I came onto the Internet scene pretty early, when personal web pages were still a fairly new concept. I remember doing a search for "parrots" at the time on one of the few search engines that were available. My search came back with 2 or 3 results. Today if you do the same search, you will see about 6.5 million results!
I set up my first personal web page in 1996. Web pages have come a long way since then. Services such as Geocities, AOL and others have allowed millions of people to set up their own HTML web pages fairly easily. However, today I think the best way to set up a personal site is to have a blog (or weB LOG).
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It's been a while since I've heard anything about Dr Irene Pepperberg and her African Grey Parrot, Alex. So I was happy to find this very recent article about the famous bird on the web.
Dr Pepperberg states that her research has shown that African Greys have cognitive abilities similar to small children. The article also goes into what led her to begin her research with parrots, the importance of Alex's concept of "zero" and more.
If you are a fan of this particular African Grey Parrot, you can check out the full article titled "Gawk! Alex is smarter than the average bird."
A question that seems to come up a lot on forums and in my emails is how a single parrot can lay eggs. I think many bird owners are surprised to learn that their sweet little Kiwi or Snuggles can lay eggs without having mated with a male parrot, but this is indeed the case.
This is more common in some species of parrots than others. For example, cockatiels seem particularly prone to chronic egg laying. It is less common with Quaker Parrots, but every year I am contacted by several Quaker owners who report that their 5 or 10 year old bird just laid an egg for the first time.
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Buying a digital camera is a great investment for most people, since it allows them to take as many photos as they want without ever again needing to buy film or pay the cost of processing the film. However, with so many of them on the market today, it's tough to decide which one will be the best choice for your particular needs.
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Filed under Tech by Shelly Lane
Do you suffer from allergies or is pet and bird dander starting to get to you? My husband and I both suffer moderately from allergies, so I thought I would share what we've done in our home that seems to really help - we use an air purification system.
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I recently wrote about a parrot that liked hearing songs with her name in it and suggested that you try singing some songs to your bird. My birds love hearing songs with their names, and some of them can even sing all or parts of some of these songs. Of course, you should insert your parrot's name where appropriate. Enjoy!
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Here's a nice news story I just came across about a Blue and Gold Macaw. The large parrot was rescued by an animal lover in the UK, and the new owner purchased a CD of children's songs to play to the bird. What is unique is that the songs include the parrot's name - Lucy.
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Like many of the other species of parrots, most Quaker Parrots are very playful. While I wouldn't call them the clowns or the acrobats of the parrot world, they seem to enjoy their toys and have a real sense of fun and playfulness.
Although I would label all seven of my Quaker Parrots as playful, I have heard from some owners who relate that their Quakers never touch their toys. Fortunately, this appears to be the exception rather than the rule. From what I've been able to determine from these conversations, it seems to be very important for a parrot to learn to play with toys while it's still young. If it doesn't, it is less likely that the bird will play with toys when it is older.
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I bought my first parrot, a little budgie, in 1981. The idea of having a pet that could actually learn *my* language was very appealing. It didn't take long to learn that parrots have a lot more to offer than simply being able to mimic the human language. To those lucky few who are able to open their hearts and their minds to the possibility that animals are extremely intelligent and emotional beings, a parrot can be the most wonderful of companions and friends.
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I've noticed that at some time or another, most parrot owners begin to consider buying a second bird. Sometimes the reason is to provide company for the first bird. In other cases, it may be because the experience with the first bird is so wonderful that a second parrot seems a logical next step. Whatever the reason, a few things should be considered before adding a second bird into the mix.
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