What bird would you want?

If you could have any bird in the whole world, even those illegal to own, what would you desire to have?
I was thinking about this yesterday. I think a Toucan would be super cool to have. But then I started thinking about the wild birds, not parrots. I love black crows. They are so cool looking and known to be quite smart. Then I thought of owls. They're magnificent and so unique. I then thought of this tiny owl my husband and I saw at a bird show somewhere down south at a sanctuary. I think it was called an Elf Owl. I wanted it sooooooo bad!!! I think if I could have any bird in the world, I'd want that tiny Elf Owl.

A male peacock for his awesome looking.
A talking parrot. They are smart and can be attached to the owner like a true pet would.
An eagle. I'd really like to go camping with an eagle on my arm lol.

I guess I can't have them all at the same time, can I?

A hummingbird. They are so quick and cool.

If I could I would like to get a parrot, specifically a white cockatoo. I have seen one owned by a friend. It's a big and noisy bird. Makes a good watch dog, too.

Everybody thinks I'm completely weird for this, but I'd love to share my home with a turkey vulture. I work with them through my wildlife volunteering, and even though they look funny, they're so entertaining and full of personality. We have a permanent resident vulture (he's imprinted on humans and can't be released) who loves to play with shoelaces and pant legs. He bit a hole in my jeans once, lol.

jen, that is a weird desire - wanting to own a turkey vulture if you could have any bird in the world! But I can see that since you've actually had experience with them & have found them to be endearing & smart, then it would be pretty cool for you to have one! You'd probably be the only one who could boast of having a pet turkey vulture too!

Victor, cockatoos are definitely cool and highly entertaining. They're probably the most needy bird I can think of, craving attention & interaction constantly. That's why so many are known to develop emotional & psychological problems, feather plucking & such, because if they don't get enough attention, it drives them crazy! We'd considered getting a cockatoo before we ended up buying our Eclectus. The neediness of such a high energy bird is what put me off, but they're definitely one of the coolest parrots on earth!

Ram, if you had the room for all 3 birds, you could definitely have them all at the same time. You'd just have to be sure your eagle wouldn't eat your talking parrot. We have a gourmet market just down the road from us. They have exotic birds & animals outside in a cool pen, with many peacocks strutting around; a big pond with beautiful swans & ducks; and an indoor aviary in their huge greenhouse with lots of parrots. It's a fun place to go visit. But they don't have an eagle!

Hummingbirds are so beautiful & fascinating to watch, mora! A girlfriend of mine is living in Mexico as a missionary and she has posted fantastic photos of hummingbirds that have a tiny nest in her yard. She's gotten some shots that should be in national magazines! They're a very hard bird to capture in photographs!

I have just come across an article about the hunting eagles of Kazakhstan. These are really majestic birds. Taking care of them seems to be a life-long vocation rather than a hobby, though. Isn't this simpy magnificent?


More information here:
http://edition.cnn.com/2012/07/24/world/...?hpt=hp_c4

i would either like a macaw, or that white owl off of harry potter :3

(07-31-2012, 04:45 AM)Victor Leigh Wrote: I have just come across an article about the hunting eagles of Kazakhstan.

I have heard of stories of hunting eagles since my childhood. They exist in varies part of the world. Some hunters had been using this hunting method for centuries. The stories I have heard were about hunting rabbits. I guess the hunting eagle have the same type of relationship with the owner as a hunting dog. They aren't exactly pets, but rather a good helper, probably even more so than a hunting dog, since hunting dog is often used to track down prey for the hunters to shoot at, while the hunting eagle is the one doing all the work lol.

It is nice to have an eagle. I have had the imagination of having an eagle on my arm or on my shoulder when I was a kid.

