Pheasants Breed: Pheasants Temperament: secretive, nervous Cost: $60 plus per pair Lifespan: 15 to 25 years Recommended for: enthusiasts and poultry keepers with some experience Maintenance: low Appearance Pheasants are brilliantly coloured but are also excellently...
Breed: Bantam Houdan Temperament: hens docile, easy to handle Cost: from $30 Lifespan: average 7- 8 years Recommended for: enthusiasts Maintenance: medium – high Appearance The Houdan has a very bulky appearance and is said to be representative in appearance to...
Ultimate Birds – Pet Macaw The trouble with keeping birds in cages is that you restrict one of their greatest abilities – flight. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to have birds as pets, but let them fly free and interact with the family? That would really be...
Understanding Parrots Don visited Taronga Zoo and spoke to bird trainer Matthew Kettle about the social needs of parrots. Parrots are often perceived as ‘easy care’ pets, but there is much more to owning birds than putting them in cages and feeding them...
King Parrots in Backyard Don was surprised to see a pair of King Parrots eating the white flowers of a sasanqua camellia. He had noticed nectar-feeding birds visiting the camellias, but this was the first time he’d seen parrots eating the petals. Although...
Oldest Budgie in Australia A few weeks ago on Burke’s Backyard we featured celebrity gardener, Rob Guest. Don was interested in Rob’s 11 year old budgie, because he thought that maybe it was the oldest budgie in Australia. Since then we’ve...
Pelicans The Spectacled or Australian pelican (Pelecanus conspicillatus) is a large black and white bird with a pink-yellow pouch. Courting birds develop bright red bill colourings which fade after they have paired and eggs are laid. Pelicans can be found across...
Spur-winged Plovers We visited the grounds of Sydney University, where a pair of Spur-winged plovers is nesting. The parents are very protective of their two chicks, and swoop any students who come too close. However, the plovers are unlikely to cause any harm,...
Breed: Lorikeets Temperament: gregarious and trainable Maintenance: medium-high Cost: $50-$6500 Lifespan: 7-9 years Recommended for: beginners to experienced birdkeepers History of the Lorikeet Lorikeets are native birds found in coastal areas around Australia....
Breed: African Lovebirds Temperament: active, noisy Maintenance: low Cost: $25-$200 Lifespan: 10-15 years Recommended for: anyone History Lovebirds acquired their name because of their fondness for sitting in pairs while preening each other’s feathers. African...