Paleontologists in Argentina recently uncovered an unprecedented trove – 17 fossilized “terror bird” footprints. Journey back in time to glimpse the terror bird’s world through its 85 prehistoric footsteps preserved in stone, and see what made these ostrich-like dinosaurs such successful hunters.
When Athena the African grey parrot laid her very first egg, it took everyone by surprise – including Athena herself! As her caretaker and renowned animal cognition scientist Dr. Irene Pepperberg shares, Athena reacted with apparent shock. Athena’s curious response to suddenly producing her inaugural egg after seeming oblivious beforehand reveals the cognitive complexity of parrots.
Dr. Irene Pepperberg’s latest blog takes us along on a chaotic parrot road trip! She recounts the comedy and challenges of a weekend getaway with her world-famous African grey parrots, Griffin and Athena. Finding exotic pet-friendly lodgings was just the first obstacle to overcome!
Have a question about your bird’s health?! Don’t miss your chance to ask Dr. Tully a question about your bird’s nutrition, care, and well-being, or simply tune in to learn more about maintaining good health in our avian companions in this interactive webinar on September 29!
Volunteers are a vital part of conservation efforts, including helping endangered birds like the orange-bellied parrot, which is critically endangered in its native Tasmania. If you’ve ever dreamed of putting up nest boxes and assisting researchers, a program offered by the Tasmanian government might be your opportunity for hands-on experience. The Tasmanian government is working hard to protect the orange-bellied parrot and is seeking volunteers to join its Orange-bellied Parrot Volunteer Program.
Have a question about your bird’s health?! Don’t miss your chance to ask Dr. Tully a question about your bird’s nutrition, care, well-being and other health-related topic in this interactive webinar on August 11!
When Brazilian farmer Josemar Milli and his wife rescued two Amazon chicks from the wild more than a decade ago, they didn’t foresee that one of those chicks would grow up to be a parrot mom to three kittens. As explained in a popular TikToc video, that parrot, named Louro, would fly off to explore during the day but usually returned by evening. When the bird was gone for three nights, Josemar checked the parrot’s usual perch spots and was shocked to see what he found in Louro’s favorite perch cavity—kittens!
In a world of black and white, two birds stand out from the crowd. The Greater Superb Bird of Paradise is the blackest bird in the world, with feathers that absorb 99.95% of light. The Eurasian Woodcock, on the other hand, has feathers that are the whitest in the world, with feathers that reflect 30% more light than any other known bird. Read on to learn more about these stunning opposites!
We depend on local communities, scientists, researchers, and international organizations to sound the alarm when a bird species is in trouble. Two organizations that are crucial to providing reliable information on endangered, threatened, and vulnerable species are the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). Learn how IUCN and CITES play essential roles in documenting the
status of the species that provide our planet with biodiversity and help manage trade in a responsible way.
Dr. Irene Pepperberg’s research has helped to change the way we think about parrots and their intelligence— that parrots are capable of learning complex concepts and using language in a meaningful way. In her latest blog, she talks about her 1999 media lab project—aptly referred to as “InterPet Explorer—to see how parrots could or would interact with computers; pre Zoom! See what that research entailed and how she helped spark the latest research in which scientists developed a system whereby parrots can interact with one another online!
Don’t miss your chance to ask Dr. Tully a question about your bird’s health, nutrition, care, or behavior problem in this interactive webinar on May 19!
Blossom the goose was a lonesome “widow” wandering the grounds of Riverside Cemetery in Iowa after Bud, her partner of many years, passed away. To help the lonely goose, cemetery staff put the word out that they were seeking a new goose companion on her behalf, and along came Frankie. See how this new couple, just like the previous one, is endearing itself to staff and visitors.
Flaco, the male Eurasian eagle-owl that escaped from the Central Park Zoo, is showing that he can make it on his own after taking up residence in NYC’s Central Park. After eluding capture for two weeks, zoo officials are throwing in the towel and suspending their recovery efforts (but still keeping an eye on the majestic bird).
