Birds make great pets, and some breeds are particularly appealing to novice owners. The canary is a cheery bird with a lovely song. Discovered by the Spanish in the Canary Islands, off the northwest coast of Africa, wild canaries were olive-and-brown-striped with yellow head, rump and breast -- the recognizable yellow canary was developed in captivity. Another excellent pet bird is the finch; a variety of finch breeds are available, including the popular zebra finch, which has a striped tail and -- in the male, at least -- chestnut cheek patches and a red beak (figure A). Many owners prefer keeping their finches in clear cages rather than in the more traditional wire cages; a large glass aquarium with a wire cover makes an excellent home for small birds. One added bonus: keeping your birds in a glass tank prevents the messy scattered birdseed so common with birds kept in cages. There are a couple of items you should use to furnish your finch's home: cuttlebone (which is good for beaks and provides trace minerals such as calcium and phosphorous) and millet (which finches love to eat). It's a good idea to have a perch of varying diameters so the different muscles in your bird's feet will get toned and exercised. Birds are very playful animals, so toys are also a good addition to a brid's home. Another excellent choice for a beginning bird owner is the friendly, sociable cockatiel (figure B), whose wild relatives are native to Australia. This extremely intelligent breed is inexpensive and easy to keep and to train -- cockatiels positively love to whistle, sing and talk! You can even get tapes to help you teach your cockatiel to talk.
RESOURCES :
The Complete Book of Cockatiels
Model: 0876051786
Author: Diane Grindol
Hungry Minds, Inc
July 1998
The Guide to Owning a Finch
Model: 0793820103
Author: Rod Fischer
TFH Publications
May 1997
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