May 2024 issue

Parrots magazine May 2024 edition

On 11th August 2023 a Chinese man was arrested at São Paulo airport with a portable incubator containing 60 eggs. They were nearly all fertile. As the eggs could not be identified as an endangered species, the trafficker was released without charge. IBAMA, the Brazilian environmental agency, had contacted Prof. Luis Fabio Silveira, from the Zoological Museum of the University of São Paulo. With his many contacts in the avicultural world, he arranged for the eggs to be sent to an experienced breeder in São Paulo. It was believed the trafficker thought they were Hyacinth eggs, but they turned out to be Green Wings.

In this issue …

Parrot News
Powerful yet sensitive beaks
Ultraviolet Light as a Critical Component
The link between unwanted behaviours and unbalanced nutrition
Green-winged Macaw egg smuggling on an industrial scale
How much exercise does your parrot get?
Alfie’s Adventures: Hyacinth Macaw
News from Feathers Together
Blue-naped Parrots in the spotlight
Depressed parrot finds voice with expletives!
Calendar Dates
A decade of counting Rainbows
Postbag
Parrots Helpline
Classified ads
and lots more…

UV light – issue 316

Proper husbandry of any species is the key to ensuring healthy, well-adjusted pets. The closer we come to recreating the conditions of the species in the wild combined with the benefits of modern science, the more likely the animals are to not merely survive, but also thrive. While there have been enormous strides in avian nutrition over the past 40 years with the advent of formulated diets, little attention has been paid to the role that sunlight plays in metabolism and behaviour. Many of our pet birds are hatched and live their entire lives indoors with no exposure to UVB lighting or the sun. But there are solutions.