Volume 2 of the Expert Companion Bird Care Series focusses on the history of keeping birds, selecting birds that fit the lifestyles of their owners and aviculture.
About this DVD
Expert Companion Bird Care Series Volume 2 is a well illustrated DVD produced by Avian Studios. Once again, internationally renowned avian veterinarian Scott Echols and Dr Brian Speer have produced a feast of information and viewing pleasure in this second volume of their Expert Companion Bird Care Series DVDs. Like Volume 1, this DVD utilises the input of three acknowledged experts (avian veterinarians Chrystal Pollock and Lauren Powers, and aviculturist Rick Jordan) to present information that all bird owners should have at their fingertips.
Chrystal Pollock traces the development of bird keeping from the Ancients to today. Through carvings, paintings and photographs she demonstrates the keeping of birds by Ancient Egyptians, the Greeks and Romans, and Europeans in the Middle Ages. The history of keeping different types of pet birds (not just parrots) is described and the impact of influences such as disease and pest control on bird keeping is brought home to the viewer.
Lauren Powers provides an excellent overview of the important considerations for anyone contemplating the purchase of a companion bird. With an emphasis on the behavioural health of companion birds, Dr Powers describes the various species that are available, the types of cages and accessories that are needed, and the likely costs of veterinary care. She then goes on to describe the impact that a pet bird can have on a household including the level of noise produced by different species, the amount of mess a bird can produce, their destructiveness and need for attention. This section then concludes with a listing of the species most likely to mimic human speech, but emphasises that this is an individual behaviour that cannot be guaranteed.
Aviculturist Rick Jordan then gives an overview of aviculture—the breeding of birds—and how the development of commercial aviculture has shaped the keeping of birds as pets. Highlighting the value of aviculture to the conservation of endangered species by providing breeding, dietary and behavioural information that would otherwise remain unknown, Rick ably demonstrates the major effects that aviculture has had on the development of veterinary knowledge, caging and housing, nutrition, artificial incubation and handrearing—and the many businesses now providing these services.
The standard of production and cinematography of this 40 minute DVD is excellent, with beautiful images of birds and bird owners to delight the viewer. The pace is comfortable with the speakers enunciating clearly and concisely the message they are conveying.
Run Time: 40 minutes
About the Authors
Scott Echols and Brian Speer are internationally renowned avian veterinarians. In this DVD they utilize the input of three acknowledged experts (avian veterinarians Chrystal Pollock and Lauren Powers, and aviculturist Rick Jordan) to present information that all bird owners should have at their fingertips.