Thanks to their unique homing abilities, carrier pigeons were used during both the First and Second World Wars to transport messages back to their home coops behind the lines. Perhaps the most famous pigeon of all, Cher Ami, delivered a message that saved a large group of surrounded American infantrymen, referred to as “The Lost Battalion.”
This month’s Lafeber Conservation spotlight takes us to Guatemala, where One Earth Conservation, an organization co-founded by LoraKim Joyner, DVM, and Gail Koelln, carries on the fight to save yellow-naped Amazons in their native region.
In her last installment of “Alex’s Number Series,” Dr. Irene Pepperberg reveals Alex’s numerical abilities that have yet to be demonstrated by any other nonhuman—quite a feat! Read on to find out how Alex the African grey parrot was the first, and so far the only, nonhuman to show that he inferred the cardinal values of new numbers from their ordinal values. In layman’s terms, Alex understood that numbers in order (i.e. “One, two, three…) meant that a number was one more than the preceding number and one less than the number after it.
This month’s Lafeber Conservation spotlight takes us to Sierra Leone, Africa, where the World Parrot Trust (WPT) is hard at work developing conservation strategies to help save endangered Timneh African grey parrots. This includes protecting their habit and protecting them from poaching, as well as bringing local leaders, community members, conservationists, and government officials together to discuss the actions needed to conserve and protect Timneh parrots.
In her latest blog, Dr. Irene Pepperberg takes us back once again to her studies with Alex, her African grey protégé, and his impressive numerical abilities.
The Audubon Photography Award Winners for 2022 were recently revealed, and the images are stunning. In total 2,400 images of birds from across the U.S. and Canada were submitted, with photographers vying for one of eight coveted prizes across five divisions.
In this free webinar, Dr. Stephanie Lamb, DVM, DABVP (Avian Practice), will talk about kidney disease in pet birds, such as common kidney problems, including various infectious causes, toxins, nutritional disorders, and metabolic disorders that lead to kidney damage. Sign up and tune in on September 16!
This month’s Lafeber Conservation spotlight takes us to Perú, where the Macaw Society has been researching and advancing the conservation of the scarlet macaw (Ara macao macao) inside the Tambopata National Reserve, southeast Perú, for over 20 years.
In this webinar, our special guests Lisa Bono, CPBC, Ann Brooks, and Dr. Susan Orosz will discuss education as the key to being the best bird steward. You will go behind the scenes at the most recent Phoenix Landing Wellness Retreat, which offers a special learning opportunity for pet bird owners from experts in the field. Sign up and tune in on August 26!
Mumble, a blue Indian ring-necked parakeet, captured the hearts of over 2 million with a TikTok video documenting his first steps. Learn the back story of this special parrot who has overcome physical challenges since Day 1.
Don’t miss your chance to ask Dr. Tully a question about your bird’s health, nutrition, care, or behavior problem in this interactive webinar on July 29.
In this free webinar episode of The Grey Way, Lisa Bono, CPBC, will give us an insider’s view of a unique educational wellness retreat catering to pet bird stewards. Sign up and tune in Friday, June 10!
In her latest blog, Dr. Irene Pepperberg talks about how African grey Alex didn’t learn his numbers in the traditional sense, especially when compared to young children. Alex’s number studies were unique in many ways, which also allowed him to outperform some of the other nonhumans on certain tasks. Learn why Dr. Pepperberg started training Alex on the numbers “three” and “four,” first as well as which number posed the biggest phonetic challenge, and more in this Part 1 of a two-part series.
This month’s Lafeber Conservation spotlight takes us to New Zealand, where the NZ Parrot Trust is leading the charge to help increase the population numbers of the curious and sometimes mischievous Kea parrot — the only mountain parrot species in the world! Learn why these parrots’ ferocious chewing tendencies can pose a hazard to themselves, and what is being done to protect them.
