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Diamond Doves |
This bird is the smallest of the dove family, usually about 4 to 5 inches at maturity. The word "diamond" in their name is derived from the distinct white speckling on their wings of most varieties. All diamonds have a fleshy red ring around their eyes(larger in the males). There are many color varieties, the most common being the wild and red, fawn, blue, whites. Then these colors were enhanced with white tails and pied combinations, making the breed flashy, and more visually pleasing. This bird is very suitable as a pet as they are easily tamed when handled, bonding well with people, particularily if there is just one. The diamond dove appears dainty and sleek when alert. They have a gentle nature (will not bite) and their soft coo is a delight to most peoples ears...and they love to fly freely in an encloseure if it is possible. |
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Common |
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Common White Doves |
This is an entirely white bird supported by dark pink or red legs and feet. This 8-9 inch bird is international recognized as an symbol of love and fertility. These doves bond well with their people. They are easy to catch or train to come. This loveable pet will never bite but if upset they may ward off your approach with a quick flick of their wing. Usually this defense is only taken when nesting or rearing young. Although their cooing is louder it can still be appreciated by most people. As a cage bird, the white dove should be given plenty of flying exercise and sun times. |
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White |
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Cape Doves |
Cape doves are about the same size as Zebras, but the males of this species are spectacular with their black mask extending well down the front. The body plumage is a mottled brown and grey pattern. They are a fairly hardy species but should never be allowed to fly free outdoors. |
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Cape Dove |
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Chinese Button Quail |
The Button quail is a small rounded bird with a stubby tail. Their curious, peaceful nature makes them a great pet. They seldom fly, but prefer to walk on the floor. Flight is usually a sudden burst when frightened. Quail love to dust themselves in dry fine sand and pick up fine grit to assist in digestion. Grit is neccessary because the birds eat seeds whole. One can feed them a crumble and eliminate the grit. Chinese button quail come in many color varieties. Wild (mottled brown color), white, silver, indigo, and pied. This is not a bird that would readily sit on your finger or do tricks. They do not sing a pretty song but they are cute and inquisitive. They will not bite and are quite easy to catch, if you learn the technique. |
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White |
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Finches |
Now this is a commonly kept cage bird that seems to have no boundaries. Virtually any color or pattern or combination is possible. The size of all finches is small but there is a variance there too. Many options exist for breed characteristics and song. One common ground with the pet finch is they are a joy to own. Although a few breeds are tamed to sit on your figner (only if handled from very young). Mostly the finch is a free spirited, quick to flight, often dainty looking species. If conditions allow for it , the finch becomes much more trusting and inquisitive if flying freely in a large area as opposed to a small cage. They generally eat a variety of small seeds and a bit of fresh fruits and veggies occasionally. A periodic bath time should be given a few times a week. this is best done outside the pen as water may be splashed all over the cage floor. Bath accessories are available through most pet supply stores. |
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Red Fronted Parrot |
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Forbes Parrot Finch |
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Blue Faced Parrot Finch |
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Common "Grey" Java |
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Red and Cinnamon Zebra |
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Toko Paradise Whydah |
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Yellow Mantled Whydah Finch |
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Pintail Whydah Finch |
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Bengalese Society |
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Bishop Weaver |
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Napolean Weaver |
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Canaries |
Everybody knows of the canary. The picture that pops into everybody's mind is the brilliant yellow variety, and the lovely song that the male sings. This song is probably the key reason for this bird's popularity. The canary is now available in a large variety of colours and patterns, due to selective breeding. This bird, although it looks quite fragile, can actually be a robust little character. They tame easily and once you earn their trust , will fly to you when called or sit on your finger. As is usual, a free flight canary will be more inquisitive then a cage bird. The trick is handling these birds as fledgings. The canary will eat many small seeds and occasionally fruit or veggies. Uneaten fruits and veggies must be removed after a few hours if the bird does not eat it, as they will spoil. This bird always welcomes a bath time. Canaries will mix well with most finch varieties. |
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Various colors |
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Gloschester |
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Parrotlets |
This is actually a parrot, the smallest in the world coming out of the tropics of Australia. They are smaller then a budgie. These cute little guys are always a hit with the people as they can bond closely when handled as young birds. There are several color varieties available now. The parrotlets are fast fliers and care should be taken when releasing these birds loose into a room, until they have control of flight.
