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Some animals are real treasures and Marteen, my Orange-winged Amazon, was one of them. He lived to a ripe old age of 59 and died in my arms, how precious is that?!
Marteen was not the easiest companion to care for. Like all parrots, he was plenty messy and he had his grouchy moments; and once he even grabbed a sizable chunk of flesh out of my lower lip trying to prevent my cat, Chessie, from getting up on the couch with me. But most of all he was a great whistler and a wonderful companion and a talker when he felt like it. Orange-wings are not particularly noted for their talking abilities. When the telephone rang he always said "HELLO" in a deep voice after the first ring. When he was bad and I was scolding him momentarily he would say "Hello, Ellen" in a plaintive, funny, cutsy way, such that it was hard to stay mad at him for long. I will never forget his softly cooing "NO-oooooooooo" back to me whenever I said "No" to him. He actually knew quite a few words but what he most liked to do was mimic my laugh; he loved to say "ha ha ha ha ha" and would insert all the requesite intonations just I as would...leaving everyone else laughing along with him. What a card! When he wanted my attention he would drop things and bag things around his cage, or throw his seed around (of course). Or he would climb around the top of his cage and onto a thick rope that I had strung from his cage all the way across the kitchen: once above me, he would then hang upside down by one foot and spew CAT CALLS galore until I came running. He LOVED it when the cooking started. He always waited for those 'taste treats' as things progressed. In the morning, every morning, I created a platter of diverse fresh vegetables and fruits for him and then sprinkled his favorite nuts on top for zest. He was a wonderful and appreciative eater! He lived in my kitchen most of the time because he had so many windows and play things in there; but he also had a perch near my desk and another one in the livingroom and even one in my bedroom during the cooler months of the year. He was definitely in the middle of everything...all of the time. Was he a happy guy? You bet. And he showed it. Marteen loved me dearly and he traveled willingly with me wherever I went, even to on a road trip from Virginia to Florida, and another from Florida to East Tennessee! I would put him in his traveling cage in the passenger seat of my Mazda and off we would go he'd hang from one foot and whistle along with the radio and in general treated passing cars to some fun antics. Why, I even took Marteen out in a canoe a few times on Florida's lovely Rainbow River! He and that travel case went almost anywhere. As he grew older I elected not to clip his wings, as I wanted him to have a way to land easily if he slipped and fell off his cage...which he did occasionally. He weighed one full pound so a jarring fall from a tall cage would not have been good! I gave him showers at least weekly, which he greatly enjoyed. I would put him in the kitchen sink and open one wing at a time and point the hand-shower under the wing and around his lower body, then switch to the other side, and to his feet. The color of his feathers really deepened from these warm, gentle showers. But BEWARE: I was always careful to keep water away from his ear openings and his eyes and nostils.
I have gotten lots of emails over the years from folks about what to feed their Orange-winged Amazon other than seed. Here is what I always tell them: A variety of fresh fruits and vegetables, the deeper the color the better A variety of fresh nuts Enriched and vitamin-fortified (fresh) seed, not the dime-store type; and not birdseed exclusively. Also, beware of fattening seeds like sunflower seeds. The seed should actually comprise no more than 1/3 of the avian diet. The rest should be made up of fresh things and also of a dry natural maintenance diet like ZUPREME or Harrison's dry high potency maintenance diets. You can get these natural diet formulations for all kinds of birds, not just parrots; and be sure to do so! I sprinkled the maintence food on fresh greens and fruits, and also put it into a separate food bowl, often first a few hours before I put the seeds out. And don't forget: birds need fresh water at least twice a day! I also gave Marteen many different little taste treats to keep him interested; for example, he loved a bit of cheese now and then, even a chicken or beef bone that he could chew the marrow out of. [I never gave him bones without being present to supervise things, plus it was just fun to watch him go at it!] He loved a taste of something warm from my own dinner plate if I thought it wouldn't hurt him. Brown rice is especially good for birds, so I kept some cooked rice in the refrigerator at all times. I mixed fresh vegetables into the brown rice and some times I even added a little chicken broth (or maybe gravy) for flavor. I ALWAYS heated it up in the microwave for about 20-seconds before serving the rice casserole to him.
