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The Eclectus parrot is one of the most popular types of birds to have. Because these beautiful birds live for such a long time, the decision to adopt one is often well thought out, with the understanding that this is essentially a life long commitment. However, there is one thing that few people stop to consider children. Is an Eclectus parrot living in the same house with children a good idea?

There will always be people who are on the opposite side of the fence from others, and this topic is no exception. With that said, however, there are some things that you should consider if you have children for the overall safety of your children, and the Eclectus parrot that you plan to adopt.

For example, Eclectus parrots don’t fare well in noisy, unpredictable environments, and young children naturally create noisy, unpredictable environments. In this case, the children are just being children and the bird is just being a bird. It’s nobody’s fault, but neither the child nor the parrot will understand this.

Furthermore, little hands are not always gentle, and this could not only startle the Eclectus parrot, it could also injure him. All of this combined could cause the parrot to feel threatened every time the child enters the same room that he is in, and he may exhibit aggressive behavior towards the child, which of course opens up the potential for injury to the child.

For these reasons, if you have young children, or you still plan to have children at some point, you might want to put off getting an Eclectus parrot until the child is about ten or eleven years old. At this age, they are better able to understand the preferences of the Eclectus parrot, and better able to accommodate him. What you must realize is that a child can be reasoned with, once they reach a certain age, but the bird is still an animal, no matter how affectionate he is. You will never be able to explain the situation to the bird.

Otherwise, children should be an important part of the Eclectus parrots life. They should be taught how to care for the bird, and how to handle him appropriately. It is important that they realize how important it is to talk to the parrot, and also that they understand how much loud, unexpected noises disturb this special bird.

If the child is more tolerant of the Eclectus parrot and considerate of his needs, you will be amazed at how tolerant the bird is of the child as well. The two will get along famously, and because these creatures live so long, there is a chance that the child will eventually become the responsible adult in this birds life.

by Adam Fulford, Bird-Center.net

Hummingbirds’ Wings

Hummingbirds hover and dart forwards, backwards, and sideways amongst bright bell-shaped flowers, making a humming sound. That’s how they got their name. The humming sound comes from the extremely rapid beating of their wings, 22 to 70 beats per second.

Diet

Such motion requires an incredible amount of energy. To get this energy, they need to find 1000 flowers and sip their nectar, and eat bugs.

Size of Humminbirds

The average weight of hummingbirds is between 3.5 and 9 grams. The smallest hummingbird is the bee hummingbird. It weighs 2.5 grams and is 1.75 inches long. The bee hummingbird is perhaps the smallest bird in the world. The giant hummingbird of South America weighs almost 20 grams and is 8 inches long.

Feathers

Hummingbirds have brightly colored feathers that appear to glow.

Where Do Hummingbirds live?

They’re usually seen hovering around flowers and gardens. When they rest they perch on branches or flower stalks. They often have their favorite perches. Hummingbirds only live in the Americas. Most of them live in tropical places, but some can be found as far north as Canada. The hummingbirds’ average lifespan is five years, but some live can live up to twelve years.

What Are Humminbird Nests Like?

Hummingbird mothers build tiny nests for their chicks. The nests are made with plant bits, lichen, and spider webs. They are disguised and well-hidden among branches to hide the baby hummingbirds from predators.

What is a Hummingbird’s Wing speed?

Hummingbirds’ wings have been clocked between 40-80 flaps per second. Giant hummingbirds flap their wings more slowly at around 8 beats per second.

How Fast Can Hummingbirds Fly?

Hummingbirds have been timed flying at speeds as high as 30 miles per hour, and dive as fast as 60 miles per hour.

What is Humminbirds’ Heart Rate?

Hummingbirds’ little hearts beat approximately 1260 times per minute when they are flying.

By Jon O’bergh

Researchers who study birds know that the quality of the birdsong is a good indicator of fitness. Evolutionary biologist Marlene Zuk, writing in the entertaining Riddled With Life: Friendly Worms, Ladybug Sex, and the Parasites That Make Us Who We Are, describes how disease and parasites drive the evolution of showy colors, structures and behavior. She and a colleague theorized that female birds use these features to select males who are more parasite-free, and thus species with more parasites should have evolved flashier colors and songs to distinguish the fittest males.

Indeed, their research showed that brighter bird species had more parasites, as did those that sang more musically complex songs. In another study, researchers discovered that the type of immunity exerted an influence on birdsong: the number of song bouts was higher in birds with better cell-mediated immunity (general immunity that aids wound healing) and the length of the bouts greater in birds with better humoral (i.e., antibody) immunity.

In addition to the role of birdsong in the mating ritual, many birds have unique songs that they sing under special circumstances: flight, aggression, dawn, nightfall. Recently, while walking in a park at dusk, I heard emanating from one dense tree an almost deafening cacophony like a hundred teenagers on the phone. As I passed close to the avian highrise, the twittering abruptly stopped: “Shh! My parents are listening.” Once I’d passed underneath, it started up again. Some researchers theorize that these peak activities at dusk and dawn occur because acoustic factors make these the best times for sound transmission over distance.

Birds use calls to warn other birds of predators. Domestic chickens have distinct alarm calls for aerial and ground predators, a practice observed in some mammalian species as well. Individual birds also seem to be able to identify each other through their calls: mothers and chicks, mates, members of a flock.

Many birds engage in duet calls, where the male’s call is answered antiphonally by the female in a call and response, but the significance of this is unclear. Some birds, such as starlings and mockingbirds, creatively incorporate arbitrary musical bits learned during the individual’s lifetime. In many species, although the basic song is the same for all members of the species, young birds learn some details of their songs from their fathers, which get passed down through generations.

Composers have long been interested in representing birdsong in music. One of the earliest surviving pieces is the 13th century “Sumer is icumen in,” which imitates the cuckoo. Beethoven and Mahler each imitated birdsong in a symphony, as did Bartok in the third piano concerto. Birdsong features prominently in the music of 20th century composer Olivier Messiaen. Jazz clarinetist David Rothenberg has written an informative book, Why Birds Sing: A Journey Into the Mystery of Bird Song, and recorded a CD of music based on the sounds of birds.

Article Source: Jon O’bergh