Creating a Bird-Friendly Habitat
The building or buying an aviary for your birds can be one of the best things you can do; not just for your bird, but for yourself, too.
When your bird has enough space and a natural environment, it helps in improving its physical and emotional health, which in turn reduces any behavioral problems it may have been facing before.
An aviary is a large enclosure that has enough room for the bird to fly.
While a flight cage also allows flight, an aviary is large enough to actually allow a person to walk around in it.
There are both indoor and outdoor aviaries.
15 Ways to make Save Environment for Birds
- Plant a variety of native plants or trees that are birds friendly.
- Avoid spraying insecticides, Herbicides, Fertilizers, or similar chemicals.
- Facilitate a continuous drinkable Water source.
- Purchase a Bird Bath or Create one from scrap.
- Create a Brush Pile using logs, barks, and wood available.
- Avoid Toxic or harmful plants and weeds and avoid Non-Native Plants.
- Create a Snag ( An erected partially or fully dead tree)
- Introduce birdhouses and feeders to birds.
- Mark Windows and Prevent Strikes to avoid random bird deaths
- Keep the Pets Inside homes.
- If necessary Use Natural Pest or insect controllers.
- Always buy Birds legally.
- Reduce Carbon Footprint thereby reducing greenhouse gases and global warming
- Join and participate in bird Conservation Groups
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Place your house trash in separate Bins ( Do not Litter)
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Follow the region-specific Hunting Laws
Indoor aviaries
An indoor aviary can either be built inside one’s home or can be bought from outside.
When I was a teenager, my family had so many birds that my parents built an aviary into our living room.
It ran floor to ceiling, about 6 feet long, and was about 3 feet deep. Most of the aviary was plywood (that got chewed up quite a bit) with wire across the top half.
We outfitted the aviary with safe branches for perches, a few secured food, and water dishes, and we lined the bottom with linoleum.
There was a removable linoleum liner which made for easy clean-up.
We housed a Conure, some Cockatiels, and some Budgies in this aviary.
Make your own indoor aviary
You can build an indoor aviary rather inexpensively, compared to buying one.
You can use hardy non-toxic wood such as redwood and some nylon mesh.
I’d suggest building it into a corner of a room that gets frequent use, such as a family room.
Using natural, non-toxic branches that have not been sprayed with pesticides makes for great perches.
Buy an indoor aviary
Indoor aviaries can be purchased for a few thousand dollars.
These can actually be more convenient than a do-it-yourself aviary because you can buy all sorts of extras, such as an aviary on casters (so it can be moved),
a handy feeding system that allows the bird to be fed without opening the door, and you’ll know that all the materials that have been used are safe.
If you live in an apartment or a dwelling where you cannot build one yourself, a pre-made aviary is a great solution.
Outdoor Aviaries
Outdoor aviaries get a bit more complicated because you have to deal with the weather and with predators.
If you live in a warm climate you can make your outdoor aviary your bird’s permanent home, or many people choose to use an outdoor aviary just in the summertime when the weather cooperates.
Make your own Outdoor aviaries
With an outdoor aviary, ensure that your bird has access to
- shade and sunlight restricted areas and
- protection from rain and fast-moving air or wind
- interior of the aviary should not be accessible by predators.
How to achieve it?
This can be done by simply placing another mesh or wiring layer around the aviary to keep your bird out of reach.
Take notice of the burrowing animals that usually dig beneath the aviary frames to get inside.
You will also need to use a double entryway so that when you open the door to the aviary, no birds can escape.
Buy an outdoor aviary
If you’re going to purchase an outdoor aviary, expect to pay a lot of money.
The safeguards you look for when building your own outdoor aviary are the same things you’ll look for when purchasing a pre-made outdoor aviary.
A Well-designed aviary prevents predators from reaching birds, has areas for birds to rest, and prevents direct sunlight.
Benefits of Aviaries
There are so many benefits to using aviaries with birds. By creating a more natural environment, we increase the quality of life that we provide to our birds.
Flight and space to fly
The main advantage of using an aviary is that it allows your pet bird a fly freely and safely and imitates wild-like conditions.
When birds are allowed to fly, their respiratory systems work properly.
When birds know they are free to fly, they become comfortable and confident to go anywhere and ditch predators.
Social Interaction
Birds living in an aviary always have the benefit of social interaction with other birds of their species in their own ways.
For Eg, Cockatiels greatly enjoys Budgie’s Company but avoids the Cockatiel who bugs it pretty much.
You might not have enough room to house your Amazon and Conure (who are very bonded) together in a cage, but you can with an aviary.
If they are fed up with each other’s company, there is enough space for them to have a solitary quiet time.
Intellectual Stimulation
In an aviary, you can use a variety of safe, non-toxic branches as perches, as well as many different kinds of toys, branches, and food sources.
In the wild, parrots work for their food, and it’s so easy to create foraging situations for birds in an aviary by hiding food at different stations.
Offering various kinds of toys, woods and chewable items helps your birds with a long time of stimulation.
If you expect to have birds for a long time (and if you have even a small parrot-like Cockatiel we could be talking about 20 years!),
look into using an aviary. Your bird will benefit greatly from this kind of living environment.
Hi, There and Welcome to BirdsNews.com, is here to help you learn and care about pet birds. and this blog is a journal of everything I’ve learned.
