Teaching Your Bird Simple Tricks

While most people think of pet birds as animals that just sit in the cage or perch on someone's shoulder and say the occasional funny phrase, some birds can actually learn quite a few interesting and entertaining tricks. While not all birds are able to perform elaborate tricks, you should be able to teach your bird a few simple tricks.

One of the easiest tricks you can teach a young bird is to play dead. To teach this trick, you first need to accustom him to having his head and back touched. When he doesn't mind being touched anymore, it is time for the next step.

Let him perch on one hand and cup your other hand around his back, gently cradling his head between your thumb and forefinger. Then, gently tilt him over onto his back. If he struggles, stand him back upright immediately. Gradually increase the amount of time you leave him on his back until he is willing to stay in that position for several seconds without being restrained.

While most birds can learn to play dead, conures excel at it because some of them lie on their backs naturally to sleep. In fact, teaching your bird to pretend he is tucking himself in for the night is a trick that can be learned quickly once he knows how to play dead. Gently cover his body with a small, light piece of cloth and say 'Goodnight'. Some birds will grasp the cloth immediately and tug it higher with their beaks, as if they are tucking themselves in. Others need a bit of encouragement.

Another fun trick you can teach your bird is to play ring toss. Most birds naturally throw things around, so all you need to do is reinforce this behavior. Encourage him to throw the rings without aiming at a target at first. After he becomes accustomed to tossing the rings, you can begin working with him to toss the rings onto a short dowel screwed onto a base in an upside down 'T' shape.

If your bird picks up the ring toss trick readily, you can teach him to shoot hoops with a small, light ball and a ring fastened onto a dowel to form the basketball pole and hoop. Since the technique is so similar, most birds that have learned to play ring toss pick up basketball in a matter of days.

Finally, if your bird is a talker, you can teach him quite a few clever vocal tricks. One favorite is to teach him to respond to people who ask if he can talk with 'I can talk. Can you fly?' Another trick that astonishes people who aren't used to the intelligence of birds is to teach your bird to request the treat he wants to eat by name. This trick can be taught by telling your bird the name of each treat as you offer it to him. He will quickly pick up the names of his favorite treats and begin to ask for them by name.

Little Blue Heron (Egretta caerulea)

Family: Ardeidae

Habitat: Found in ponds, lakes, streams, swamps, marshes, and other fresh-water habitats (A.O.U. 1998).

Distribution: Breeds locally, within an area extending from Mexico and Baja California north to southern California, north-central Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, southeastern Missouri, southern Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Alabama, southern Georgia, and the Atlantic coast north to Maine. Generally winters in southwestern California, Mexico, along the Gulf coast, and along the Atlantic coast north to Virginia (A.O.U. 1998). Post-breeding dispersal in late summer and early fall results in birds appearing at inland locations far north of their breeding range.

Field Marks: Overall dark, slate blue color in adult; during breeding season, reddish tint to head. Bicolored bill. Immatures are mostly white, but in second year take on a pied appearance during the molt to the adult plumage.

Nest Habits: Breeds in colonies, usually in association with other herons. Nest is placed up to 40 feet high in bush or tree and consists of a platform of sticks.

Eggs: 1-6, usually 2-5; 44 millimeter; pale bluish-green in color.

Incubation: Both parents incubate the eggs and care for the young. Incubation usually lasts about 20-23 days, and young are able to fly when they are approximately 42-49 days old.

Tricolored Heron (Egretta tricolor)

Family: Ardeidae

Habitat: Usually found in coastal marshes, but also more locally further inland in swamps, lakes, and rivers (A.O.U. 1998).

Distribution: Breeds in coastal habitats of Baja California, Mexico, the Gulf coast, Florida, and the Atlantic coast north to Maine; also at inland locations in New Mexico, Texas, and Arkansas. Generally winters within its breeding range along the coast; on the Atlantic coast, winters north to about New Jersey (A.O.U. 1998). Post-breeding dispersal in late summer and early fall results in birds appearing at inland locations far north of their breeding range.

Field Marks: Head, most of neck, back, and wings generally a dark blue color. White underneath, including foreneck.

Nest Habits: Breeds in colonies, sometimes in association with other herons. Nest is placed on the ground or, more typically, up to 15-30 feet high in shrub or tree; nest consists of a platform of sticks and twigs lined with grass and leaves.

Eggs: 3-7, usually 3-4; 44 millimeter; pale bluish-green in color.