I got a real kick out of finding just the right toys for Marteen to play with. He loved to chew, so any toys have to be bird-proof. Parrots need a wide variety of interesting jingles and jangles and wood blocks and whatevers...enjoy the hunt with your bird! Whenever I was in Florida I always gathered up those extra large pine cones and dried them for several months in a bag, and then hung them up in Marteen's cage using plastic tie-downs. The trick is to hang toys so that your bird doesn't poop on them! Marteen loved mirrors, too, as he was an ONLY bird and this 'friend' was someone he commmiserated with when I was not at home to play with him. He also always had big [rope] perches that gave him plenty of fun 'hanging' time, plus they didn't give him foot sores like other perches can do. Oh, yes, I had to clip Marteen's toenails every so often but that was not so bad...I rolled him in a big white towel (the same one every time) with his head sticking out one end and his feet the other, which worked just fine. I used heavy-duty dog nail clippers, always careful to do it often enough so that I didn't hit the quick which would then bleed profusely. The more often you clip the better, as it causes the quick to shrink over time. Long nails made maneuvering around a cage difficult for him. Alas, my Amazon friend died of old age finally and I surely mourn his loss.
Things Marteen Would Like You to Know
01- As with us humans, diet is extremely important in a parrot's overall health and longevity. 02- So, too, is the proper amount and quality of daylight in their lives. Read this important article on Lighting and Your Bird by Patrick R. Thrush. 03- Do not buy a parrot (or any animal, for that matter) if you don't expect to have it for its natural lifetime. I know, things happen...but too often people get a parrot 'for fun' and then give it away when the fun is over and the messes have to be cleaned up day after day after day. A PARROT IS A LIFETIME COMMITMENT. Thousands of parrots end up being moved around from home to home over the course of their lifetime, which is highly stressful and also produces an unruly and unhappy parrot in short order. So once you acquire a parrot, you will probably need to make advance arrangements for him in your Last Will and Testament. That's how I got Marteen; my friend, AV Symington, got Marteen when he was a juvenile (around 1948-49) from Bogata, Columbia. She knew that I wanted Marteen so she left him to me in her will when she died at the age of 86. 04- Parrots will pick at their feathers around their neck when left alone too much, when they are under continual stress, when their diet is seed-based and/or otherwise unsatisfactory, when deprived of sustained sunlight, or a combination of the above. Parrots are very intelligent. They are also keen observers of their environment (and of you!) and do not let things pass unnoticed. 05- Get a parrot only from a reputable independent breeder in your local community. Do not get a bird from PetSmart or any other large chain that sells animals. These chains really should be stopped from doing that. There is also a huge problem in the U.S. and around the world related to the exotic bird trade, something you don't want to support. Learn about CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora), which is an international agreement between governments. Its aim is to ensure that international trade in species of wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival. Be sure to get references for your local breeder of choice and follow-up on those references. If you don't like the breeder, don't buy a bird from him or her. Inspect the premises where the breeding activity takes place. Talk to people who have purchased birds in the past from that breeder. Remember, too, you can always adopt an adult parrot that needs a good home. The adult adoptee will take extra tender loving care in the beginning but if you persist and are kind and caring, he (or she) will eventually come around. Visit a locally-owned avian shop and talk with them about your parrot interests...get to know them...spend time at their shop...join a local network of avian enthusiasts...THIS IS THE BEST WAY TO ACQUIRE AN ADULT COMPANION PARROT THAT WILL BRING JOY TO YOU FOR ITS LIFETIME. Whatever you do, don't buy a parrot on a whim. 06- Find a veterinarian who is a board-certified Avian Specialist. No one else will do. Specialists are more expensive but also far more knowledgeable about Exotics than a regular vet will ever be. Be sure to take your parrot in for annual checkups at the very least. 07- The larger the bird cage for your parrot, the better. Small cages are claustrophobic and many cages on the market are dreary and quite hard to keep clean. HQ CAGES are excellent for parrots and have many nice features for ease of cleaning, plus the bars are substantial and easy on the feet for climbing. Find a place in your house where your parrot can be a part of the family and then spend plenty of time with him. Keep your bird in the middle of things, not closed off in some back room. They love to be by windows, on porches, in the kitchen, wherever the action is, and they even like to walk around on the floor....anywhere, that is, except in constant drafts. Drafts can kill. 08- Read about your parrot and how to best care for him. Here is a reading list from AMAZON.COM to get you started. 