Bird

In the registry

The IAGD registry holds 72 birds. A record carries an IAGD number and a public profile with photo, sex where known, date of birth, and colours. The kind of bird is stored in the breed field as the owner typed it. A record is public after an administrator approves it, and registration is free from the register page or the IAGD SuperApp.

Life with a bird

• Company. Parrots and their relatives are flock animals. A single bird treats the household as its flock and needs hours of contact a day; a pair keeps each other company but bonds less with people.
• Noise. Every parrot calls at dawn and dusk. A cockatiel is tolerable in an apartment; a large parrot is not, and a neighbour will say so.
• Time out of the cage. A bird needs to fly or climb outside the cage every day, in a room with the windows shut, the fans off, and other pets out.
• Mind. Toys the bird can chew and shred, foraging puzzles, and a change of perch placement keep a bird from plucking its own feathers.^[1]
• Lifespan. Small birds live for years; the larger parrots for decades. Ask who takes the bird if it outlives you.

Care basics

• Diet. A formulated pellet as the base, fresh vegetables daily, seed as a small share. A bird on seed alone is short of vitamin A and calcium and shows it in a few years. See Food and water basics.
• Hazards in a home. Non-stick cookware fumes, aerosol sprays, cigarette smoke, open windows, ceiling fans, standing water, and the family cat. Avocado, chocolate, caffeine, alcohol, onion, garlic, and xylitol are toxic to birds.^[2]
• The cage. Wide rather than tall, with bar spacing the bird cannot push its head through, perches of different widths, and a daily paper change.
• The veterinarian. Few clinics in the Philippines see birds. Find one before the bird arrives, book a first check-up in the first week, and keep a new bird apart from any bird you already have for the quarantine period the veterinarian sets.^[3]
• Illness. A sick bird hides it until late. A bird fluffed up on the cage floor, with its tail bobbing as it breathes, needs a veterinarian the same day. See When to go to the vet now.

Kinds of pet bird

The registry groups every companion bird under one species entry. The animals differ more than dog breeds do: a budgerigar and a macaw share a diet outline and little else. The kind you choose decides the noise, the space, the lifespan, and whether a permit is involved.

No breed articles exist for birds yet.

Laws and papers in the Philippines

• Wildlife. Republic Act 9147, the Wildlife Resources Conservation and Protection Act, protects native wild birds. Keeping one needs a permit and a certificate of registration from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, and buying one from a street seller is an offence for the buyer too. Captive-bred exotic species such as budgerigars, lovebirds, and cockatiels are sold without a permit.^[4]
• Welfare. Republic Act 8485, the Animal Welfare Act, covers birds as it covers every animal. See RA 8485 explained for pet owners.
• Transport. Moving a bird between islands or abroad needs Bureau of Animal Industry paperwork, and a native species needs DENR paperwork as well. See what is a BAI Veterinary Health Certificate.

The first year with a bird

Start here First-time bird owner guide 7 min read

1. 1 Before you bring a pet home 6 min read
2. 2 The first week at home 6 min read
3. 3 The first vet visit and the vaccination schedule 7 min read
4. 4 Food and water basics 6 min read
5. 5 Why and when to spay or neuter 5 min read
6. 6 How to identify and register your pet 5 min read
7. 7 Pets in the Philippine climate 6 min read
8. 8 When to go to the vet now 6 min read

Common questions

Is a seed mix a complete diet?

No. Seed is high in fat and low in the vitamins and minerals a bird needs. Move the bird to a pellet base with fresh vegetables, slowly, over weeks.

Can I keep a bird I found or bought at a market?

If it is a native wild species, not without DENR paperwork, and the sale itself may have been illegal. Report it to the nearest DENR office rather than keep it.

Can a bird live with a cat or a dog?

In the same house, with the bird caged when the other animal is in the room. Never loose together. A scratch or a bite is fatal to a small bird even when the wound looks minor.

See also

• First-time bird owner guide
• Food and water basics
• Registered birds

References

1. ^ Association of Avian Veterinarians, Bird owner resources.
2. ^ ASPCA, Common toxins for birds, reptiles and amphibians.
3. ^ Association of Avian Veterinarians, Pet bird care brochure series.
4. ^ Republic Act 9147, Wildlife Resources Conservation and Protection Act of 2001.