Incubation: Both parents incubate the eggs and care for the young. Incubation usually lasts about 21-25 days, and young are able to fly when they are approximately 35 days old.

Stress Could Kill Your Bird

One of the worst things you can do to your pet bird is to subject him to stress. Stress can literally kill a bird that would otherwise live a long and healthy life. How can you avoid stressing your bird and what can you do for him if he does become stressed?

You should be sure that you recognize signs of stress in birds so that you can alleviate stressful situations immediately. Obviously, a bird that has his mouth open and seems to be struggling for breath is stressed. However, he can also show less obvious signs of stress, such as standing very tall and skinny on his perch or eating less than he normally would.

Since identifying signs of mild stress can be a bit challenging, you should look for things that could cause everyday stress and remove them from your bird's environment. That cartoon where Tweetie is fluttering about his cage in alarm just because the cat has walked into the room is pretty accurate. Cats can stress caged birds to death by simply staring at them. Dogs barking constantly beside a bird's cage or jumping at the cage and yapping can also be quite stressful.

Vermin, such as mice, are especially dangerous, since they cause stress by startling birds when they run across the room at night and can carry diseases. If your bird is a messy eater and drops food in the bottom of his tray, mice may actually climb into the cage. If you see signs of a rodent problem, you will need to eradicate it immediately. However, be sure your exterminator is aware of how to kill pests without killing your birds.

Sometimes the things you do for your bird can stress him. While you may think you are providing a wonderful new toy, your bird may be under the impression that you have placed a scary predator in his cage. Never place new toys in the cage immediately. Instead, let your bird become accustomed to the toy by hanging it outside the cage. When you notice him trying to play with the toy through the bars, it is time to move it into the cage.

Of course, it goes without saying that moving to a new cage can be stressful for a bird. After all, even people get stressed out by a move to a new home. Instead of putting your bird directly in his new cage, introduce him to it gradually. Place the new cage beside the old cage and let your bird out of his cage. Allow him to walk over to the new cage and explore the outside of it. If he doesn't go to the cage, place his favorite treat on it to tempt him.

Once he is comfortable with the outside of the cage, place treats inside the cage to coax him in. Let him explore the inside of the cage for a few days before you finally switch him over to the new cage permanently.

Finally, don't chase your bird and pick him up over and over if he flutters down from your arm. After you catch him two or three times, put him back in his cage. Being pursued and caught is very stressful for birds.

Great Egret (Ardea alba)

Family: Ardeida

Habitat: Found in fresh- and salt-water habitats, along lakes, rivers, streams, lagoons and estuaries, and on mudflats; occasionally forages in agricultural fields.

Distribution: Breeding range extends from central Washington and southern Idaho south into California, Nevada, southwestern Arizona, Baja California, and Mexico; also from southwestern Manitoba, South Dakota, central Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, southern Ontario, southwestern Quebec, and New England south to Florida and the Gulf states, and west to eastern Colorado and southern New Mexico. Winter range extends southward from a line running from coastal Oregon and northern California through central Nevada, Utah, New Mexico, and Texas and the Gulf coast region to coastal Maryland; occasionally found further north in winter (A.O.U. 1998).

Field Marks: Large, all white heron, with black legs and large, yellowish bill. At a distance, compare with Snowy Egret, which is smaller and has a black bill.

Nest Habits: Breeds singly or in colonies, usually in association with other herons and water birds. Nest is usually placed up to 40 feet (and sometimes up to 90 feet) high in tree and consists of a platform of sticks and twigs with little or no lining.

Eggs: 1-6, usually 3; 57 millimeter; pale blue or bluish-green in color.

Incubation: Both parents incubate the eggs and care for the young. Incubation usually lasts about 23-26 days, and young are able to fly when they are approximately 42-49 days old.

Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias)

Family: Ardeidae

Habitat: Found in fresh- and salt-water habitats, along lakes, rivers, ponds, lagoons, seacoasts, and on mudflats; occasionally forages in agricultural fields.

Distribution: Breeds south of a line running from Nova Scotia through southern Quebec, northern Ontario, northern Manitoba, central Saskatchewan, and northern Alberta to southern British Columbia; breeding range on the Pacific coast also includes all of coastal British Columbia and the southern coast of Alaska (A.O.U. 1998). Resident in the southern portion of its range; northern populations are migratory.

Field Marks: Our largest heron; generally grayish-blue in color. White head contrasts with conspicuous black stripe above eye. Two additional color phases are known: an all white form, which is found in southern Florida, and a form which is grayish-blue in color but has an all white head and is found primarily in the Florida Keys.