09- Amazons can bite mightily, so always be careful. Even after all these years I was respectful of Marteen's beak and therefore moved him around on a 1.5 inch round wooden dowel that I had cut to about 18 inches long. He stepped up and down from this dowel readily, and it prevented possible bites by not letting him get too close to my face. It also allowed other caretakers (in my absence) to do the same. Amazons are very territorial around their food which is a big part of their life. Bites can occur around feeding times, or when they are fearful or made suddenly anxious by some change in their environment. They can also be quite protective, even jealous which can result in highly unpredictable and at times aggressive behavior. 10- I played music for Marteen all the time. He loved music and learned to whistle and sing (in his own way) along with the music. In fact, I have a collection of about 15 children's sing-along CD-ROMs which I played just for him...he recognized all of them and sang loudly along with them...oh, you know, mostly toots and whistles but it was his kind of singing...and he loved it, flapping wings and all. His favorite was MICHAEL ROW YOUR BOAT ASHORE . I sang three verses to him every single night while he raced to meet me at the door of his cage to sing-along. After that he was ready to be covered for the night.
12- Finally, Marteen hopes that you will treat his cousins well. Report any local cases of abuse and follow-up on them. Make sure that the bird involved is rescued and finds a better life elsewhere. It is the right thing to do. Far too many parrots languish in unhappy circumstances for their entire lives. This wouldn't happen if owners knew what they were getting into upfront and re-arranged their lives to accommodate this truly remarkable being. If you don't know where to go for help, contact your State Veterinarian's Office. |
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Amazon Amazonica Orange-winged Amazons (Amazona amazonica) are one of the smaller Amazons from South America's Amazon basin. They are a gregarious parrot, moving from tree to tree in large flocks in search of ripe fruits and nuts.(1) Its plumage in the wild is emerald green. The crown is yellow with lores and above the eye there is a violet-blue region; cheeks are yellow. The edge of the wing is yellowish-green and primaries are green to violet-blue with black tips. The outer feathers are washed with orange-red.(2) There are over 50 species of the Amazona family. There is confusion, as a result, in telling the difference between species like the BLUE FRONTED (Amazona aestiva) and the ORANGE WINGED (Amazona amazonica) Amazon. Both have blue and yellow on and around the head and face and often Orange-wings are advertised for sale as blue-fronts. There are, however, differences between them and the most obvious is the color of the beak. The Blue-front has a black beak (top & bottom mandibles) while the Orange-wing has a horn-colored beak (often with darker streaks). Another fairly obvious difference (and hence the origin of the name Orange-wing) is that the feathers in the wing spectrum are orange in the Orange-wing but red in the Blue-Front. Orange-wings have a more even temperament in general than Blue-fronts.(2)
They make a joyful noise (8) flying high overhead: Natural diet: Seeds, fruits, berries, flowers and nuts Length: 13 to 14 inches long (31-34cm) The Parrot Family The feet of parrots are also unusual. The two outer toes of the foot point backwards and grip in opposition to the two forward pointing inner toes, providing them with an extremely powerful grasp. It also enables them to hold and manipulate objects close to their bill. Most parrots are tree-dwellers and tend to be most plentiful in and around lowland tropical forests. They feed on fruits, especially wild figs, seed, nuts, berries, buds and blossoms. Life Expectancies of Parrots (4) Amazon Parrot - 50 to 60 years or more, with right diet and no stress Cockatiel - 15 to 20 years Cockatoo - up to 70 years Conure - 15 to 20 years Eclectus - 30 to 50 years Macaw - up to 80 years Parrot Predators in the Wild According to Dr. Don Brightsmith of the Tambopata Macaw Project in southeastern Peru (5) : "In the rainforest the answer is whichever predator can catch them. Many mammals would undoubtedly eat an adult parrot if they could but I imagine that few ever get the chance." He goes on to say that the fact that most parrots are highly arboreal and spend most of their time in or flying above the tallest trees suggests that they rarely fall victim to mammalian predators. One mammal that that may be an effective predator of parrots is the False Vampire Bat (Vampyrum spectrum). This is the largest bat in the New World with a wingspan of nearly 3 ft. It flies by night and locates birds as they sleep. It then carries its prey back to its roost where it feeds. The book Tropical Nature by Forsyth and Miyata reports that a roost of this bat in Costa Rica contained the feathers of ". . . parrots and a host of other birds." As for non-flying mammals, Dr. Brightsmith has heard a second hand report of an adult Green-winged Macaw (Ara chloroptera) being captured by a Brown Capuchin Monkey as the macaw waited in the trees above a clay lick in Peru. It is much more common for parrots to fall prey to raptors.
