"Soon after I began to study birds," writes Alexander Skutch, "I began to wonder about their psychic lives." After a lifetime of investigation, the esteemed ornithologist has come to believe that the tiny brain of a bird is indeed large enough to contain the process we know as intelligence, a capacity that for much of this century has been thought to be reserved for humans. Building his case around anecdotes drawn from more than 60 years of observation, Skutch will likely persuade all but the most dogmatic skeptic that the minds of birds are "among the most wonderful pieces of organized matter that nature has produced."

This unusual book is a detailed guide for the parrot owner who wants to breed the birds but has no prior experience. The author, an experienced breeder, covers all of the basics in layman's terminology, and points out both the rewards and pitfalls connected with parrot breeding. Topics covered include who should (and who should not) breed parrots, obtaining breeding stock, providing housing and supplies for a parrot flock, maintaining flock health, avian reproduction, incubation, rearing chicks, working with an avian veterinarian, and selling chicks. The author concludes with a helpful list of information sources for parrot breeders. More than 60 full-color photos plus line art.

All aspects of caring for cockatoos are covered in this comprehensive book. The Guide to Owning a Cockatoo contains information about housing, feeding, and training these loving and intelligent birds. An in-depth section on health care, in addition to a thorough discussion of the species' natural history and behavioral traits, is certain to prove useful to experienced owners as well as those just beginning to know and love these spectacular parrots.

These sociable, intelligent, brilliantly colored parrots make good pets. They can be taught to speak and perform tricks. Titles in the extensive Complete Pet Owner's Manuals series provide pet owners with basic information on keeping healthy, contented, well-cared-for animals. The series includes approximately 175 titles and covers pets of every kind: dogs, cats, and birds of many breeds, as well as fish, reptiles, rabbits, hamsters, and just about any other animal that people keep as a pet. Facts and advice cover all aspects of pet care, which include proper feeding, housing, health care, grooming, training, and much more. The text in each manual is supplemented with many vivid, full-color photos, and with instructive, anatomically accurate line art. Each manual has been individually written by a breeder, trainer, veterinarian, or experienced animal specialist.

There are an estimated 50 million parrots kept as pets the U.S. alone, their numbers surpassed only by dogs and cats, yet these complex creatures are not your typical domesticated animal, and they remain a mystery to many. Most people don’t know that parrots score at the level of 3-to-5 year olds on human intelligence tests. Nor that they can live to 100 years or more. Nor that pound for pound parrots are worth more on the black market than cocaine. Their startling beauty, social sophistication, and uncanny ability to bond with humans have made parrots sought-after pets, but few people realize how fragile and endangered many parrot species have become.

In Of Parrots and People, award-winning journalist and parrot expert, Mira Tweti, reveals the world of a family of birds that is far more complex and advanced than we’ve acknowledged. Tweti relates stunning scientific findings on the intelligence, personality, and rich lives of parrots that challenge our most widespread and flawed assumptions about non-primates. And she explores the intense and often humorous emotional connections these birds form not just with their flockmates, but with the “parronts” (as some “parrot parents” call themselves) who keep them as pets, often pampering them as they do children.

Of Parrots and People also takes on the much larger, serious issues of animal welfare that are the unfortunate consequences of the “bird boom” of the last few decades. Despite the high demand for them, many parrot species are endangered in the wild from rampant trapping and habitat destruction, while those in captivity are quickly becoming the fastest growing category of unwanted pets, living lives of neglect or abuse. Avian rescuers can’t handle the number of birds that need help, and the Humane Society of the U.S. is advocating euthanasia rather than warehousing birds that will outlive their caretakers. Yet unregulated bird breeders continue to put over a million young birds on the market each year from parrot mills across the country. It’s an untenable situation of cruelty, especially for such an evolved and intelligent species, and it’s just one of the many newsworthy topics that make Of Parrots and People just as hard-hitting as it is soft-hearted. Tweti tirelessly follows the parrot trail around the globe, from the living rooms and pet stores of America, to hotbeds of illegal trade in Mexico. She examines threats of avian flu, and takes a first hand look at encouraging progress in eco-tourism that may be our only way to protect these stunning species from being hunted to extinction.

Comprehensive in scope and passionately written, Of Parrots and People is a unique and vivid addition to popular works on animals and their behavior, and an important new voice in the burgeoning environmental and conservation movement.

This popular breed of parrot is profiled with special attention to feeding, housing, and health care. There is also advice on how and where to buy a conure. Includes 50 full-color photographs and accurate, instructive line drawings.

This book is for both amateur bird owners and professional breeders. It offers instructions on maintaining a bird nursery, keeping it heated and sanitary, and tending the chicks. Differing feed formulas are given for different species, including parrots, doves, finches, soft-billed birds, pheasants, and others. Advice pertains to correcting problems often suffered by baby birds, from dehydration and discolored feathers to viral, bacterial, and fungal infections.

Conures, which belong to the parrot family, come in several species, and are available in many sizes and colors. This book advises on selecting, feeding, caging, health care, and understanding the conure's body and vocal language. Written by breeders, trainers, and veterinarians Barron's Pet Handbooks present expert advice on feeding, health care, housing, breeding, and all other important aspects of pet care. They are filled with vivid color photos and instructive line art.

The parrot is now one of themost popular pet birds, and bird-keepers are becoming increasingly ambitious in the varieties and numbers they keep. In The Ultimate Parrot, editor Barrett Watson has recruited a star-studded panel of experts to give the most comprehensive advice to date on caring for parrots.

The parrot is traced back to its wild state, and parrot habitats are examined in order to give a better idea of the pet parrot's requirements. Parrot behavior comes under the microscope, with a fascinating section on talking parrots. A leading avian veterinarian supplies an A-Z listing of commonn health problems and diseases.

Smithsonian Q & A: Birds reveals the world of birds in all its beauty and wonder, explaining how they fly, why they sing, where they live, and how their relationship with humans has evolved and continued to change. It is written for every person who has pondered: What is the world's largest bird? When do feathers start to grow? How? Includes birds from all over the world, as well as references to the latest research findingsMore than 250 full-color photographs and illustrations throughoutReady Reference section with at-a-glance details on record holders and maps of species distribution

Pet bird Owner's guide to keeping Caigues. Chapters include purchasing, housing, feeding, toys, behavior and health care.

African Greys have a deserved reputation for extreme intelligence and ability to repeat words. They make fascinating pets and companions. Books in the Complete Pet Owner's Manuals series present basic information about pets for new or soon-to-be owners. Advice and instruction covers feeding, housing, health care, training, grooming, protection against hazards, and more. Texts emphasize pet care basics and are easy for all readers to understand, but most titles also present facts that even experienced pet owners and breeders will find new and useful. All books in this series are filled with high quality full-color photos and instructive line art. Length averages between 64 and 104 pages.