P et Birds Wild Bird s Pet birds such as chickens and parrots are closely related to their wild cousins Birds are kept as pets for fun Wild Pets People have kept birds for meat and eggs for thousands of years Today chickens living on farms and in yards have been bred from jungle fowl that lived in the tropical forests of Asia Pet ducks and geese have wild cousins too Pet Birds Birds are kept as pets for many reasons They may be kept for their sweet songs their bright feathers and as company However birds are not as domesticated as dogs and cats and they need to be tamed This brightly colored male t jungle fowl below is related to the tame chickens right that many people keep for eggs 4
Look Alike The feathers of many pet birds are the same color as those of wild birds For example pet gray parrots look just like wild gray parrots However some pet birds such as parakeets have been bred so that they have a bigger range of colors than wild birds Wild parakeets s right are mostly green but pet parakeets below can be a variety of colors including blue yellow and even white 5
B i rds as P ets Birds make great pets They can be friendly and chatty Some love to play and learn tricks while others love to cuddle Cage or Aviary You can keep a pet bird in a cage in the house As most cages are small it is important to let a pet bird out to fly once a day in a closed room Pet birds can be kept outside in an aviary which is a bird house big enough for them to fly in An aviary needs shelter from wind rain and sun and a warm nest box for when it is cold Many macaws have a wingspan of 40 inches 100 cm or more so the s best place to keep a pet macaw top is in an outdoor aviary with plenty of space to fly but these birds are not suitable for beginners 6
Daily Care Many small birds are easy to look after but some of the more exotic birds need special diets and can catch diseases which may result in high vet fees Some birds such as cockatoos need lots of attention from their owner Cockatoos are large noisy birds that love company s but they are not suitable pets for beginners Buying Your Pet If you buy your bird from a pet shop make sure the birds look healthy and that their cages are clean You can also buy birds from breeders It is important to ask whether the animal was bred in captivity Many exotic birds are caught in the wild and sold as pets which threatens the survival of wild birds P ET PO I NT Many wild birds live in flocks in the wild and should not be kept a l o n e F o r e x am p l e canaries are best kept i n p a i r s o r sm a l l groups 7 Choose a bird that is suitable for s a beginner such as a parakeet or finch A breeder can advise you about which type of bird to buy and how to care for it
