Humans have been fascinated by birds since before written history. The ease with which our feathered friends spread wing and take to the skies has elicited our envy and admiration for millennia. This attraction is universal: cultures the world over are filled with bird images in their decorations, costumes, ritual objects, and myths. From the arctic to the tropical rain forests people have connections with birds and to their extraordinary

The Romans kept birds as companions and we see African Grey Parrots depicted in early roman art. In the Middle Ages the pigeon was domesticated. Every castle had a dovecote where pigeons bred. Since many species of birds are gregarious, intelligent and require little space, they have become increasingly popular pets. Many birds are very long lived and some have excellent language skills: "Polly want a cracker" doesn't begin to scratch the surface! Read on to learn more about the selection and care of a variety of birds.

Congratulations, you have made the decision to get a pet bird. You may have thought that was the hard part, but up until now you were probably unaware of how many types of birds there are to choose from. So what type of bird is right for you? The answer depends on many factors including how much money you want to spend, whether you want a pet to hold and play with, just a pretty bird to look at, or a song to brighten up your day. There are many reasons to keep birds as pets. What type of bird you choose depends on what you want from your new companion.

Many people keep birds simply to beautify their surroundings. There are few things more uplifting than the song of a Canary. A large variety of finches are also available to brighten people's lives with their beautiful songs, colors, and lively personalities. These types of birds are easy to care for and are happy as long as they are provided a proper diet and clean housing. Many are happy in small indoor cages, but others are best housed in larger planted enclosures. Canaries and finches are an excellent choice if you want an inexpensive bird that will provide beauty and song to your home or garden. However, they are not appropriate if you want to handle and touch your pet. Most people who are thinking of buying a pet bird want something they can handle and play with. The most popular birds for this all belong to the Parrot family, also known as hookbills or psittasines (pronounced sit-a-scenes). The choices are vast in this group and include Budgies, Cockatiels, Lovebirds, Conures, Amazons, African Greys, Cockatoos, and Macaws. Most of these birds are available as hand-raised pets. Hand-raised means that the breeder of the bird has removed the babies from the parent's nest and feeds them by hand to insure a tame, well-socialized pet. One word of caution: do not purchase babies in the hand feeding stage. This is a very delicate time for baby birds and they are at great risk if they are sold to inexperienced owners.

Of the Parrot family, Budgies (parakeets), Lovebirds and Cockatiels are popular choices for first time bird owners. Breeders have developed them into a variety of colors. They are inexpensive, easy to care for, and make delightful pets. In addition, for those of you who do not have a lot of experience handling birds, they lack the ominous beak of the bigger parrots. For this reason they also make excellent pets for children. For those of you looking for something a little more exotic, Conures, Amazons, African Greys, Cockatoos and Macaws are types of parrots that each include a large variety of birds to choose from. These birds vary greatly according to size, noise level, and amount of attention they require. For this reason it is very important to investigate the specifics about each type of bird before you purchase one. Many of these birds are very long lived, most living well into their thirties and forties, and some even living into their 70s!

For information on the different varieties of any of the birds mentioned above, please visit the species information sections.

AFRICAN GREY

MACAWS

AMAZONS

COCKATIELS

COCKATOOS

CANARIES

BUDGIES