Understanding and Guiding the Behavior of Parrots - The best Parrot Behavior Books, CDs and DVDs *

the Parrot Training Course to teach your parrot to stop biting, perform tricks and tame ANY SIZE bird you could possibly own

and/or try the "Teach Your Parrot to Talk" Training Course

Guide to Companion Parrot Behavior

A companion parrot is to bird lovers what a favorite lapdog is to canine owners--a friend through thick and thin. But lapdogs can only bark or whimper: parrots can actually talk to their human companions!

This book offers a wealth of advice on such topics as choosing between a young parrot and an older bird, selecting and training a talking parrot, modifying some of a companion parrot's behavior traits and periodically reinforcing behavior changes, keeping the bird groomed and away from household safety hazards and virtually all other aspects of care.

The author, a respected parrot expert, discusses ways of coping with occasional problems that include excessive screaming and feather chewing, and describes general differences in behavior among various companion birds--budgies, lovebirds, cockatiels, macaws, conures, lories, and others.

The book's closing section recounts engaging anecdotes about companion parrots, including the story of a bird owned by First Lady Dolly Madison.

Ratings: 5 out of 5

The Beak Book: Understanding, Preventing, and Solving Aggression and Biting Behaviors in Companion Parrots

It is unlikely that anyone who first brings a companion parrot into his or her life has the idea that it will be a temporary situation. Unfortunately many parrots do not stay in their homes because their caregivers don't have the information they need to provide the behavioral guidance that keeps them tame.

With over thirty years of bird experience and her theory of Nurturing Guidance, Sally Blanchard's practical advice shows you why biting and aggression are actually the easiest behavioral problems to understand, prevent, and solve. Sally Blanchard's long awaited Beak Book will play an instrumental role in keeping reader's parrots in their homes.

Ratings: 5 out of 5

Sally Blanchard's Companion Parrot Handbook: Using Nurturing Guidance to Create the Best Companion Parrot Possible: Aka, the Happy Bappy Fun Book

The Companion Parrot Handbook is a remarkably complete, up-to-date guide for the parrot owner, including information on everything from the fundamentals of successful parrot keeping to valuable advice on preventing and solving behavioral problems.

A sampling of topics covered include choosing a parrot, skills to teach a parrot, converting parrots to a healthier diet, what to do if a parrot flies away, and how to travel with a parrot.

Ms. Blanchard provides excellent guidance, gained from over 20 years as an avian behavior consultant, regarding basic behavioral concepts and the methods that can be used to live long and happily with a companion parrot. Specifically, her information and techniques serve to build trust between parrots and their owners. Illustrations, done by both Sally Blanchard and Jeff Riebe, serve to help create an exceptionally humorous and insightful publication.

This book is written so that it can be read in one of two ways. It can be read from start to finish or used as a reference to look up specific topics, such as "First Aid for Broken Blood Feathers", "Towel Training", or "Excessive Screaming".

It is a "must have" for anyone who has a parrot in the home or who may be thinking of adopting a first parrot.

Ratings: 5 out of 5

Manual of Parrot Behavior

Psittacines develop behavior problems that can take many forms, including biting, screeching and self-mutilation. It is estimated that more than half of the cases presented to clinicians in companion psittacine practice are the result of behavioral problems - problems inherent to the caged psittacine.

Bringing together a host of international experts on avian behavior, Andrew Leuscher explores the many facets of psittacine behavior, both normal and abnormal, and offers useful techniques of diagnosis and treatment for clinicians who see birds in practice.

Species covered include Macaws, Amazon Parrots, African Grey Parrots, Cockatiels, Budgerigars and Cockatoos. This authoritative reference, the first of its kind, is a necessary addition to the library of any practitioner who sees avian companion animals.

Contents: 1. The Classification and the Status of Wild Populations of Parrots 2. Behavior of Wild Amazona and Rhynchopsitta Parrots with Comparative Insights from other Psittacines 3. Parrot Conservation, Trade and Reintroduction 4. Sensory Capacities of Parrots 5. Social Behavior of Psittacine Birds6. Captive parrot nutrition: interactions with anatomy, physiology, and behavior. 7. Comfort Behavior and Sleep 8. Parrot Reproductive Behavior, or Who Associates, Who Mates, and Who Cares 9. Nest Box Preferences 10. Hand-rearing: behavioral impacts and implications for captive parrot welfare 11. Behavioral Development of Psittacine Companions: Neonates, Neophytes and Fledglings 12. Handler Attitude and Chick Development 13. Grey Parrot Cognition and Communication 14. How Parrots Learn 15. Behavior Classes in the Veterinary Hospital: Preventing Problems Before They Start 16. Clinical Evaluation of Psittacine Behavioral Disorders 17. Diagnostic Workup of Suspected Behavioral Problems 18. Feeding-Related Problems 19. Aggressive Behavior in Pet Birds 20. Parrot Vocalization 21. Parrots and Fear 22. Problem Sexual Behaviors of Companion Parrots 23. Mate Trauma 24. Feather Picking Disorder in Pet Birds 25. Psittacine Behavioral Pharmacotherapy 26. Behavior of Captive Psittacids in the Breeding Aviary 27. Housing and Management Considerations for Problem Prevention 28. Captive Parrot Welfare

Ratings: 5 out of 5

Alex & Me: How a Scientist and a Parrot Uncovered a Hidden World of Animal Intelligence--and Formed a Deep Bond in the Process

Alex, an African gray parrot, died suddenly in his 30s and was mourned the world over.

