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Birds

Meet our amazing birds

Green Wing Macaw African Grey Orange-winged Amazon Chicken Duck Quail Dove

Bob the Green Winged Macaw

Ara chloropterus

Where I live

I live in the northern half of South America, but no in the eastern area. I can be found as far south as Paraguay,
We are extinct in Argentina and south-eastern Brazil, due to deforestation and destruction of river banks.

Lifespan and Size

I live 60 to 65 years (people believe we live a lot longer).

As the second biggest macaw I grow to almost a metre long from my beak to my tail. As an adult I weigh 1.2-1.4kilos.

What I eat

I am a herbivore , eating nuts, fruit, berries, seeds and some vegetable matter foraged from trees. In the wild I can eat some poisonous fruits as the river clay appears to neutralize the toxins.

Mobirise

Natural Habitat 

I live in tropical forests, mangrove swamps, and savannas.

We nest in river banks and love mud which gives us extra nutrients.

Interesting Fact

I have very a powerful beak that can generate a pressure of 500 up to 2,000+ psi (pounds per square inch) - humans average a bite force of around 150 psi. I can snap a broom handle.

Housing 

I need a large cage and am very destructive so it needs to be strong.
A large aviary outside and lots of toys help prevent me getting bored,

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Marley the African Grey

Psittacus erithacus

Where I live

I live in central Africa frome the Ivory coast to Kenya.
Timneh Greys are smaller and are mainly found in Liberia, Sierra Leone, and the western most parts of the Ivory Coast

Lifespan and Size

In the wild I live up to 80 years. In captivity I expect to live to an average of  50 years.

On average we weigh 410g and are 33cm long from bek to our bright red tail.

What I eat

I am a herbivore  eat a variety of seeds, nuts, fruits, berries and vegetation in the wild. I love palm oil.

Mobirise

Natural Habitat 

I live in rain forrests and I will clamber from branch to branch while feeding instead of flying.
We are now classed as an endangered species and need a CITES licence to prove we were captive bred.

Interesting Fact

We are the best talkers in the parrot world and can learn to speak and converse as well as copy. We use air sacks to make sounds and don't have a voice box.
The African grey Parrot has a history with humans dating back to biblical times.

Housing 

I need a large cage and lots of company or toys as I get bored very quickly, Foraging toys make eating entertaining. I spend a long time thinking about how to break the door catch and escape. I generally love one person and enjoy human company. 

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Chico the Orange-Winged Amazon

Amazona amazonica

Where I live

I live in tropical South America, from Colombia, Trinidad and Tobago south to Peru, Bolivia and central Brazil.

Lifespan and Size

I can live over 80 years! However I usually live around 50 years.

I am an average of about 33 cm (13 in) long and weigh about 340g.

What I eat

I am a herbivore and love berries, seeds and nuts but need vegetables as well. I am at risk of calcium and vitamin A deficiency  and to obesity as I pick out fatty seeds. Pellet feed with extra veg and fruit helps prevent this.

Mobirise

Natural Habitat 

I live in rain forests and semi-open country where I forrage. We lay our eggs in holes in trees,

Interesting Fact

In some areas they have been declared crop pests due to a liking for cultivated crops, especially cocoa. That's chocolate so watch out when you get a bar out.

Housing 

I need a large cage as I am very energetic. I sometimes get emotional and can attack someone or something like curtains but lots of toys and activities help prevent this,

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Ella the Chicken

Gallus gallus domesticus

Where I live

Chickens are found almost everywhere that humans are,
We were originally domesticated from Asian jungle fowl and are all descended from these.

Lifespan and Size

We live between 5 and 8 years although pet freerange chickens live longer. I am 10 already.

We range in size from 600gm to 4kg.

What I eat

We are herbivores, eating seed and pellets but do enjoy foraging for insects and vegitation.

Mobirise

Natural Habitat 

We don't just live in deserts. We are also found in a wide range of habitats such as shrublands and Eucalyptus woodlands.

Interesting Fact

Chickens are able to remember and recognise over 100 individuals, including other animals and humans.

Housing 

We need a safe place to sleep and lay our eggs. We enjoy a large run to forrage and exercise.

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Forrest and Gump the Runner Ducks

 Anas platyrhynchos domesticus

Where we live

We are Indian Runner ducks and are domesticated waterfowl that live in the archipelago of the East Indies.

Lifespan and Size

We can live up to 22 years!

When we are adults we are 50 – 76 cm from crown to tail tip. Adult males weigh 1.6 – 2.3 kg and females 1.4 – 2 kg.

What I eat

We are essentially omnivores, eating seeds, greens and insects, especially slugs and worms.

Mobirise

Natural Habitat 

We enjoy being near water and swimming.
A field by water

Interesting Fact

Our wings are small so we cannot fly properly and we walk like penguins.
We are often herded like sheep.

Housing 

A safe place to sleep is important as well as water and somewhere to forrage.

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Cheep and Chirp the Quails

Coturnix coturnix

Where I live

We breed in Europe, Turkey, and central Asia to China. We winter in India, China, southeast Asia and northern areas of Africa.

Lifespan and Size

We live an average of 2.5 years.

We can grow up to 18cm and weigh an average of 96g.

What I eat

We are herbivores, eating seeds and pellets.

Mobirise

Natural Habitat 

We prefer to live in temperate savanna or grassland areas.

Interesting Fact

I can migrate aged 2 months.

Housing 

I need a nice, messy ground with seeds and insects to forrage for.

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The Doves and Roller Pigeons

Columba livia 

Where we live

We originate in Europe, North Africa and Asia. Nowadays we inhabit most of the world.

Lifespan and Size

We live an average of 8 to 10 years.

We are usually 32-37 cm long with a 64-72 cm wingspan.

What we eat

We are herbivores and eat mainly seeds.

Mobirise

Natural Habitat 

We prefer woodland although we like flying over cultivated land where we can forrage and many of us live in built up areas.

Interesting Fact

The Fantail is actually a fancy pigeon. It's tail is a fan-shape composed of 30 to 40 feathers. Most pigeons  usually have 12 to 14 feathers.

The word ‘pigeon’ is derived from the Latin word ‘pipio’, meaning ‘young cheeping bird’. The word ‘dove’ is of Norse origin and first appeared in the 14th century as ‘dova’ or ‘douve’.

Housing 

We need a large aviary or we can have a nest box to return to if we fly free.

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Mobirise

Contacts

Email: nesta@nestasark.org.uk 
Phone: +44 (7976) 568 593                    

Links

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