Rakesh Thakur
Pet birds
Important breeds &
Management
Types of pet birds
• X small: Canaries and finches
• Small: Lovebirds, Parrotlets, Cockteils, Small parakeets
• Medium: Small conures, Lories & lorkeets, large parakeets
• Large: Mini macaws, african grey, amazon, large conures, small
cockatoos
• X large: Large conures, Macaws
Budgerigar
• Native of Australia
• Also known as Budgie/Parakeets
• LENGTH: 6 to 8 inches
• WEIGHT: 1 ounce ~ 30 g
• PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS: Green abdomen; black and
yellow back; yellow head; dark blue tail; mutations
include blue, yellow, white, and gray
• Juveniles and chicks are monomorphic, while adults are told
apart by their cere colouring, and their behaviour.
• Wild budgerigars average 18 cm (7 in) long, weigh 30–40
grams, 30 cm (12 in) in wingspan, and display a light green
body colour (abdomen and rumps), while their mantles (back
and wing coverts) display pitch-black mantle markings
(blackish in fledglings and immatures) edged in clear yellow
undulations. The forehead and face is yellow in adults.
• The colour of the cere (the area containing the nostrils)
differs between the sexes, being a lavender/baby blue in
males, pale brownish/white (non breeding) to brown (
breeding) in females, and pink in immature birds of both
sexes.
• The ultraviolet spectrum brightens their feathers to attract
mates. The throat spots in budgerigars reflect UV and can be
used to distinguish individual birds.
• While ultraviolet light is essential to the good health of caged
and pet birds, inadequate darkness or rest results in
overstimulation
• Breeding: seasonal, June and September in northern Australia and between August and
January in the south, although budgerigars are opportunistic breeders and respond to rains when
grass seeds become most abundant
• Budgerigars are monogamous and breed in large colonies
• They show signs of affection to their flockmates by preening or feeding one another.
• Nests are made in holes in trees, fence posts or logs lying on the ground; the four to six eggs are
incubated for 18–21 days, with the young fledging about 30 days after hatching .
• The eggs are typically one to two cm long and are pearl white without any colouration. Female
budgerigars can lay eggs without a male partner, but these unfertilised eggs will not hatch.
• Both males and females sing, whistle and can learn to mimic sounds and words and do simple tricks,
but singing and mimicry are more pronounced and better perfected in males.
Cockatiel
• Hailing from Australia, small parrot with a variety of color patterns
and a head crest.
• These birds make excellent pets when hand-fed as babies and raised in
positive environments.
• They whistle quite well and mimic common household noises, such as
doorbells, telephones, but don't normally learn to talk.
• LENGTH: 12 to 13 inches, WEIGHT: 3 ounces
• PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS: Gray body; yellow face and crest; orange
cheeks; long tail.
• The cockatiel's distinctive crest expresses the bird's emotional state. The crest is vertical when the
cockatiel is startled or excited, gently oblique in its neutral or relaxed state, and flattened close to the
head when the animal is angry or defensive. The crest is also held flat but protrudes outward in the
back when the cockatiel is trying to appear alluring or flirtatious.
• Cockatiel has long tail feathers roughly making up half of its total length. At 30 to 33 cm (12 to 13 in),
the cockatiel is the smallest of the cockatoos, which are generally larger at between 30 and 60 cm.
• The "normal grey" or "wild-type" cockatiel's plumage is primarily grey with prominent white flashes on
the outer edges of each wing. The face of the male is yellow or white, while the face of the female is
primarily grey or light grey, and both sexes feature a round orange area on both ears, often referred
to as "cheddar cheeks". This orange colouration is generally vibrant in adult males, and often quite
muted in females.
• Breeding is triggered by seasonal rainfall. Cockatiels nest in tree hollows near a source of fresh
water, often choosing eucalyptus/gum trees. The hen lays 4-7 eggs, one every other day, which she
incubates for 17–23 days. The chicks fledge after 5 weeks.