Nest Habits: Breeds in colonies, usually in association with other herons and egrets. Nest is placed on the ground or, more typically, up to 130 feet high in tree and consists of a platform of sticks lined with twigs, mosses, pine needles, grasses, and leaves.

Eggs: 1-7, usually 3-5; 64 millimeter; pale bluish-green in color.

Incubation: Both parents incubate the eggs and care for the young. Incubation usually lasts about 28 days, and young are able to fly when they are approximately 56-60 days old.

How to Teach Your Bird to Talk

One of the most common reasons people have for buying a pet bird is the desire for a talking pet. Most people think of the talented African grey when they picture a talking bird, but quite a few different types of birds can actually learn to talk. In fact, some finch owners say their birds learned a few simple words. Of course, not all birds talk as well or as easily as other birds.

While the African grey is certainly the best talker, Amazon parrots, Quaker parakeets, American budgies, cockatiels, Nanday conures and cockatoos are also great talkers. Lovebirds, most other conure species and Senegal parrots will usually pick up a few phrases fairly rapidly, as well.

However, no matter what bird species you choose, keep in mind that baby birds need to learn how to talk, just as human babies do. Your bird probably will not already be talking when you buy it. In fact, not all birds will learn to talk. Even those that do learn to talk do not all learn many phrases. If your sole purpose for owning a bird is to have a talker, you may want to buy an older bird that is already talking. Just be aware that a bird that is already talking may know some phrases that are not family friendly.

To teach a bird that does not already know to talk is harder than teaching a new phrase to a bird that already talks. This is because you are teaching a completely new skill. While some people try to use tapes or CDs that repeat phrases over and over again to teach their birds to talk, directly interacting with your birds works much better.

Begin by choosing a simple word or phrase. Words with the letter 'r' in them seem to be especially easy for birds to pick up, which is probably why almost every bird that talks knows the phrase 'pretty bird'. Once you choose a phrase, repeat it to your bird in a clear voice every time you interact with him.

Soon, you may begin to notice your bird sitting in a corner of his cage making sounds under his breath. This is a good sign, as it means he is practicing his speech. He will mutter quietly to himself to try to get the sounds exactly right before he attempts to repeat the word or phrase aloud.

If your bird doesn't seem interested in listening to you, try speaking in a higher than normal voice. Most birds learn more readily from someone who is not speaking in a deep baritone. Since angry people tend to talk in high, excited voices, someone swearing angrily is especially attractive to birds and they often pick up foul language quite readily.

Be sure you don't say anything you don't want your bird repeating. If he does pick up foul language, ignore him completely when he repeats the word and give him plenty of attention when he repeats more acceptable words. Sometimes, this will be enough to break him from using foul language.

If your bird is not picking up any words, you may be tempted to try to teach him to whistle. Just be aware that birds that learn to whistle may not be interested in learning to talk. However, they can be quite talented and will learn to whistle entire songs.

Finally, don't think you have to wait until your bird reaches a certain age to begin teaching him to talk. You can begin working with your bird before he is even weaned, so if you have a deposit on a baby that is still being handfed, ask the breeder to repeat a phrase like 'pretty bird' to him each time he is being fed.

Magnificent Frigatebird (Fregata magnificens)

Family: Fregatidae

Habitat: Nests on islands; found in coastal tropical waters.

Distribution: Coastal tropical waters of North and South America and western Africa. Ranges inland, usually after severe storms.

Field Marks: Long, deeply forked tail, dark coloration (white belly in female), and reddish-orange inflatable throat pouch of male are distinctive traits of this species.

Nest Habits: Breeds in colonies; nest consists of a shallow collection of woody twigs or grasses that are placed in a tree, shrub, or on the ground.

Eggs: 1, although in rare instances 2 may be laid; 68 mm; white in color.

Incubation: Both sexes incubate the egg and care for the young. Incubation lasts about 50 days, and young are able to fly about 150-200 days later.

Anhinga (Anhinga anhinga)

Family: Anhingidae

Habitat: Lakes, slow-moving streams, and swamps; in fresh water.

Distribution: Breeding range extends from South America, Central America, Mexico, central and eastern Texas, the Gulf coast, and southern Florida north to southeastern Oklahoma, southern and eastern Arkansas, western Tennessee, north-central Mississippi, southern Alabama, southern Georgia, and coastal North Carolina. During the winter, Anhingas are found from central South Carolina, southern Georgia, Florida, and the Gulf coast south throughout the remainder of the breeding range (A.O.U. 1998).

