Dot
01-29-2008, 08:12 PM
This is from another list and I have permission to cross post it. Someone asked why one breeds birds. I think with AR groups everywhere, it is important for us to know some of the statistics we can use to counter them.
This was written by Steve Duncan, President of the Avicultural Society of America.
Dot
Why do I Breed Birds?
Short answer:
Because I am fascinated by birds, and I love working with them in
lots of different ways.
Continue for Long Answer:
I also love to share my knowledge about birds, and I take great pride
in producing the best quality birds to send out into the pet trade
for others to enjoy and hopefully become more deeply interested in
birds in captivity as well as in the wild. There is nothing that can
inspire people more to care about the plight of wild birds than
providing them with every opportunity to get close to live birds in
our busy urbanized lives. Our pet birds do more to improve peoples'
awareness of conservation and habitat preservation than all the
Nature programs combined. (Sorry, I don't have a research paper to
cite. That's my opinion based upon 35 years in birds, thousands of
conversations with pet owners, and many public speaking engagements.)
Breeding birds is just one of the ways I enjoy them. I am also a
life-long bird watcher. I enjoy photographing them in the wild and in
captivity as well. I also have a degree in Biology (I took biostatistics too).
The fact that you ask this question in the context of this discussion
along with some of the statements you made implies that you do not
think it is appropriate to be breeding birds for pets. You are
implying that there are too many birds for too few homes and the fact
that some birds exhibit problems indicates to you that they are not
suitable for public sale as pets. I absolutely disagree with this opinion.
According the the APPMA survey, the number of pet birds in the US is
around 17 million. Many in the industry consider this number to be
artificially low. For instance, they only include household pet
birds. The figures don't include birds kept in outdoor aviaries or
birds kept by breeders so these statistics certainly do not indicate
the total number of captive birds in the U.S. One thing the
statistics do indicate is that the number of birds in the U.S. is
fairly stable with only minor fluctuations from year to year.
I have extrapolated the APPMA statistics to get an idea of the number
of birds that must be bred to maintain a stable population. The data
indicate that about 85% of the 17 million birds in the U.S. are
Cockatiels, Budgies, Finches, Canaries, Doves or other short-lived
species. The other 15% are longer-lived species of medium to large parrots.
Most Budgies, Finches and Canaries never make it anywhere close to 10
years of age. Many Cockatiels do make it to 10 years of age, but
probably not a majority. The 15% of the population that is comprised
of longer-lived species would not pull up the average life-span much.
Since the vast majority are short-lived species, it is reasonable to
use 10 years as an average life-span.
Using 10 years as an average life-span, it would require breeders in
the U.S. to produce 1.7 million baby birds annually just to supply
the demand for pets. This figure would NOT include the additional
birds that would need to be produced to replace the breeding stock,
nor would it include birds that are not destined for the traditional
pet bird trade. Additionally, because it is based on figures that are
artificially low, the actual number of baby birds produced annually
is very likely to be much higher than 1.7 million.
Are there birds out there that are not taken care of properly? Sure.
Is there an epidemic of poorly cared for birds? No. Of those 1.7
million baby birds destined for the pet trade, the vast majority are
happy, healthy and are destined for a life that is better than they
would have encountered 10-20 years ago. This is because of the
advancements we have made and continue to make because our knowledge
of bird husbandry improves as long as aviculture remains strong and
active. Avian medicine continues to improve because there are enough
pet birds out there to support continuing advances in that field as well.
There is plenty of demand for pet birds. The vast majority are well
cared for. Maintaining a healthy avicultural market allows for
further advances in the avian husbandry and veterinary fields. I
don't see a reason not to breed birds for pets.
Steve [Duncan]
This was written by Steve Duncan, President of the Avicultural Society of America.
Dot
Why do I Breed Birds?
Short answer:
Because I am fascinated by birds, and I love working with them in
lots of different ways.
Continue for Long Answer:
I also love to share my knowledge about birds, and I take great pride
in producing the best quality birds to send out into the pet trade
for others to enjoy and hopefully become more deeply interested in
birds in captivity as well as in the wild. There is nothing that can
inspire people more to care about the plight of wild birds than
providing them with every opportunity to get close to live birds in
our busy urbanized lives. Our pet birds do more to improve peoples'
awareness of conservation and habitat preservation than all the
Nature programs combined. (Sorry, I don't have a research paper to
cite. That's my opinion based upon 35 years in birds, thousands of
conversations with pet owners, and many public speaking engagements.)
Breeding birds is just one of the ways I enjoy them. I am also a
life-long bird watcher. I enjoy photographing them in the wild and in
captivity as well. I also have a degree in Biology (I took biostatistics too).
The fact that you ask this question in the context of this discussion
along with some of the statements you made implies that you do not
think it is appropriate to be breeding birds for pets. You are
implying that there are too many birds for too few homes and the fact
that some birds exhibit problems indicates to you that they are not
suitable for public sale as pets. I absolutely disagree with this opinion.
According the the APPMA survey, the number of pet birds in the US is
around 17 million. Many in the industry consider this number to be
artificially low. For instance, they only include household pet
birds. The figures don't include birds kept in outdoor aviaries or
birds kept by breeders so these statistics certainly do not indicate
the total number of captive birds in the U.S. One thing the
statistics do indicate is that the number of birds in the U.S. is
fairly stable with only minor fluctuations from year to year.
I have extrapolated the APPMA statistics to get an idea of the number
of birds that must be bred to maintain a stable population. The data
indicate that about 85% of the 17 million birds in the U.S. are
Cockatiels, Budgies, Finches, Canaries, Doves or other short-lived
species. The other 15% are longer-lived species of medium to large parrots.
Most Budgies, Finches and Canaries never make it anywhere close to 10
years of age. Many Cockatiels do make it to 10 years of age, but
probably not a majority. The 15% of the population that is comprised
of longer-lived species would not pull up the average life-span much.
Since the vast majority are short-lived species, it is reasonable to
use 10 years as an average life-span.
Using 10 years as an average life-span, it would require breeders in
the U.S. to produce 1.7 million baby birds annually just to supply
the demand for pets. This figure would NOT include the additional
birds that would need to be produced to replace the breeding stock,
nor would it include birds that are not destined for the traditional
pet bird trade. Additionally, because it is based on figures that are
artificially low, the actual number of baby birds produced annually
is very likely to be much higher than 1.7 million.
Are there birds out there that are not taken care of properly? Sure.
Is there an epidemic of poorly cared for birds? No. Of those 1.7
million baby birds destined for the pet trade, the vast majority are
happy, healthy and are destined for a life that is better than they
would have encountered 10-20 years ago. This is because of the
advancements we have made and continue to make because our knowledge
of bird husbandry improves as long as aviculture remains strong and
active. Avian medicine continues to improve because there are enough
pet birds out there to support continuing advances in that field as well.
There is plenty of demand for pet birds. The vast majority are well
cared for. Maintaining a healthy avicultural market allows for
further advances in the avian husbandry and veterinary fields. I
don't see a reason not to breed birds for pets.
Steve [Duncan]