I must admit that I have never read any books on the subject but I have been amazed at how much I have learnt since having this computer for the last 6 months or so.
Before having this machine I was like many, many bird owners here in NZ who had never even thought about feeding anything other than seed and the occasional silverbeet leaf to my birds.
Not only have I learnt what they should be eating I have also learnt how introduce new food to them and how to get them to eat it!

My friends have had many good laughs at my expense since I told them about clicker training Hoot. Even the people I know that have had and bred birds for years and years, raised eye brows when they saw Hoot's playstand and rotation of toys. I guess they just thought I was madder than they had originally thought.

I'm really proud of what both Hoot and I have learnt and achieved so far, but I think the most important thing I have learnt (especially from this site) is how to interact with my birds on a far more 'equal' level. Even though I have had many of my birds for years, I now look at them in a totally new light and I can clearly see what they need and what I can do to enrich their lives more.

Debbi
NZ

I'm actually embarassed to admit that I haven't read any books on the subject. But, I've heard so many good things about Karen Pryor's "Don't Shoot The Dog" that I know I need to get a copy. I keep putting it off, though.

Melinda Johnson, who runs the Bird-Click mailing list, recently put out a book called "clicker training for parrots" or something like that - I learned a lot on her mailing list so I have high hopes for her book as well.

There's a book out there by the Duke of Bedford about keeping parrots outdoors, or "at liberty" as he calls it. It's decades old but sounds fascinating.

So that's the stuff I really want to read. Mona will probably have some good ideas for a reading list too, I keep hearing her say interesting things that begin with "____ wrote something in ______ about...." :-)

Nate Waddoups
Redmond WA USA

Hello Mike. I've only read books on bird behaviour(guide to well behaved parrot, guide to companion parrot behaviour) but I recently purchased "The Parrot Who Owns Me" by Joanna Burger. It is a first hand story(if you will) at keeping a parrot(in this case a 30 yr old Amazon). Burger is an ornithologist, so what's interesting about this book is you get an insight as to why parrots do what they do. She describes behaviours of her amazon and then describes the wild-counterparts she's observed on her field studies. I would highly recommend it! Since Amazons and most other commonly kept parrots are different in some behavioural ways than say Eclectus or Ringnecks it still leaves some things in the dark about living with these types of parrots(I live with a 2 yr old male Eclectus), but otherwise a very good book.

I think I might be an anachronism in as far as I seem to actually like reading books, and as far as I am concerned there is no such thing as too much knowledge. Here is my "Have and Read" list, I also took the libery of adding the ISBN #'s so you can check them out through a search engine before buying them.

The Grey Parrot
Wolfgang de Grahl
ISBN 0866220941

Parrots of the World
Joseph M. Forshaw
ISBN 0876669593

The African Grey Parrot Handbook
Mattie Sue Athan & Dianalee Deter
ISBN 0764109936

Guide to the Senegal Parrot and its Family
Mattie Sue Athan & Dianalee Deter
ISBN 0764103326

The Cockatiel
Julie Rach
ISBN 0876055269

Your First Cockatiel
Dr. J. E. Lohr
ISBN 0866220607

A Step by Step Book about Cockatiels
Anmarie Barrie
ISBN 086622453X

The Essential Cockatiel
Pamela Leis Higdon
ISBN 1582450277

First Aid for Birds
Julie Rach & Gary A. Gallerstein D.V.M.
ISBN 0876055315

The Complete Owners Handbook
Gary A. Gallerstein D.V.M.
ISBN 0876059035

The Complete Owners Handbook New edition
Gary A. Gallerstein D.V.M.
ISBN 1895270251

The Parrot Who Owns Me
Joanna Burger
ISBN 0375760253

Guide to Companion Parrot Behavior
Mattie Sue Athan
ISBN 0764106880

Guide to a Well Behaved Parrot
Mattie Sue Athan
ISBN 0764110306

Feeding your Pet Bird
Petra Burgman D.V.M.
ISBN 0812015215

The Ultimate Parrot
Barrett Watson & Mike Hurley
ISBN 0764561022

The Alex Studies
Irene Pepperberg
ISBN 067400051X

The Pleasure of Their Company (An Owners Guide to Parrot Training)
Bonnie Munro Doane & Richard Cole
ISBN 0876055943

