5 comments about Falconry & Hawking.

1. This book is the bible of Falconry, when you finish it you'll be a complete realized falconer. I would recommend it to whoever wants to become a falconer.



2. This book is definitly not for North American falconers. Many topics seem out dated.
   
   This book does have some interesting information on glove making and bell making.



3. this book leaves no aspect on falcons uncovered , it is full of useful information , pictures and illustrations that would prove invalueble . breeds ,habits ,diet, and healthcare ...etc. thus paving the way to a great experience living and hunting with these birds.



4. For anyone seriously considering falconry this is still THE bible albeit there are some ommissions from a US perspective. I have nearly 20 years experience and have read virtually every recognised book on the subject. This is still the book I refer back to the most. A classic.



5. My argument with this book is with its American publisher and not the author. Even the author expressed a need for more updating in his preface to this 3rd edition. Although published as a revised edition in 1998 it was first published in 1978. Other than the chapter on Health and Disease chapter it has had very little editing to bring it up to date. If you are buying the book thinking you are getting up to date information relating to American falconry you will be very disappointed. The laws in the United Kingdom are very different than ours. In the United States you are required to trap your 1st bird, a Redtail or Kestrel, from the wild. The author is from England where trapping your own bird is illegal. So the information on trapping in the book is very sparse. If you turn to Appendix I for, Some Useful Address, you'll find the address for the North American Falconers Asso. invalid and an address for Pete Asborno bells even though he has passed away. The publisher's claim that this book is the most comprehensive book ever written on the sport is very debatable and with regards to American falconry is absolutely false! The book, North American Falconry and Hunting Hawks, is not only more comprehensive but also up to date. You will probably have to find it at a specialized falconry retailer but it is in print. It's now in its 8th edition and a far better choice for an aspiring American Falconer.

   With all my criticism of the publisher, I have none of the author or the book if it was properly represented. It is an excellent, modern classic falconry book that deserves to remain in print.

3 comments about Caiques (Complete Pet Owner's Manual).

1. This book contained alot of good information about these little clowns. So what if there is another simillar book. The point is to get pet owners the information they need, and this book does it with ease.



2. Ok, so I have been thinking of getting a bird for quite some time, and have been reviewing all kinds of books.
   
   This book- the Complete Pet Owners Manual of Caiques, is absolutely wonderful. It goes into great detail about those wonderful little birds, everything from their mannerisms, to their diet, and their disposition.
   
   Not only do I recommend the book, but also a Caique!
   
   Enjoy!



3. In general, this is a great book for anyone looking to own a caique. The information is up-to-date and easy to understand. However, there are some things that were missed (and I would love to see this info in a 2nd edition someday).
   
   First, under the section "Special Caique Behavior", the author forgot "hopping". This is a unique behavior that is often mentioned in almost every caique article out there.
   
   Second, I would love to have read about the possibilities of owning two caiques. Do you have to get one of each sex? Or can two males and/or two females co-exist?
   
   Third, I would like to have read about the different developmental stages they go through as they mature (dominance issues, hormonal issues, etc.) and at what age to expect them. Also, at what point do they lose their dark eyes and yellow-ish chest to reveal their adult coloration? This would help a buyer determine if they were really get a young bird.
   
   Fourth, a section on breeding would be greatly appreciated, and needed, as there are very few resources for caique breeders to refer to. Photos of babies' physical developments, weight charts, feeding schedules, etc. would be quite helpful. I find caique babies more difficult in some ways to hand-raise than other species, and this info can really be of use to breeders who are new to this species.
   
   Again, this book does have a lot to offer, but I do see room for some improvement. I would be very interested in purchasing a revised edition if it were to address my above-mentioned suggestions.

5 comments about Angelfish (Complete Pet Owner's Manual).