• The cockatiel's average life span is 12 to 15 years,
• Cockatiels are usually quiet parrots in contrast to others but can be very vocal and learn many
spoken words and phrases by mimicking.
Cockatoo
• Native to Australia, New guinea, Solomon islands
• Commonly referred to as “Velcro birds” as they
love being close to their owners.
• LENGTH: 18 inches, WEIGHT: 16 to 26 ounces
• PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS: Primarily white
plumage; pale yellow on wings and tail; large
white crest; black curved beak.
Macaw
• Native to Mexico and South America
• KNOWN AS "GENTLE GIANTS” MACAWS ARE THE LARGEST OF ALL PARROTS
• Proportionately brightly colored birds with larger beaks, long tails,
and relatively bare, light-coloured medial (facial patch) areas.
• A macaw's facial feather pattern is as unique as a fingerprint.
• LENGTH: 40 inches
• WEIGHT: 42 to 51 ounces
• PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS: Solid blue plumage; yellow patches around
eyes and beak; black beak; dark gray feet
• Life in captivity upto 50 years or more
Conure
• Native to South America
• Small-medium-sized parrots, range widely in coloring, similar to Macaw.
• LENGTH: 10 to 11 inches
• WEIGHT: 2 to 3 ounces
• PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS: Predominantly green; olive cheek patches;
gray breast and head; maroon tail; blue flight feathers; mutations
include turquoise, yellow, and cinnamon
• Origin: Central and south America
Parrotlets
• Smallest species of the parrot family
• ‘pocket parrots’
• LENGTH: 4 to 5 inches; WEIGHT: 1 ounce
• PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS: Green head and body; blue on back and
behind eyes; mutations include blue, yellow, and white
• perform tricks like sitting on your finger or moving in circles.
Lovebird
• Native to Africa & Madagascar
• Parrot species normally kept in pairs, Myth that they will die of
depression if kept alone.
• One can tell the age by the amount of black on its beak–the more
black, the more young. Black normally disappears at 4 months.
• LENGTH: 5 to 6 inches; WEIGHT: 2 ounces
• PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS: Mostly green, orange upper body and
head, blue lower back and rump, red beak, white eyerings
• Life expectancy: 20 yrs;
Dove
• LENGTH: 11 to 13 inches
• WEIGHT: 5 to 8 ounces
• PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS: Plumage of dull grays and browns;
black collar around nape of neck; black eyes and beak;
mutations include white, orange, and pied (ring-necked dove)
Finch
• Unlike the parrots, which are all hard-beaked hookbill
birds, finches and canaries are known as softbills or
waxbill birds; they have somewhat pliable, waxy beaks.
• LENGTH: 5 to 6 inches
• WEIGHT: 1/2 ounce
• PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS: Bright yellow, whitish, or
reddish body
Management
• Housing: Preferably cages LxBxH must be more than 1.5
times the wing span of bird
• Cage: Stainless steel, powder coated metal, plastic,
wooden
• Perching space, Nest box should be provided
• Water: regular supply of cool clean drinking water,
washing of waterers
• Lighting: 12-16 hrs light for optimal fertility and egg
production
Cage specifications
Birds Cage size Bar spacing
Budgies, Cockatiel, Love 50X50X75 cm 1.25 cm
birds
Conure, Mini Macaw 90X60X120 cm 1.8 cm
African grey parrot, Amazon 100x75x150 cm 1.8 cm
parrot,
Macaw, Large cockatoo 120x90x165 cm 3.75 cm
Management
Feeding
• Grains like Bajra, Millets, sorghum etc
• Vegetables and Fruits like Carrot, spinach, apple,
papaya etc
• No Chocolate, Coffee
• Readymade food (pellet/crumbles) available
Management
• Grooming
Toe nail clipping and
Beak clipping
• Sexing
• Differentiate male and female by DNA sequencing, egg
laying, examination of pubic bones