Dr. Pepperberg, Alex’s owner and researcher, limns the importance of Alex’s life and her work with him on the subjects of intelligence, cognition, and language. Pepperberg started her academic career pursuing a doctorate in chemistry, but she changed her focus to animal communication.

Choosing to work with an African gray, due to their reputations as clear talkers, the author had the pet store choose a bird for her so that the choice would be random. The result was Alex, a parrot that would forever change the way science looked at the cognitive abilities of birds.

In this highly readable, anecdotal book, Pepperberg describes the training techniques she and her assistants used with Alex, the breakthroughs he made, and his growing fame as word began to spread about the brainy parrot who could differentiate colors, count, and describe objects accurately and in human language. The flip side of Alex’s fame was the resistance Pepperberg faced from the entrenched scientific community. --Nancy Bent

Ratings: 4.5 out of 5

When Irene Pepperberg, a professor at the University of Arizona, says goodnight, she typically hears the reply "Bye. I'm gonna go eat dinner. I'll see you tomorrow." Though the response itself is not unusual, the source is, for it comes from Alex, a gray parrot, Pepperberg's main research subject for the past 22 years. That parrots can talk is well known; what Pepperberg set out to study was their cognitive abilities. By teaching the bird the meaning--not just the sound--of words in order to communicate, she hoped to discover how his brain worked. She exhaustively details her fascinating results in The Alex Studies.

Pepperberg bought Alex--a parrot of average intelligence and without lofty pedigree or training--from a pet store when he was 1. Since working with Pepperberg, he has developed a 100-word vocabulary and can identify 50 different objects, recognizing quantities up to six, distinguishing seven colors and five shapes, and understanding the difference between big and small, same and different, over and under. He can tell you, for instance, that corn is yellow even if there is no corn in view, as well as correctly select the square object among various shapes and identify it verbally. What this all means, stresses Pepperberg, is that Alex is not merely parroting but actually thinking; he bases answers on reason rather than instinct or mimicry.

Though the anecdotes are rich and Alex makes a lively subject, this is principally a research paper relying on intricate details and a prodigious amount of data (the notes and references alone run to 79 pages). This is not light reading, particularly for the layperson. Still, The Alex Studies manages to be more than a valuable contribution to science, for in providing ample evidence of our similarities to other creatures, the book ultimately calls into question the concept of human supremacy over the animal kingdom. Pepperberg's stated goal is "to provoke awareness in humans that animals have capacities that are far greater than we were once led to expect, and to remind us that all we need to examine these capacities are some enlightened research tools." She has provided such tools in this seminal work. --Shawn Carkonen

Ratings: 4.5 out of 5

My Parrot, My Friend: An Owner's Guide to Parrot Behavior (Behavior Modification Techniques and Their Role in Contemporary Aviculture)

When difficulties develop in the home, or a clash in avian and human natures makes for unhappy birds and angry owners, many times the sad consequence is painful termination of what could have been a long-term, joyful relationship.

Happily, there is an effective remedy and it lies in a program of behavior modification. That program is fully detailed in this well-written, wonderfully detailed text. In addition, the text helps readers to find the right bird so problems can be sidestepped altogether, and it explains which birds not to consider and why. My Parrot, My Friend shows how parrots grow and develop, and how behavioral problems can start.

The book explains behavioral modification, how it works, and how to apply it in specific situations. Case studies and an examination of pertinent issues add considerable interest to the text. These and other special features make this one of the most indispensable reference books you will ever use. My Parrot, My Friend is the first book to approach the subject in such depth for the lay reader.

It will make a significant difference in how pet owners view and relate to their birds and will point the way to happy endings where once there were none.

Ratings: 4.5 out of 5

Another Kind of Mind: A Talking Bird Masters English

What animal speaks using coherent language that is understandable by man? A talking bird called Arielle does. The interspecies barrier broke when Arielle began to communicate by volunteering information through English statements. She is a beautiful 15-year-old tropical bird that expresses herself spontaneously using more than 4000 English words, phrases, and sentences. Her verbal progress compares to that of a young child.

The Parrot Problem Solver

When not properly trained and socialized, parrots are prone to developing a number of behavioral problems, including aggression and self-mutilation. Many owners face these problems and need guidance on solving them.

Barbara Heidenreich arms her readers with the information they need to turn their pugilistic parrot into a feathered friend. Some of the topics include:

• Wild bird behavior and how it affects the bird/owner relationship
• The best and worst ways to modify pet bird behavior
• Understanding bird body language
• Sidebars on the myths and misconceptions of keeping pet parrots.

Ratings: 4.5 out of 5