Many species, in fact, were put at risk in the process and conservation groups worldwide rigorously opposed the exploding traffic in exotic birds. The Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species of Flora and Fauna (CITES)(10) has, with organizations like TRAFFIC (11), worked diligently to try to reduce this threat to the survival of parrots in the wild. Still, there are those who are clearly not concerned about the welfare of birds and who continue to act illegally for profit. They serve to remind the rest of us that we must make a concerted effort to support aviary-bred parrots and to remove our support for wild-caught parrot operations small and large. As we speak, large numbers of parrots are still being exported from Africa, Asia and Latin America.
From them we learn some sobering facts: The world's rainforests are disappearing at an average rate of a football field every second, which translates to: 75 acres every minute The map below iillustrates the fact that only a tiny fraction of our planet's land mass, approximately 6%, is rainforest. What you can't see from this or any map is that 80% of all surface vegetation on earth is contained in these rainforests. Nor can you see from the map that 50% of the earth's oxygen is generated by these rainforests, and that 50% to 90% of all life forms on earth exist in these rainforests.
*Feather picking of psychogenic origin has often been attributed to a captive environment lacking sufficient stimulation, particularly companionship and opportunities to forage. Improved feather condition is strongly related to an enriched environment. *Parrots from an enriched environment showed decreased fearfulness when confronted with novel objects and humans. *Anecdotal evidence suggests that the companionship of another parrot may impact adversely on the individual bond between owners and their parrots. However, results from this study demonstrated that 57% of the birds housed singly developed stereotypic behaviours such as pacing and bar chewing, while paired birds exhibited none of these behaviours. All too often, it seems, people adopt parrots as pets and then loose interest in them, which ultimately leads to significant deterioration in the bird's caged behavior. Having a parrot as a pet requires a long-term commitment to meeting its most basic needs for healthy food, adequate space, sunlight, toys, and enduring, interactive companionship. Help us help the world's parrots! Please pass this page along to interested others.
References 01 http://www.parrot-link.co.uk/amazone.htm 02 http://www.arndt-verlag.com/projekt/parse.cgi?Desc=E333.htm&Pic=333_1.JPG 03 http://www.honoluluzoo.org/amazon_parrots.htm 04 http://www.parrotchronicles.com 05 http://www.thewildconnection.org/aboutus.html 06 http://www.canadianparrottrust.org/manifesto.htm 07 http://www.800rainforest.org/ 08 http://webserv.nhl.nl/~ribot/english/amam_ng.htm 09 http://vein.library.usyd.edu.au/links/Essays/2003/perin-vale.html |
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12 Parrot Species that highlight the threats to all parrots CITIES: Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora Tropical Rainforests: Their Wonders and the Perils They Face INFO ON SPECIFIC PARROT SPECIES The Internet Bird Collection: Research by species, geographical region, names The Complete Lixicon of Parrots: Amazons Amazona Phoenix Landing: Provides for parrots in need and acts as advocates for those without protection The World Parrot Refuge: Building a Home for Life |
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