Field Marks: Overall dark body plumage with greenish gloss and white spots or streaks on the wings and upper back.

Nest Habits: Breeds in small groups, usually in association with other herons and egrets. Nest of sticks or dead leaves is typically placed in a small tree.

Eggs: 1-5, usually 4; 53 millimeter; pale blue-green or blue-white in color.

Incubation: Both sexes incubate the eggs and care for the young; incubation lasts approximately 26-29 days.

Pelagic Cormorant (Phalacrocorax pelagicus)

Family: Phalacrocoracidae

Habitat: Coastal waters.

Distribution: Breeding range extends from islands off Japan north to the Aleutian Islands and the Bering Sea; and from there southeastward along the west coast of North America to Baja California.

Field Marks: Body plumage mostly black with a greenish gloss. In breeding plumage, white plumes appear on side of neck and a white flank patch also appears. Compare with Red-faced Cormorant: note the Pelagic's smaller head size, less extensive red facial skin, and lack of bluish base to the bill.

Nest Habits: Breeds in colonies, where it builds its nest of sticks, seaweeds, and grasses on rocky cliffs.

Eggs: 3-5, occasionally as many as 7; 60 millimeter; bluish-white in color.

Incubation: Both sexes incubate the eggs; incubation lasts approximately 22-31 days. Young fledge about three months after hatching.

Brandt's Cormorant (Phalacrocorax penicillatus)

Family: Phalacrocoracidae

Habitat: Coastal waters.

Distribution: Breeding range extends from southeast Alaska to the Gulf of California. Ranges at sea to nearby coastal waters.

Field Marks: Large size, overall dark coloration; note brown-buffy feathers at base of throat pouch. In breeding plumage, thin white plumes appear on head and neck and throat pouch becomes blue.

Nest Habits: Breeds in colonies; nests on the ground, usually in rocky areas.

Eggs: 3-6, usually 4; 62 millimeter; pale blue or white in color.

Incubation: Both sexes incubate the eggs and care for the young.

Helping Your Bird Adjusting In A New Home

Moving to a new home can be stressful for a bird, especially if the bird is a hand fed baby. Luckily, if you spend some time setting everything up properly, it isn't too hard to help your bird make the adjustment to a new home.

The first thing you should do for your new bird is to place his cage in an area that does not have too much traffic and confusion. However, although you don't want him to feel like he is in the middle of everything, you also don't want to put him in an unused room where he will be neglected. Pick a spot where he can interact with you, but won't be constantly startled by loud noises and sudden movements.

If you already have another bird, you should quarantine the new arrival for 30 days. This way, if your new bird has an infectious disease, your original bird has a better chance of not catching the disease. To quarantine your bird, you should place him on another floor of the house and keep his food and water dishes separate from your original bird's dishes. If you have central air, you may not be able to truly quarantine your bird, since air ducts carry the air from one room to the next. However, quarantining the new bird is still better than immediately putting them side by side.

Next, make sure your bird is healthy. Take him to your avian veterinarian for a well bird visit. Your vet can check to be sure your new pet doesn't have contagious diseases, worms or bacterial infections. This is especially important if you have a newly weaned handfed baby bird because if the bird wasn't handfed properly, he could have a bacterial infection.

You should also be sure that your bird is eating well. If he doesn't seem to be eating during the first 24 hours, try offering him spray millet, which is basically dessert for birds. Whole grain cereal also can coax a frightened bird to eat. If you have a newly weaned baby bird that is not eating and he is making a squalling noise, he may have regressed and needs to be handfed a bit longer. Ask your breeder for assistance.

If you cannot reach your breeder, you can usually buy some hand feeding formula in pet stores. Simply mix up a very small quantity of hand feeding formula until it has the consistency of pudding and offer it to your bird on a plastic spoon. He should eat it right off the spoon.

Finally, don't be afraid to interact with your bird, but don't overdo it. You shouldn't work with him for more than 10 minutes at a time. If he flies away several times and you have to chase him and catch him, you should put him away until he calms down, since chasing and catching birds is very stressful for them. If he isn't flying away, you should still watch your bird closely for signs of stress as you work with him.

