Exotic Birds I

1. Exotic Birds I Dr. N. Matthew Ellinwood, D.V.M., Ph.D. March 7, 2012 Iowa State University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

2. Companion Animal Birds • Diverse group • Recent and incomplete domestication • Populations established from released birds • Quaker or Monk Parakeets • San Francisco • Miami

3. Species Types • Passerine birds • Passeriformes • Gallinaceous fowl • Anseriformes • Ducks and Geese • Rattites • Emu and Ostrich • Psittacines

4. Psittacine Introduction • Bill • Upright • Legs • Zygodactyly • Seeds, nuts, fruit, insects, small animals, sheep • Sexually Monomorphic • Minimally sexually dimorphic • DNA Sex testing • Psittacineformes: 3 families: 90 genra: 370 species

5. Psittacine Systematics • Kingdom: Animalia • Phylum: Chordata • Class: Aves • Order: Psittaciformes • Family: Cacatuidae (Cockatoos) • Family Psittacidae (True Parrots INCLUDING LORIES AND LORIKEETS) • Family Strigopidae (New Zealand Parrots) • 4 sps, not companion animals, incld raptor like, and ground dwelling birds

6. New World Psittacines • Macaws • Hyacinth • Military • Blue and Gold • Scarlet

8. Macaws • Long lived (100 years) • South American • Large • Companionable and demanding

9. Anodorhynchus • Genus of large macaws • Hyacinth Macaw • Longest of the macaws • Also the much rarer but similar indigo macaw • AKA Lear’s Macaw

10. Ara Genus of Parrots • Additional group of large macaws • 8 surviving species and one extinct • Cuban red macaw

11. Blue and Yellow Macaw

12. Blue Throated Macaw • Critically endangered • Easily kept

13. Miltary Macaw

14. Great green Macaw • Larger than military

15. Scarlet Macaw

16. Red and green Macaw • AKA • Green winged Macaw

17. Red fronted macaw

18. Chestnut fronted macaw

19. Exotic Birds(The Amazons)

20. Genus Amazona • Medium sized • New world • South America, Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean

21. Amazona • Family: Psittacidae • Subfamily: Psittacinae • True parrots (including lories, lorikeets, and excluding cockatoos) • Tribe: Arini • Neotropical parrots • Genus: Amazona

22. Amazons • Large to medium/small • Short bodied • Short tailed • Mexico to South America • Primarily green • Named for • Location, eponyms, colors • Nuts, seeds, and fruits • Talkes • Companions • Endangered (captive bred)

23. Yellow Headed Amazon • Mexico and C Am. • Mangroves and forests near water • Endangered • Excellent talker • Second to African Grey

24. Yellow-naped Amazon • Pacific coast, Mexico to Costa Rica • Yellow crowned subspecies • Playful • Talkative • Nest protective • Males esp • Blue variant

25. Orange-winged Amazon • Large • South American, Columbia to Trinidad and Tobago (Caribbean islands) south to Peru • Agriculture pest and pet trade

26. Blue Fronted Amazon • South American • Large • Among more common • Variably as talkative as Yellow headed • Singers.

27. Yellow faced Parrot • Mountains of Brazil and Bolivia • Previously an Amazon • Now a short tailed parrot • In the monotypic genus: • Alipiopsitta

28. Cockatoos • family Cacatuidae • 21 species • Australasia • Philippines, Indonesian island, New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Australia. • Cockatoo (Malay via Dutch) • parrot, or older sister, grip, call

29. Cockatoos • Physical characteristics • Movable head crest • Carotid anatomy • Skull anatomy • A gall bladder • No Dyck texture feathers

30. Cockatoos • Systematics in a state of flux • 21 species in 7 genera • 3 Proposed subfamilies • Subfamily Microglossinae • Singleton species, Palm Cockatoo • Subfamily Calyptorhynchinae: dark cockatoos • Subfamily Cacatuinae: white cockatoos

31. Cockatoos • Affectionate and interactive • Captive bred • Long lived and demanding • Tend to be less vocal • Not to be recommended for junior or inexperienced owners • Exception is the cockatiel (smallest cockatoo species)

32. Budgerigar • Small • Relatively short lived • Less demanding • Best starter bird • Wild type coloring shown • Not a cockatoo family member, but from Australia

33. Cockatiels • Excellent intermediate companion bird • Interactive and affectionate without significant problems • Moderately long lived • 15-20 years • Many color variations • Wild type shown

34. Large Cockatoos • Bond Strongly with Owner • Easily bored • Stereotypes, destructive, raucous behavior • Long lived (70-100 years) • Only for the most expert bird keeper and enthusiast

35. Major Mitchells Cockatoo

36. White Cockatoo • AKA Umbrella Cockatoo • Very affectionate • Kept since Tang Dynasty • ~600-900 CE • Gift to HRE Fredrick II • Cuddling predilection • Velcro birds

37. Salmon Crested Cockatoo • AKA Moloccan Cockatoo • Threatened • Illegal to import • Among most demanding • Performers at animal shows

38. Aviculture • Wild breeding patterns • Monogamous • Cavity nesters • Hand rearing

39. Cockatoos • Intermediate Pet Cockatoos • Galahs • Goffin’s • AKA Tanimbar Corella

40. Miscellanea • Endangered or threatened status • Pest Status • Social nature • Flock behavior • Musical responses

41. New world Parrots • Non-Macaw, non-Amazon • Pionus • New world, smaller, less active, demanding, and vocal then Amazons • Short, stocky, squared tailed bare eye ring

42. Caiques • Family: Psittacidae • Subfamily: Psittacinae • Tribe: Arini • Genus: Pionites • Black headed • White bellied

43. Caiques • Activity • Walking/climbing verusus flying • “Surfing” • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rw_sVuu4KE0 • “Relatively” quieter • Poor talkers • Not a beginning bird

44. Conures • Small South American psittacines • Long tailed • Once designated a genus • Current systemics • Conures are members of up to 10 genera • Term being replaced by parakeet in ornithological community • Fancy aviculture term persists

45. Quaker or Monk Parakeet

46. Sun ConureAKA Sun Parakeet

47. Carolina Parakeet

48. Dusky-headed Conure

49. Half Moon Conure(Orange-fronted Parakeet) • Non-native colony in Long Beach

50. African Psittacines • African Grey • Congo (larger, greyer, cherry red) • Timneh (small, darker, maroon tail)