Wow, Victor! That photo of the eagle with its wings spread wide really is awesome! What a magnificent creature is right! Thanks for sharing! I've never heard of "hunting eagles" before so it was very interesting to learn about them. Ram, you're right about the eagle doing more work than what a hunting dog does! haha
We were at a bird sanctuary in Florida, actually a couple different years, in the Clearwater area. The last time we went they had an eagle they took out of the cage for us to see up close. It's blind in one eye so it can never be released to the wild again. It always held its head tipped to one side so it could try to see better. It still was a beautiful bird though!

amanda, would you have a specific macaw? We first bought a Blue & Gold Macaw when we decided to have a parrot. It was a huge mistake! A macaw is not a good parrot to start out with if you've never had parrot experience, in my opinion! It wasn't weaned yet, though the store said it was. I was terrified of the bird too, so luckily when we told the store we were having trouble, they just said to bring the bird back & they'd refund our money. I could handle a macaw now since I've had more experience with parrots. Have you ever seen the small Hahn's Macaws? They're only about 12" long. I love the coloring of those big Scarlet Macaws though.

I can relate to the turkey vulture one. I think they're awesome too. But my dream bird has always been a macaw. I would love to own a macaw with green feathers (I saw a picture of one once and haven't seen another since). I just think they're amazingly beautiful birds and they're so smart! But I acknowledge that I probably couldn't care for one properly so I've always refrained from getting one.

That eagle is definitely a beauty! Since we're sharing pics, here's my buddy Igor the turkey vulture.

Well, that's a sort of cute photo, I guess, jenb! Sometimes though you just have to get to know someone before they look good to you! LOL!

Was it one of these macaws, writer? It could be a Great Green Macaw or a Military Macaw.





Or was it the little Hahn's Macaw?

A parrot would be neat. Though, I'd like a cockatoo, too. Isn't that what Barretta used to have? The bird on that show was very cool.

Thinking about it, I'm not sure I'd want a talking bird. We had a cockatiel growing up. He would start in around 5 am when the sun first came in the window even though we had a towel covering his cage.

I think perhaps I would prefer a hummingbird. I could have a green house with all sorts of flowering plants. My little hummingbird could be fast at work eating nectar. They are curious creatures so it might be interesting.

TreeClimber, yes that was a gorgeous cockatoo on the Barretta show many years ago. I grew up watching that TV show with my family - such a cool show! I loved that bird too - so awesome! As far as I can remember, that's the first time I ever saw a parrot on TV before. Very cool character idea from the producers!

My Eclectus loves talking, making noise, around the clock, even in the pitch dark. Good thing we have our master suite upstairs so we don't have to hear him! LOL! I know he talks because I've come downstairs when I can't sleep and he'll be saying stuff and making noises. The Quaker is usually quiet until it's light out and the cage is uncovered.

A hummingbird would be a super cool bird to have as a pet. I don't know much about them, but they're soooo pretty!

Just curious. Does anyone know whether a cockatoo needs a lot of room? The one I have seen in my friend's house is on a long, thin chain of about two meters. So it gets a lot of space to move around. Cockatoos don't fly much, do they?

(09-12-2012, 05:15 PM)TreeClimber Wrote: Thinking about it, I'm not sure I'd want a talking bird. We had a cockatiel growing up. He would start in around 5 am when the sun first came in the window even though we had a towel covering his cage.

I guess I'm lucky. My Buzzy cockatiel doesn't make a sound from lights out until sunrise, and I rarely hear him before I take the cover off his cage. He'll occasionally squawk if the cat starts harassing me to get up and feed him, but I'm convinced he just wants me to get up and quiet the cat so he can go back to sleep. Buzzy will usually quiet down once the cat is also quiet!

Jenb, you are very lucky! Your bird has manners. Our cockatiel started in at first like. He would squawk and screech until someone came and took the towel off. He was worse than having a rooster. LOL

By the way, we did have another cockatiel that my brother found at the school yard. When no one claimed it, my parents let us keep it. It had been around humans and talked like a sailor. Also, it could mimic my Dad's whistle and fooled several people who came over looking for him. It was very entertaining bird.

It sounds like you have a very nice arrangement with the cat and the cockatiel.

