Parrot Picture Sitemap

Foreword - By David Seth-Smith, F.Z.S., President of the Avicultural Society and late "Zoo Man" of the B.B.C.

It was with great pleasure that I accepted the invitation of my old friend, Edward Boosey, to write a Foreword to his book, for I knew that with his great experience of parrots, not to mention very many other kinds of foreign birds, he, of all people, would make a splendid job of it, and he has certainly done so.

Preface - Many people, of course, who keep pet parrots, cockatoos, etc., not only house them well but also treat them in a manner that leaves nothing to be desired—and the health and liveliness of the birds themselves bear eloquent testimony to the care bestowed upon them by their owners.

But what of the other less fortunate ones? What of the sad and sorry caged specimens one all too often sees—and how is it that they have come to look such pictures of dejection? I don't think one need look far for the answer— simply an innocent yet deadly mixture of thoughtlessness and ignorance on the part of their owners.

01. Parrot-Keeping - As I anticipated, it has proved none too easy to discover sufficient material for a chapter on the history of parrot-keeping, but I hope it will be thought that the result justifies the search. Not a great deal was written about parrot-keeping in ancient times, and although in certain cases the information is repetitive, it is contradictory in others, so I have thought it best to give the quotations in full.

02. Parrot To Talk - Most parrots are not seriously taught to talk—they merely pick up odd words and scraps of conversation they happen to overhear. A few phrases such as "Good morning, Polly" or "Hullo, Polly!" may be clearly enunciated for the simple reason that they were, when said, actually addressed to the bird itself.

03. Parrots - The practice of keeping a parrot as a pet in a cage is a very ancient one, going back hundreds of years, and calls to mind at once the almost legendary figure of the sailor bringing home in its round cage the parrot he has picked up in foreign parts; and this is no doubt how the very first parrots were brought to this country.

04. Cockatoos - X he chief difference between other members of the parrot family and cockatoos is, of course, that the latter possess crests, and these vary considerably in shape and size.

Many of them have fan-shaped crests and far the most beautiful as well as the largest of these adorns Leadbeater's Cockatoo. The Roseate's is rather the shape of a Roman helmet, while that of the quaint but attractive little Gang-Gang resembles a lady's feathered toque.

05. Macaws - Macaws have notably large beaks and long tails, and certain kinds—since vanished—used to inhabit the Antilles Islands. Nowadays they are only found in the tropical parts of America where they frequent the forests and, unlike many members of the parrot family, go about in pairs rather than flocks.

Despite their tropical habitat they are hardy birds in captivity, when once acclimatized, as well as being easy to feed and very long-lived.

06. Common Illnesses - I propose to deal here only with the more usual diseases that a parrot is liable to contract, and what I have to say applies of course equally to cockatoos and macaws. One thing of paramount importance to remember with regard to a parrot is that if it has its head under its wing and both feet on the perch it is almost certainly ill, whereas if it has its head under its wing and one foot tucked up into its breast feathers it is merely resting in the normal parrot manner.

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