The most remarkable species of doves is the superb fruit-dove.  Not only is it a sight to behold, but it is quite docile and is easy to care for.  You can find this stunning bird not only in private collections, but in zoos and public aviaries.

The superb fruit-dove is a native of Australia and is a comparatively small bird.  He is only about 10 inches long.  This bird is difficult to find in the wild in its native habitat of rain forests of eucalyptus.  It was long thought that this species was a rare find, but because of its secretive behavior, this theory has been proven false.

The superb fruit-dove likes to hang out in the higher regions of different fruit bearing trees in the closed-canopy of the mature rain forest.  Many times the only hint of their presence is their droppings full of fruit on the floor of the forest.  Even though this bird is brilliantly colored and quite distinctive in appearance, it can be quite difficult to detect in its native habitat.  It has a unique cooing that can give away its location though.

An avid forager of fig bearing trees, the superb fruit-dove is a sprightly forager.  It has been seen crawling like a mouse through the thick foliage and has been spotted hanging upside down in order to get at the fruit hanging from precarious branches.

These birds don’t often live in flocks; they prefer to live in pairs or as single.  They make their nests in small trees that have thick vines.  Their nests aren’t very sturdy being made up of a few heaps of twigs.  The pair makes up for their poor nest building skills by almost never leaving the nest unattended.    A superb fruit-dove clutch consists of only one white egg.  The hen will incubate her egg for 16-19 days.  Chicks mature quickly and have been found…… Read the rest of this entry »

Popularity: 35% [?]

If you are looking for a companion bird but have limited space to devote to your new friend, then maybe a parrotlet is the bird for you.  This little bird has been described as “the tiny parrot with the big personality.”  You will find this statement quite accurate as you get to know more about these fascinating birds.

It is said that this little bundle of intelligence and energy is a descendent of the larger Amazon Parrot.  Your parrotlet can realistically be part of your family for more than twenty years.  In all varieties of parrotlets, it will be evident if the bird you choose is a male or a female.  If you are prepared to offer the proper training and care as well as the ability to live with a bright child of around 3 years of age for more than twenty years, than a parrotlet is the bird for you.

These birds have also been called pocket parrots because of their fondness for nestling in their human’s clothes and pockets of their shirts.  The parrotlet comes in many varieties, so you are sure to find the right color and personality to fit your family unit.

The Pacific Parrotlet is commonly kept as a companion bird.  This little guy is just 4 ¾-5 ½ inches.  He is a mostly green bird that has a thin streak of blue that extends from his eyes to the back of his neck.  The hen or female will lack the blue coloring in the wings and she will sport a lighter shade of blue stripe that runs from her eyes to the back of her neck.

You can choose from many color mutations when you decide that a pacific parrotlet is going to be your companion.  They come in colors such as albino, pastels, yellow and blue.  You can expect to pay a high price……… Read the rest of this entry »

Popularity: 30% [?]

Here at BirdTrade we do not allow unweaned babies, fertile/non-fertile eggs nor do we allow FREE or cheap birds.

In the past week  we have had to ban 10 users and 30+ adverts of this nature! We consider these adverts as scams and whilst we can appreciate some owners would prefer good homes for their birds the majority of these pathetic "so-called bird owners" just love the ring of the cash register.

For those of you that aren’t aware of the dangers of buying an unweaned baby or worse still a fertile egg this posting is for you!

Firstly we cannot enforce the point enough - stay away from these types of adverts on all other websites.

There is a big myth in the bird world that baby birds bond closest to the person that weans them. This is certainly not true! In fact, most unweaned baby birds that are sold to inexperienced owners face threats of malnutrition, physical damage to their delicate crops, and death, just to name a few. Even those with hand feeding experience make mistakes as weaning a baby bird is a very delicate process. So before these lies convince you to rush out and buy an unweaned baby, please research the dangers.

Attempting to wean a bird yourself will not make it a better pet — choosing to leave it to the professionals can mean the difference between life and death.

FREE or severely cheap birds are usually wild caught birds cruelly imported to the UK or a neighbouring country - help put a stop to this barbaric process by NOT contacting these sellers. We will continue to ban users from our classifieds section to ensure the up-most security for the rest of our visitors. Sites publishing these adverts should be put to shame!

Popularity: 31% [?]

You couldn’t say there is a more vibrantly coloured bird than a Gouldian finch. They can be found in the northern region of Australia which is a tropical area.  They live in the savanna woodland near the mangroves and water.  Unfortunately these stunning birds are an endangered species.  The Australian government said that as a best estimate the Gouldian finch population living in the wild is about 2500 mature birds.  Australia has banned the exportation of finches for decades.

The Gouldian finch is about 5” to 5 1/2 inches in size.  The male of the species has a more stunning coat than that of the female.  He also carries a longer center tail feather.

Gouldian finches are more trouble to breed and care for than breeds like society finches and the zebra.  If you are a first time owner then a Gouldian finch is not for you, especially if you have never owned any birds at all.

Like many other finches, the Gouldian finch has a lovely, soft chirp.  There aren’t many finches that like to be handled or held.  If you are looking for a pet bird to share in your family life, then the Gouldian finch is not the bird for you.  If you decide that such a beautiful bird as a Gouldian finch should be seen by you everyday, then buy them in pairs to allow them to satisfy their social needs as they are sociable birds.  If you are looking for a finch that sings, only the males do and not all sound terrific.

Colour variations of Gouldian finches occur ……. Read the rest of this entry »

Popularity: 47% [?]

A pelleted diet is the ideal diet for all types of birds.  When you feed your birds a seed exclusive diet they will tend to pick out the ones they don’t like and only eat their favorites.  This can make it difficult for an owner to know what essential vitamins and minerals their birds are missing in their diets.  Of course you can buy a supplement, but ingestion of the supplement can be dubious at best.  When your bird is fed a diet based exclusively on seed, there are health risks such as obesity, fatty liver disease and many other serious medical conditions. 

An owner is usually unaware their bird is ill, because as a prey animal, they know full well not to show any sign of weakness or illness lest they be thrown from the flock as predator fodder.  It is typically when the illness progresses to a dangerous level, or even death, that the owner becomes aware there is a problem.

When you feed your bird a pelleted diet supplemented by fresh fruit and vegetables and whole grains, you can be sure your bird is eating a nutritionally complete diet.  Each pellet is made as equally nutritious as the next pellet, no matter what the color or shape.  Birds can be picky about what they eat and with a pelleted diet you can be certain that even if your birds hate the color red or star shapes, he will be getting the complete dietary requirements to ensure a long and happy life.

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Popularity: 16% [?]