Poland-based veterinarian Aleksandra Kornelia Maj has gone to great lengths to help evacuees of the Ukraine region who are entering Poland with their pet parrots. Dr. Maj offers free veterinary care to refugee birds, as well as remote help.
Lafeber’s latest Conservation Spotlight takes us to the metropolitan city of Campo Grande, Brazil, where the Instituto Arara Azul is helping wild blue & golds and other macaws thrive in the city. As human encroachment consumes many parrot species’ native lands, helping them thrive in the city environments that encircle them is an innovative idea, and perhaps a critical one for the survival of some parrot species.
Dr. Irene Pepperberg addresses two questions she is often asked: Do her African grey parrots, Griffin and Athena, enjoy the tasks they are given in her cognitive behavior research lab, and are they afforded time in their day to just “be parrots”?
Ollie the rescue cockatiel, with his colorful hand-knitted outfits, is off on an epic adventure. He and his human steward, Robyn Chappell, are trekking across New Zealand’s Te Araroa Trail to raise awareness and money for the trail’s maintenance. See how this special-needs ‘tiel is warming hearts along the way.
In the birding community, a “big year” is a personal challenge to identify as many species of birds as possible by sight or sound, within a single calendar year and within a specific geographic area. Texas native Tiffany Kersten not only set the record for the youngest woman to spot 700 bird species in the Lower 48 states, but she also made it her mission to make birding a safer activity for women by gifting personal safety alarms, fittingly called Birdie alarms, to women she encounters on her birding adventures.
Do you know your bird’s sex? Unlike cats and dogs, many popular parrot companions can be surprisingly hard to tell the difference between males and females by looking at them. Find out why knowing your bird’s sex can positively affect its health and well-being, and help you better understand your bird’s behaviors.
Lafeber’s latest Conservation Spotlight takes us to a small island in the Caribbean — Bonaire, home to the yellow-shouldered Amazon parrot. The conservation group Echo is dedicated to ensuring a stable and growing population of this endangered parrot by reducing habitat degradation, restoring the parrots’ habitat, and reducing the poaching of chicks.
The most common question Dr. Irene Pepperberg encounters is if parrots truly understand what they are saying. In her newest blog, Dr. Pepperberg offers some notable experiences with African greys Alex, Griffin, and Athena that might not hold up to scientific scrutiny but are nonetheless valuable in demonstrating parrots’ impressive cognitive abilities.
After 1,000 hours spread over 18 months, the self-taught Philip Brill used his cross-stitching skills to create a vibrant rendition of a scarlet macaw. His hard work paid off, with a first-place award at the St. Mary’s County Art Council’s annual Art Walk contest. Learn about the inspiration behind Brill’s magnificent art piece, as well as the process involved in bringing his subject to life on congress cloth.
Lafeber’s latest Conservation Spotlight takes us to Guatemala, where the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) has strived to help macaws by building nesting sites, monitoring fledging rates to determine macaw population, and growing support from the surrounding community through education and outreach programs.
In her latest blog, Dr. Irene Pepperberg talks about African greys Griffin and Athena’s recent move into a spacious two-bedroom apartment. Surprisingly, the grey who typically doesn’t like change seems to be adjusting quicker than their flockmate. Dr. Pepperberg gives us the backstory.
See how six computer-savvy kea parrots fared when challenged with a series of tasks that were either entirely physical, entirely virtual, or a mixture of both.
Since 1999, The Macaw Society (formally called the Tambopata Research Project) at the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences has been dedicated to the study of macaws in the wild, with 40 scientific papers and counting. The Macaw Society’s “foster chick” program is one way it helps increase wild macaw numbers by assigning otherwise neglected chicks to foster macaw parents.
Dr. Irene Pepperberg explains the “treat substitution” trick, where a treat is moved from where the test subject assumes it should be or it is switched out with a less favored treat. Learn the reasons why birds and other prey animals form expectations of where food is located, and why they demonstrate a signs of distress when their expectations are challenged.
