Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!usc!mizar.usc.edu!burhans
From: burhans@mizar.usc.edu (Mustang Sally)
Newsgroups: rec.birds
Subject: Re: INDOOR:  Thanks, and gold capped-conures
Message-ID: <32962@usc>
Date: 17 May 91 16:58:13 GMT
References: <1991May16.233434.14751@casbah.acns.nwu.edu>
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In article <1991May16.233434.14751@casbah.acns.nwu.edu> egeffner@casbah.acns.nwu.edu (Eric Geffner) writes:
>
>2.  Does anyone know if gold-capped conures are rare ?? the person who sold
>him to me claimed that they are, and even mentioned that they are on the
>endangered species list.
>

Well I don't know the answer but I just wanted to pipe in. I have enjoyed
all the posts about indoor birds--more than I thought I would--including
the discussion of ethical issues about owning them, especially the rare
ones. As a new birder I recently joined the Audobon society and got my
first issue of their magazine which has an article about the parrot
trade. In particular they were focussing on illegal sales of parrots and
the effect this is having on the native populations of parrots. Very
interesting and disturbing. They also touched on some information about
legal sales and breeders and plans to require breeders licenses to try
and cut down on the black-market harvesting and selling of these
incredible birds. This got me to thinking that I hadn't really thought
of parrots in terms of being real birds--living in L.A. there aren't
any native parrots (or conures--I don't really know the diff) that I
know of but of course we have our famous released, breeding populations
screaming over various parts of the city. But those always seemed like
such an anomaly as I have tended to "think" of parrots as belonging
in cages.

At the Audobon bookstore they have a book called Parrots, A Natural History
that I glanced thru and it seems real interesting. One of its first points
was that people don't tend to think of parrots as real birds. It has many
beautiful pictures of parrots in their natural settings. I hope someday
to visit places where I can see this. Meantime I hope that people who
are responsible continue to breed parrots that are rare with a hope to
someday releasing them.



-- 
Jackie Burhans (burhans@usc.edu)          
Data Stylist, USC Student Affairs