Ravens in Winter
Bernd Heinrich
ISBN 0679732365

Mind of the Raven
Bern Heinrich
ISBN 0060930632

Spix’s Macaw The Race to Save the World’s Rarest Bird
Tony Juniper
ISBN 074347550x

Sally Blanchard’s Companion Parrot Handbook
Sally Blanchard
ISBN 096712980X

Sally Blanchard’s The Beak Book
Sally Blanchard
ISBN 0967129818

The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill
Mark Bittner
ISBN 0609610554

Conversations with an Eagle
Brenda Cox
ISBN 1550548115

Your Outta Control Bird
Nikki Moustaki
IBSN 0793829259

The New Encyclopedia of American Birds
David Alderton
ISBN 0681643048

Birds of North America
Fred J. Alsop III
ISBN 078949373X

The Parrot Who Owns Me ISBN # 0375760253
The Story of a Relationship
By Joanna Burger

“Seventeen years ago, when she adopted a neglected, orphaned thirty-year-old parrot named Tiko, the internationally renowned ornithologist Joanna Burger entered one of the most complex relationships of her life. Sullen and hostile when he entered Dr. Burger’s home, Tiko gradually warmed up, courting her during mating season, nursing her vigilantly through a bout of Lyme disease, and for a while even fighting her husband for her attentions. In time theirs was a relationship of deep mutual trust.
The Parrot Who Owns Me is Joanna and Tiko’s story, as well as the story of the science of birds, and of parrots in particular. Woven into the narrative are insights and fascinating revelations from Dr. Burger’s work – not only about parrots, but also about what it means to be human.

The above is what is written on the back of this particular book and it in my eyes sums it up fairly well. But, … I do not in any way mean this to be derogatory, it’s just that this book is so much more, and each time I read it I come away with something new. For those of “us” that have little experience with companion birds, parrots in particular, it is a very pleasant and easy read and will bring a smile to your face, and for those that see themselves in various situations described in the book, an occasional tear.
It is a story of the human heart and the triumph of love over, what at times seemed, insurmountable obstacles. A story of trust and understanding as well as a journey into what makes us who we are. It is also full of lessons that every parrot owner should be aware of and heed as it takes you from the very first meeting to a life filled with peace and contentment. And in the end it teaches you that there is always hope.
For what it’s worth, I highly recommend this book, even to those that do not own a bird.
Graehstone

When I first got Bebe (GSC) I purchased a book to get started.

Taming and Training Cockatoos
Risa Teitler
ISBN 0-86622-779-2

But as with Debbi, I have learned more from internet bird groups than books. I'm not a keen reader and thank people like Graehstone for sharing his knowledge, and the collective experiences of members.

Murray NZ

Okay...the above list by "Graehstone" just about covers everything and anything I have read on birds....The book Nate is talking about is called "Parrots and Parrot-like birds" and it used to be THE textbook on keeping parrots, but it is now out of print. The author is The Duke of Bedford or Marquis of Tavistock. (English titles?)

I just finished the Mind of the Raven and Tony Juniper's Spix Macaw books and enjoyed them both.

I also own a 1990 first edition of Forshaw's Parrots of the World...number 68 of 600. (They updated the 1970 edition) This is a leatherbound art edition that I got at a secondhand book store for my birthday for an amount I shall not disclose but I could have probably purchased two baby Senegals for the money. The artwork is incredible and I only look at it with white gloves on, no sodas in hand and no birds out.

I am really looking forward to Dr. Graham's new book that she is co-writing and that she said is in the works.....it talks about the anatomy of parrots and their sensory perception. I am very interested in learning as much as possible about how they hear, see, think, etc. I have a book about Avian vision (H.Philip Zeigler and Hans-Joachim Bishof Titled: "Vision, Brain, and Behavior in Birds".)that is incredibly academic and I've tried to read it but it goes way over my head. I am really looking forward to reading something by somebody who can interpret this stuff for the layperson.

Oh, one more book that was recommended by Linda Morrow on the clickbirds list was "Parrots, A Natural History by Sparks, John; Soper, Tony; Gillmor, Robert". This is another out of print book but it is a really good book for getting a long term perspective on the world history of aviculture. It is a Facts on File book and tends to have a lot of encyclopedic stuff in it but was very helpful for garnering insight.

Okay...that's my list today.....

Thanks.

Mona