They may fly into windows or walls and cause themselves injuries. Their diet consists of a variety of seeds, nuts, fruits and veggies. The parrotlet is usually not a very noisy bird like other small hookbills. They like an occasional bath in a shallow pan of water. Many people looking for a pet bird are not familiar with the parrotlet. They have increased in popularity in the past few years. |
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Blue |
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Parakeets |
The category labelled Parakeet is probably the largest collection of tropical hookbileld birds. Sizes range from the common budgie to the much larger Alexandrian. Colors, body type, and characteristics are as variable as the personalities in the class. Parakeets certainly are beautiful cagebirds, no matter what variety you may choose. If these bird are handled since they are young, they will make a great pet. As a rule, parakeets love their free flying time and a bath too. Parakeets will eat a wide variety of seeds, nuts, fruits, and veggies. Some varieties of parakeets can be quite vocal while others are fairly quite. The people need to be better educated about the different species, and these birds made more available to the pet industry. It needs to be said " This is a parakeet" and I am as good a pet bird as any of the others. |
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Alexandrine |
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Red Rumped |
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Indian Ringneck |
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Berraband (Superb) |
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Linney (Tourquoise & cobalt) |
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Quaker |
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Princess of Whales |
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Red breasted |
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Cockatiels (Parakeet) |
With the exception of budgies, the cockatiels are probably the most popular cage bird. Several color varieties are available now. This bird bonds so well with its people making them irresistable as a pet. Their natural mimicking nature has many talking, or at least repeating what they hear.They have been taught to come when called and do many tricks. The long crest feathers held striaghit up and the poised body give the look of elegance. Most of the cockatiels sold today have been hand reared since small babies, but do not be mistaken...some can be very aggressive, leaving a person in considerable pain from a bite. They usually get along with other birds, (although lovebirds not advisable) quite well. Diet consists of a wide variety of seeds, veggies, and fruits. |
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Greys (normal) |
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Budgerigars (Parakeet) |
Probably one of the most commonly kept cage birds. Many brightly coloured budgies are available in various shades and tints of blue, green, yellow, and white or any combination thereof. These small parrot like birds can be quite messy as they shell the seeds they eat, leaving husks everywhere. Their chatter and screaching can become quite noisy at times. Budgies bond well with their people and are quite tamable, and some have even been taught to talk . If not hand reared as young birds, a budgie can inflict a painful bite when caught. Below is some of the various varieties we breed. The English budgie, as a rule is about twice the size of standard budgies, , and tend to be much more robust in appearance. They have larger bib spots and a heavy helmet of feathers on their head, that almost conceals the eyes at maturity. |
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Various standard colors |
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Harlequin |
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English Blue & Greens |
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Kakariki (Parakeet) |
One word would describe the kakariki as a pet, - "clown". These birds seem to show off there clown like antics when they have the attention of an audience. Their arial acrobatics are impressive as they dive, swoop and do fancy manouvers in the air. On foot they are interesting to watch as they move quickly from one item to another in a fluid movement whether being upright, upsde down or sideways. The Kakariki comes in three original colors. The yellow fronted and the red fronted and the yellow. A few hybrid colors have come about from selective breeding. The yellow kakariki is outstanding with its canary yellow plumage topped with a patch of red on the head and small red patch running parallel to the eye. This is not a common cage bird as few people know of this breed. They make a great pet ( when handled as a young bird) and they bond well with people and most other birds. They eat a wide variety of seeds and nuts as well as fruits and veggies. They do have a good appetite, but unfortunately have a bad habit of using their feet, scratching through the food in search of a preferred morsal of food, thus making a mess in the process. They love to bath and need flight time to keep them strong and vigorous. |
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Yellow |
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Red Fronted Australian |
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Yellow Fronted New Zealand |
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Rosella (Parakeet) |
This bird is a real looker, it's plumage is bright red on the body and a whole rainbow of colors cover the wings and back, with primarily blue on the tail, and a white bib. The Rosella is a fairly large bird ( about 13 inches) for a cage bird. If you have the space in an isolated part of the house, this bird may be for you. These birds are generally fairly quiet but males will become vocal during spring, with it's interesting call. This bird has a voracious appetite, consuming a wide variety of small to medium seeds, fruits, nuts and veggies. When handled since fledglings, this bird makes a terrific pet for those who are partial to parakeets. Warning, an untamed rosella can deliver an nasty painful bite. Of coarse this bird loves to fly freely whenever possible and it needs this exercise to keep it strong and healthy. There are several color varieties of rosellas through selective breeding, but i think the crimson and red eastern are the more exciting specimens. As you may have guessed this larger size pet can be quite pricey, but they can be worth it for their uniqueness, relative rarity and longevity |
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Red Eastern |
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Conures (Parakeets) |
There are alot of varieties in the conure family. Some are very colorful while others display the common green colours found in many tropical birds. One thing is for certain... they are very busy little bodies. They seem to be constantly active and in groups, they can chatter and squawk with the best of them. Most conures are of a friendly nature. Their curious activities and want for attention seem endless. They are in heaven if allowed to fly freely for a while in your home... but watch them..they like to chew thigns. This bird is affordable and an fairly small member of the parakeet family. They eat seeds, fruits, veggies, and small nuts. Conures make excellent pets when hand raised. |
