatures sometimes

 

[emeraldking]

It's interesting you mention that because every bird in my aviaries knew the blackhearts warning call. I had Gouldian, double bar, star, painted finches, etc, along with budgies, pink & grey galahs, Major Mitchell cockatoos, weeros, Port Lincon parrots and a number of grass parrots, and they all knew the blackhearts warning call. As soon as the blackhearts started calling, everyone would fly to the end closest to them to see what was going on. Birds are really curious creatures sometimes

Well, since I was 12 years old till my 28th, I've kept and bred birds as well. I've kept several types of finches, parakeets, dwarf pigeons and several types of weaver birds. So, amazing how each bird species have their own way of communication.

 

[WhistlingBadger]

It's interesting you mention that because every bird in my aviaries knew the blackhearts warning call. I had Gouldian, double bar, star, painted finches, etc, along with budgies, pink & grey galahs, Major Mitchell cockatoos, weeros, Port Lincon parrots and a number of grass parrots, and they all knew the blackhearts warning call. As soon as the blackhearts started calling, everyone would fly to the end closest to them to see what was going on. Birds are really curious creatures sometimes

That must have been one amazingly colorful aviary!!! Wish we could see it. I can understand why you miss them.

My one experience with keeping a bird was a cockatiel/weero that a student gave me. It was really cute and would even talk a tiny bit. But it would shriek all night, and I had no idea how to calm it down or help it, there being no information on birdkeeping available at that time and place. So I passed it on to another teacher. It was either that or make weero stew.

 

[Colin_T]

That must have been one amazingly colorful aviary!!! Wish we could see it. I can understand why you miss them.

Most had their own aviaries. The finches were together with the Neophema grass parrots. The budgies got their own aviary as did the pink & greys and the Major Mitchells. You can't keep the cockatoos together unless the aviary is huge (entire backyard in size).

The pink & greys actually ate quails and tried to eat the guinea pigs so they definitely got put on their own. The are like people, eat anything, live anywhere and kill anything they don't like.

The weeros were interesting. My sisters got a couple of hand tame weeros (just normal grey coloured) and they lived inside for a couple of years. When I got the finch aviary built we put the weeros in there and got a couple of females to go with them. I had a couple of nest boxes for them but didn't have anywhere to hang them so they sat on the floor for a few days while I tried to figure out where they could go. When I got around to hanging the nest boxes up, the males were in them sitting on eggs. They wouldn't let the females in the nest box and the two hand raised males took care of the eggs and young. I don't know what the two females were thinking, maybe they were relieved not to have to stay in the box, or maybe "get the hell out of there, that's our job"

Painted finches are cool. They spend most of their time on the ground and tame down really easily. Whenever I went into the aviary they would hop along behind me making noises that sounded like a pinball machine from the 60s. They were funny hopping around making zippy noises and various chirps and clicks and whistles. While the finches did that the tame weeros would jump on my back, shoulders or head and preen me.