Macaw Races Scooter

Cats and dogs on motorcycles or inside bike sidecars are exceptional fun each time I stumble upon such a sight, but the video after the jump has really made my day. If one could ride a bicycle and take his or her dog for a walk, or even have the cat clawing to a piece of cloth strapped to the bike’s fuel tank, this fellow, who appears to be in Greece, decided to race his blue Macaw parrot… on a scooter!

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A lovable larrikin

Daniel Gowland helped rear Glossy Black Cockatoo, Mr Fifty-Fifty, after his parents abandoned him two years ago. Photo: Kim Pham.ABANDONED by his parents before birth, Glossy Black Cockatoo Mr Fifty-Fifty has found his place as a bonafide member of human family, the Gowlands.

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Where screeching, scarlet macaws enjoy raucous celebrity status

Feral macaws in Kirkby Stephen: 'As we crossed the road, a pair peered down at us from the sky, Technicolor adornments on a grey day.' In London, parakeets are regarded by some as a feral nuisance; in Kirkby Stephen, the locals relish their glimpse of Amazonia

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Introduction, Breeding and Poaching of Scarlet Macaws (Ara macao L.) in a Temperate Country:

A Case Study from The Netherlands

Scarlet Macaw Parrots in The NetherlandsAbstract: Poaching for the pet bird trade is one of the main threats to wild parrots. Parrots in urban areas might be exempt from poaching because nests are likely inaccessible in the urban mosaic of public and private lands where the public and authorities keep more effective vigilance than in natural habitats. We report on the demographics and fate of a small population of exotic Scarlet Macaws (Ara macao) introduced into the urban area of Haarlem in The Netherlands in the 1970’s, which has a temperate, maritime climate, quite unlike the natural breeding area of the species. One breeding pair was reported, with successful breeding attempts in at least eight years between 1980 and 2009. A series of poaching events between 2005 and 2009 likely lead to the demise of the local nesting population of Scarlet Macaws.

Keywords: Poaching, Exotic species, Establishment, Breeding success, Ara macao, Parrot.

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Fresh mindsets take wing and fly

Josh Cook, a TEDx speaker, explores a fine line between training and freedom with the damaged birds he adopts. John Huxley reports.

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