The Blue Gold Macaw

The Blue-and-gold Macaw, is a member of the group of prominent tropical parrots known as macaws. It breeds in the forest and timberlands of tropical South America from Trinidad and Venezuela south to Brazil, Bolivia, and Paraguay. It extends into Central America, where it is limited to Panama. It is an endangered species in Trinidad, has probably been eradicated from western Ecuador, and is on the verge of being eradicated from Paraguay, but still remains widespread and fairly common in a large part of mainland South America. It is therefore listed as Least Concern by BirdLife International as a threatened species. It can reach 30-33.6 inches long and weighs 2-3 lbs, making it one of the largest parrots in the world. It is brilliant in appearance with blue wings and tail, black chin, golden underparts and a green forehead. Its beak is jet black and very strong for crushing nuts. The naked face is white, turning pink in excited birds, and lined with small black feathers. The Blue-and-gold Macaw mostly mates for life. It nests at the top of tree trunks and the female usually lays two eggs. The young are born without feathers; but, at ten weeks, they are covered with feathers and the wings and tail have achieved their full length. Baby macaws have black eyes, but the color changes over time from black to gray to white to yellow as an adult bird. At six months, it is hard to distinguish the young from the parents. The Blue-and-gold Macaw uses its mighty beak for cracking nutshells, and also for climbing up and dangling from trees. They necessitate a wide-ranging diet, a seed only diet will lead to health problems such as vitamin deficiency. An example of a good diet would be a prime pelleted mix for Macaws, in concurrence with a mix featuring seed, nuts, and dried fruits, with fresh vegetables and fruits fed regularly; furthermore, it is quite common to partake with their human owners of safe foods like pasta, bread, etc. There are some foods which are deadly to birds and parrots as a group. Cherry and most other Rosaceae pits and seed, avocados, chocolate, and caffeine are among the foods harmful to parrots. Chocolate and caffeine are not metabolized by birds the same way they are in humans, Rosaceae seed contain cyanogenic glycosides and avocados contain persin which are both poisonous compounds to birds. Blue-and-gold Macaws are popular as pets partly because of their striking appearance and ability as a talking bird; however, the price of a single bird may be in excess of (USD) $900-$2,000 in North America and their large size makes adjustment problematic. The blue and gold Macaw (Ara ararauna)is from the Class: Aves, Order: Psittaciformes, Family: Psittacidae, Genus: Ara, Species: ararauna.

Pets, How to Identify Birds

American Robin

The American Robin (Turdus migratorius) is a migratory songbird of the thrush family. The American Robin is a common occupant of residential areas during the breeding season. In Fall and Winter, it can be found in large, somewhat nomadic flocks in areas with lots of fruiting trees. The length of the full grown Robin is approximately 8.5-9.5 inches from its beak to its tail. The male has a brownish orange-red breast, brownish gray upper parts, blackish head, and a broken eye ring around the eyeball. The female Robin is usually smaller then the male and has a more paler color. Robins live in North America from Georgia to Alaska and in the winter some fly as far south as Mexico. When the Robin migrates to the south in the winter it is one of the first birds to migrate to the north in the spring. The Robin often sings very early in the morning. The Robin is one of the first bird species to lay eggs, and begins to breed shortly after returning to its summer home from its winter home. Robins like to return to the same nesting places each year. Its nest consists of long strands of grass, stems, paper, and feathers, and is smeared with mud and often cushioned with grass or other soft materials. The female usually lays three to six blue eggs and sits on the nest while the male helps feed them once they are hatched. Robins like to eat fruit, berries, and insects. The Robin is from the Kingdom: Animalia, Phylum: Chordata, Class: Aves, Order: Passeriformes, Family: Turdidae, Genus: Turdus, Species: T. migratorius. To hear the Robins song go to: http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/American_Robin.html#sound. And then click on sounds.

Bluebird

The above picture is of an Eastern Bluebird. The bluebird is one of the best loved songbirds of North America. The bluebird is approximately 7-8 inches long from the tip of it's beak to the end of it's tail. Bluebirds are attractive birds with blue, or blue and red, plumage. The female of the species is paler in color. Bluebirds migrate to the south in the winter and migrate back north in early spring. The bluebird usually builds it's nest in farmyards, gardens, and open grassland areas with scattered trees. But bluebirds also like to leave near human dwellings. The male bluebird attracts the female by singing and flapping it's wings. The female bluebird is the nest builder while the male at times will bring her insects while she is sitting on the eggs or caring for the young. The female usually lays approximately three to six pale blue or white eggs. The bluebird lives on insects and wild berries. The bluebird belongs to the Kingdom: Animalia, Phylum: Chordata, Class: Aves, Order: Passeriformes, Family: Turdidae, Genus: Sialia. To hear the bluebird singing go to:http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Eastern_Bluebird.html#sound and click on listen to songs of this species.

Cardinal (bird)

The Cardinal is sometimes called the redbird. The Cardinal is found in both North America and South America. The Cardinal in North America lives mostly in the eastern United States from South Dakota, southern Minnesota, and Connecticut southward to Florida and the Gulf of Mexico. The Cardinal can also be seen in certain parts of the western states. The cardinal grows to about 8.5 inches long. The head of the cardinal has a crest of feathers that stick up. The male cardinal is mostly red with a grayish tinge on their back side. The female cardinal is more of an olive grayish brown with red highlights in their tails, wings, and crests. Male and female cardinals have reddish orange or bright red bills. Cardinals mate in early spring. Cardinals like to make their nests in the lower branches of trees. the nests are built with grass, dead leaves, and stems. They usually lay from two to five eggs which are white with colored speckles. Cardinals usually feed on seeds, wild berries, and insects. The classification of the cardinal is: Kingdom:Animalia;
Phylum:Chordata; Class:Aves; Order:Passeriformes; Family: Cardinalidae
To hear the song of this bird go to: http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Northern_Cardinal.html click on listen to songs of this species.

Brown Creeper

The common brown creeper lives in North America. Their breeding habitat is mature forests, especially conifers, in Canada, Alaska and the northeastern and western United States. They are frequently observed in the southern part of the United States in the winter. They forage on tree trunks and branches, typically the bird moves around the tree upwards from the bottom of a tree trunk up, and then flying down to the bottom of another tree. They creep slowly with their body flattened against the bark, probing with their beak for insects and spider eggs. The brown creeper is smaller then a sparrow. The brown creeper has brown plummage with white streaks. The female usually lays four to seven white eggs with spots of brown on them and incubation lasts about two weeks. The creeper belongs to the family Certhidae. The brown creeper to genus Certhia, species americana. To hear the song of this bird go to: http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Brown_Creeper.html
click on listen to songs of this species.

Parakeet

The parakeet is a small member of the parrot family. Parakeets belong to the family Psittacidae. They are brightly colored, with yellow, orange, blue, red, green or purple feathers. You can distinguish the sexuality of the grownup parakeet by the color of the skin at the nostrils. In the male the skin is purplish-blue, while in the female it is brownish. Parakeets are clever and affectionate pets. They are able to do many acrobatic and interesting tricks on seesaws and toy ladders. A parakeet can be trained to talk and it is best to start training when they are a few weeks old. When training the parakeet to talk you should repeat the word or words over and over again until the parakeet also repeats the word or words.
Quite a few people enjoy the hobby of breeding parakeets for fun and for profit. The best breeding time for parakeets is in the spring because birds hatched in the spring will benefit from the warmth of the summer. The eggs from the female usually hatch in about 18 to 20 days. The female parakeet usually lays about five eggs. Fruit and seeds are the main parakeet's foods.