Lafeber’s latest Conservation Spotlight takes us to Africa, where conservationists are surveying the population distribution of lovebirds, as well as helping their numbers grow with the help of nest boxes.
This parrot deserves a party! A scarlet macaw, aptly referred to as Old Man, recently celebrated his 74th birthday!
Parrots, like people, have their individualized tastes in food. This includes their own interpretations of what constitutes fresh produce, as well as the order in which food should be eaten. In her latest blog, Dr. Irene Pepperberg dishes on African greys Athena and Griffin’s specific food preferences.
Learn how retired teacher Virginia Rose discovered her passion for birding and her life-changing event that fueled her mission to make birding accessible to all, no matter what mobility challenges they may face.
Once upon a time, kea parrots lived among humans in lower altitudes. However, they ultimately settled in New Zealand’s mountainous habitat, namely because it was an area least disturbed by human activity. Discover how researchers recently came to this conclusion.
In her latest blog, Dr. Irene Pepperberg explains the concept of mutual exclusivity—how it pertains to children and how it can be applied to parrots.
In her latest blog, Dr. Irene Pepperberg explains how, when working with parrots, designing and implementing seemingly simple experiments are never as easy as one might assume.
Don’t miss your chance to ask Dr. Tully a question about your bird’s health, nutrition, care, or behavior problem in this interactive webinar on June 18.
In this webinar episode of The Grey Way, Lisa discusses the options when planning a trip. How to choose a qualified bird sitter or boarding facility? Is taking your Grey with you an option? Preparing your Grey for a road trip or air travel?
To combat declining wild bird populations, some cities are making their landscapes more bird-friendly.
This month’s parrot conservation spotlight highlights ongoing work to protect the Congo African grey in Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
Dr. Pepperberg writes about the changes to hatchday celebrations for the African greys in the lab because of precautions for COVID. Griffin’s 25th hatchday was more subdued that originally planned.
Don’t miss your chance to ask Dr. Tully a question about your bird’s health, nutrition, care, or behavior problem in this interactive webinar.
Dr. Irene Pepperberg talks about the individual preferences of the African grey parrots in her cognitive research lab. She also shares why personality differences among the flock oftentimes require using different approaches when it comes to training and testing.
Lafeber’s latest Conservation Spotlight takes us to Indonesia, where The Indonesian Parrot Project (IPP) has spent the past 20 years supporting conservation efforts for many parrot species, including Moluccan cockatoos, Eclectus, various other cockatoos, great-billed parrots, and lorikeets.
An injured beak can severely impact a parrot’s health—a missing beak can put a parrot in peril. Fortunately, this wild parrot got a second chance at life with the help of Paulo Roberto Martins Nunziata and veterinarian Maria Ângela Panelli Marchió of the Renascer ACN animal rehabilitation center in Brazil.
If you live in Australia, it’s not unusual to spot native parrot species foraging in your yard. New South Wales resident Jayde Parrey, for one, is used to seeing rainbow lorikeets, but one member of a recent flock of 20 parrots certainly stood out for it was an unusually colored rainbow lorikeet. Learn more about this special lorikeet.
Wild parrot conservation groups are working hard to protect a wide diversity of parrot species. Lafeber is committed to helping as well with our Global Parrot conservation grant. This month’s spotlight takes us to Bolivia, South America, where the Conservación del Loro Boliviano Foundation is fighting to save macaws and other parrot species.
Central Park in New York City recently saw the return a fluffy white visitor after a 130-year hiatus—a majestical snowy owl! On January 27, a popular birder tweeted the arrival of a snowy owl hunkering down behind a fenced area near the park’s baseball fields. Soon after, local birders flocked to the park for the sighting of a lifetime. Read on to learn more about the snowy owl and how this owl’s brief New York City appearance made headlines.