How to Care for Your Lories and Lorikeets

While most birds have basically the same basic care requirements, lories and lorikeets are quite unique. The thing that sets them apart from other birds is their brush-like tongue. This tongue is designed to collect nectar from plants, while most parrots have a tongue that is perfectly suited to manipulating seeds. Because these birds require a unique diet, lories need very different care than other parrots.

The first thing you should consider when you are caring for lories or lorikeets is your bird's diet. These birds cannot survive on a seed diet. However, feeding fresh nectar can be so messy and time consuming. While this used to be the only solution for people who kept lories and lorikeets, today there are easier diet alternatives. A pelleted lory diet contains all of the nutrients your bird will need. Dry nectar also provides a less messy alternative to fresh nectar, although your birds may not enjoy it quite as much. Adding applesauce, fresh fruit and vegetables and occasional servings of fresh nectar can make your lories much happier and healthier.

If you feed your lory or lorikeet a liquid nectar diet, you may think that fresh water isn't very important. However, fresh water is a must for all birds. Imagine how you'd feel if you only drank sweet fruit juice all the time.

The next thing to consider as you prepare to keep lories or lorikeets is the cage. Although many people claim that the new diets make lories as easy to care for as other birds, they are still a bit messier. A standard cage has so many bars and little grooves that cleaning bits of fruit or runny bird droppings from the cage can be a nightmare. Instead of a standard cage, you may want to consider shopping for an acrylic birdcage. These cages are made from acrylic panels with air holes in them and can be cleaned completely in just a few minutes. If you do use a standard cage, add a plastic cage barrier to help you keep the wall behind the cage clean.

Perhaps as a result of all the fresh fruits, vegetables or nectar in their diets, lories and lorikeets tend to become quite smelly if their cages aren't changed regularly. You should plan to change papers or litter and wash out all dishes on a daily basis. The entire cage should be washed down weekly. If you stop cleaning the cage regularly, you could make your bird quite sick. All of the little pieces of fruit and vegetables that he tossed around as he was eating will become moldy. If he eats them, he could develop a bacterial infection.

Finally, just as with other birds, you should be prepared to spend time working with lories and lorikeets to keep them sweet and tame. These birds have a naturally sweet and cuddly nature and love to groom their owners, but if you never handle your lory, he could become shy and afraid of being touched.

Double-crested Cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus)

Family: Phalacrocoracidae

Habitat: Freshwater lakes, rivers, and swamps; also along seacoasts.

Distribution: Breeding range includes the Bering Sea, the Aleutian Islands, and southern Alaska; it also extends from southern British Columbia and northern Alberta east across northwestern and central Saskatchewan, central Manitoba, southern James Bay, and the north shore of the Gulf of St. Lawrence to Newfoundland; and south (often in isolated colonies) to Baja California, south-central Arizona (and south into Mexico), southern New Mexico, west-central and southern Texas, the Gulf coast, and Florida. Generally winters from Mexico, Baja California, Texas, the Gulf states, and Florida north, along the Pacific coast, to east-central Washington; further east, winter range extends north to Oklahoma, the southern Great Lakes region, Lake Ontario, and New England (A.O.U. 1998).

Field Marks: Large, orange throat pouch is diagnostic.

Nest Habits: Breeds in colonies, where it builds its nest of twigs and grasses or weeds on a rocky surface or in a tree.

Eggs: 2-9, usually 3-4; 61 millimeter; pale blue or bluish-white in color.

Incubation: Both sexes incubate the eggs and care for the young. Incubation lasts approximately 25-29 days; young fledge when they are about 35-42 days old.

Northern Gannet (Morus bassanus)

Family: Sulidae

Habitat: Nests on islands; found in pelagic waters, usually over continental shelf (A.O.U. 1998).

Distribution: Breeding range extends from eastern North America (e.g., islands in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, off Quebec, and in Labrador and Newfoundland) to Europe (e.g., islands around Iceland, the British Isles, northern France, and Norway. Ranges at sea to nearby areas in the northern Atlantic Ocean, extending south to Florida and west (along the Gulf coast) to Texas (A.O.U. 1998).

Field Marks: Adult plumage is all white with golden cast to head and nape and black wing tips. Immature plumage varies over a four-year period; compare especially with the smaller Brown Booby.

Nest Habits: Breeds in colonies; nests on the ground; nest consists of a stack of seaweed and grass.

Eggs: 1; 78 millimeter; light bluish-white in color.

Incubation: Both sexes incubate the egg and care for the young. Incubation usually lasts 42-44 days and young fledge when they are about 84-97 days old.