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Green Cheeked Conures |
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Sun Conures |
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Lovebirds |
Everybody loves the lovebirds.There are alot of bright and colorful color varieties of this breed. This is a lively little bird well known for its chattering and vocal qualities. Unfortunately, lovebirds do not mix well with other breeds as they excel at nipping and badgering, particularily if there is more then one lovebird. All lovebirds ( except the peach face) develop a white ring around their eye ( larger in males) If hand reared from a very young age, a lovebird will make a great pet. For the most part, this bird is best enjoyed for its color and frolicking nature when roaming freely. This free flight should be chaperoned, as all lovebirds will chew on anyithing made of wood, plastic or dry wall etc. It is not uncommon for a lovebird to inflict a painful bite on one's finger. Their diet is mainly a variety of seeds, but they also enjoy veggies and fruits on occasion. Many color varieties available. |
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Fischers |
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Peach Faced Blue (Dutch Peach Face) |
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Parrots |
Individual profiles for parrots species listed below. |
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Macaws |
There are several color varieties of the Macaw family. The most common is the blue and gold & green wing. All macaws are excellent copy cats, repeating words or many sounds that they commonly hear. These quite large tropical birds have incredibly strong beaks designed to crush the hard shells of nuts and seeds etc. It is for this reason that one should never purchase a macaw parrot for a pet that has not been hand raised. A bad tempered or frightened macaw could cause very serious injury to an unsuspecting owner. When raised as a family member from a very early age a macaw can be a trustworthy, beautiful and often funny pet. At the same time, they can be a very messy bird with their food and water. It is seldom a macaw will fly even if the opportunity permits, but one should clip their wings to ensure that a frightened bird does not take off into thewild blue yonder. This bird is quite expensive to purchase and they live to quite and old age. (75 to 100 yrs) Macaws should therefore be purchased only by those prepared to offer a lifetime of dedicated care and love to these incredible birds. Their magestic stature and the gorgeous color combination and their entertaining qualities by far out weigh the messes and occasional screaching sessions that occur. The macaw is #1 in my books. |
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Blue & Gold Macaws |
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Green Wing Macaw |
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Scarlet Macaw |
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Catalina Macaw |
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African Greys |
Although the Congo African Greys lack the colorful plumage ( other then the tail), they make up for it in their personality. This parrot is usually quick to bond with one particular member of the family and stays very committed. They are probably the best talkers of all parrot types. I love to relax with a coffee in early morning and listen to the africans continuously unveil everything they have learned to mimic to date. Sometimes their conversations between them even seem to make a bit of sense. They are somewhat pricey but if you get a hand raised young bird, the rewards you will experience will make them well worth every penny. They eat a wide variety of nuts, seeds and fruit. If it is a loyal companion you want in a bird, the africans are at the top of the list. |
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African Greys |
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Rare ! White Fronted Amazon |
There are many color variations of Amazons. Most are relatively small ( approx the size of the congo african grey parrots) All are short and stocky and posess attitude. Usually this bird will bond closely with one person but if family raised from a young bird, they can be tolerable of all members. The Amazon parrot is a fairly good talker...but when attitude kicks in, they have been known to scream and carry out tantrum like actics. They will eat a wide variety of nuts, seeds, and fruits as well as veggies if they are raised on a varied diet. They can be an amusing and lovable pet when hand reared properly, otherwsie they demonstrate a nasty disposition ( a feature which gives them rank in a group) Their loyalty, multiple color choice, and size make them a great pick as your pet. |
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White Fronted Amazon |
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Yellow Crowned Amazon |
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White Capped Pionus |
Update Coming !
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White Capped Pionus |
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Cockatoos |
There are several varieties of Cockatoos out there, but they all pretty much possess the same personality type. they can be an excitable bird which can be triggered but a sharp raise in your voice or a different sound. Cockatoos are masters of entertainment as they like to dance and display their crest with wings spread. Many learn to talk fairly well, although they are not best known for their mimicing qualities. Their curious nature and close bonding with usually one member of the family make them a very sought after pet. The amusing dexterity of their feet as they perform monkey like antics for an audience is captivating for many people. One should never allow a cockatoo free roam of their home without supervision as they do possess one bad quality... They will chew up everything they can gain access to. this can curbed with lots of durable toys. Cockatoos will readily eat nuts and fruit as well as seeds. Anyone considering a cockatoo should fast make certain the bird has been hand raised. Secondly, one should realize that this bird will live a long time in your care. All cockatoos have to be spray bathed or msited daily, as this breed possesses a great deal of dander or body dust if the bird goes through a prolonged period of dryness. As a pet you wont find a more delightful and entertaining candidate. |
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White Umbrella Cockatoo |
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Lesser Sulphur Crested Cockatoo |
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Goffin Cockatoo |
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