I'm really not a bird person because they are usually loud and obnoxious. Although, I think parrots are cool, I would not be able to handle their constant talking. I read someone's post above about the hummingbird. I suppose that would be my dream bird just because it is quiet. However, I know that it needs a lot of space to fly so I guess it would probably just have to roam around loose in my house and hope that that is even enough space for it.

Victor, this is a very informative site for someone who may be looking to get a cockatoo: http://animal-world.com/encyclo/birds/co...rofile.htm
In the article it recommends that the cage for any bird should be "at least 3 flight wingspans" for a comfortable fit. They should get exercise outside their cage, as well. The bars should be horizontal for climbing. It also warns that a cockatoo's beak strength can pop joints on the cage and bend the bars, and you should get a good snap lock.
Any bird can fly, but bird owners often keep their bird's wings clipped to prevent their flying too easily. Many accidents have happened with pet birds flying into windows and door walls, sometimes resulting in death by a broken neck. I don't clip either of my birds wings though. My Quaker hovers like a helicopter. The Eclectus rarely flys, but sometimes he does crash into things. He's very clumsy and not a skilled flyer. I don't really worry about him flying because he never gets up any speed to do any damage to himself.

dashboard, I would love to see a hummingbird freely flying around a friend's house! That would be super cool!

I think I'd be happy with an African Grey parrot. I love my little budgies but if I could also have the African Grey it would be amazing. I love how their tails are red and they're so kind and gentle! My dad recently got one at a breeder and the little bird is just so adorable! As soon as you go near his cage, he begins to try to kiss you and hold your finger. Nothing like my budgies! I love my small birds but I do think that a bigger one would be easier to handle.

We almost bought an African Grey. It had come down to a choice between the Grey or the Eclectus (this was after buying a Quaker parrot that we had living in my art gallery. He lives with us in the house now), after researching many larger parrots years ago. We chose the more colorful and sweet natured male Eclectus in the end though. The female Eclectus is really spectacular, but they're known for being nasty once they're sexually mature. So we decided to go with the calm, sweet male. I do like those Africam Greys though! Cool birds and so smart!
We had budgies when we first got married. At first, we only had one at a time. They bond to you much better if they are the only bird. Our first budgie was so wonderful, very affectionate, smart, and lots of fun. Once we got multiples in a bigger cage, the bonding wasn't as close since they had each other.

(11-08-2012, 07:36 AM)laurasav Wrote: We almost bought an African Grey. It had come down to a choice between the Grey or the Eclectus (this was after buying a Quaker parrot that we had living in my art gallery. He lives with us in the house now), after researching many larger parrots years ago. We chose the more colorful and sweet natured male Eclectus in the end though.

So the look gets you.
Yeah, that is how most younger women choose men these days.

African Grey is really smart though.

Quote:The female Eclectus is really spectacular, but they're known for being nasty once they're sexually mature. So we decided to go with the calm, sweet male.

I didn't know female Eclectus is the aggressive one of the two sexes. Usually it is the male who are more aggressive. So what happens when it comes the mating season? Do the girls fight over the guys?

Ram, you crack me up!!!
Now come on, I think men are more into choosing women based on looks, than the other way around! Well, okay, both sexes are guilty of that, I'm sure!
The African Greys are well known for their superior intelligence in the parrot world. But the Eclectus birds are supposed to rival that - they're just not as widely known or kept. However, I have found our little Quaker to be incredibly smart though to the point of it being almost beyond belief. The Quaker is much smarter than our Eclectus, but the ekkie is hilarious, a real goofball and a tease. He'll get the Quaker going, all upset and agitated from the ekkie teasing it, then the ekkie will tell the Quaker, "NO! No! NO," when it's screaming and carrying on. Such a brat!

The female ekkie gets violent when they become mature. Even the males are afraid of them and will try to stay out of their way, out of their reach, until they get in a better mood.

Here's a nice pic of the female and male Eclectus. The green is the male, like the one we have. The girls are so strikingly pretty though, aren't they?

A macaw, a golden pheasant, kingfisher... I love these beautiful birds.. they are awesome...