1. As I read the summary of the book it states that angelfish don't attack gourami's etc. NOT TRUE! I have an orange veiled angelfish for about 5 years now and they get very territorial as adults at around 2 years old. She will beat another fish down just for raising it's head up. My angel and the gourami grew up together. When they both got to be the same size. She beat him with her nose. But to be fair he chased her also. Fish I would put with angels are catfish, clown loaches and red barbs or mollies. These fish don't try to occupy the same tank depth as angels. They congregate on the bottom to mid tank. Angels like mid to top, but you may find them resting on the bottom when they are not feeling well. So, though I was hopeful about the book I did not purchase it.



2. This book is totally not for those who aren't into breeding Angelfish. It is not in basic termonology in some areas. Very brief in areas you want more information on. If you want a book about Angelfish that is helpful to anyone wanting to know more than how to breed them and worth your time, look beyond this one.



3. The book is small, but very informative, and you feel you KNOW a lot about angelfish after reading it. I recommend this book highly to all angelfish lovers! A "must have"!



4. As a previous reviewer noted, the editorial review is incorrect -- this is a book about freshwater angelfish, not reef-dwelling saltwater angelfish. Whoever submitted the editorial review is a doofus, but that shouldn't be held against the book or its author.

   For a small, inexpensive book Angelfish: Everything About... provides a tremendous amount of information.

   The sections I found most valuable were those on selecting and purchasing angelfish (appropriate size and age, how to maximize chances of a breeding pair), genetic traits of fancy angelfish (veiltail, black, black lace, marble, new gold, commercial darks and marbles, non-allelic gold, smokey, chocolate, ghost, blushing, zebra, half-black, and pearly), breeding angelfish, and raising fry.

   While I'm not interested in angelfish genetics per se, the descriptions of the fancy traits are very helpful when browsing the sites of angel breeders like Angels Plus. It also explains why some fish are so much more expensive than others.

   History, tank selection (for show or breeding), feeding (the section on live food is better and more comprehensive than most I've seen in general aquarium books), diseases and treatment, and water quality are all well covered. The book has an index, glossary, and dozens of color photographs.




5. I have not read this book, and based on the book description I would not buy it:
   "Editorial Reviews
   Book Description
   These tropical reef-dwellers make beautiful additions to any tank, "

   The fish pictured on the cover is a freshwater angelfish, pterophyllum scalare. "Reef-dweller" refers to the marine angelfish, a completely unrelated species. Freshwater and marine aquaria are wholly different fields, and whoever wrote this blurb had clearly not even looked at the book. It doesn't bode well.

5 comments about My Parrot, My Friend: An Owner's Guide to Parrot Behavior (Behavior Modification Techniques and Their Role in Contemporary Aviculture).

1. Parrots - from budgies to Hyacinth Macaws - are nothing like dogs and cats. For one thing, most of them outlive us. When you get a parrot, you get an individual with the smarts of a 5 year old kid who's emotionally stuck at 2. My Parrot, My Friend gives you all the insight you'll need to get started in and maintain a healthy relationship with your fid (feathered kid). In my 40 years as a parrot companion, this is the first book that I found having everything necessary to ensure you have the proper understanding of the committment needed - time, money, patience, more time, humor - to have a healthy, happy parrot.



2. This book is a good read in bringing one's common sense understanding of parrots in general. I was able to formulate a more educated sense when working with my parrots... basically it gives scientific, common sense information.
   
   A must for the home library.



3. This book was recommended by another bird site as the only book you will ever need to understand your bird. I think I was expecting too much. It reads a little like a clinical tome; too many words, too little said. Yet, the monochromatic photos and diagrams, editing errors, and misspelled words cause you to question the credibility.



4. This book is very thourough.
   I recently got it "out of the closet" and it helped my boyfriend understand my two goffins cockatoos much better.
   It's easy to read, entertaining, and full of useful information.
   Well worth the money.



5. Thinking about buying a pet bird? MY PARROT, MY FRIEND by B.M. Doane will not answer all your questions, but it will give you a broad overview of what to expect from various types of parrots. As the owner of ten parrots, I found little of specific interest about my own birds, I must rely on specialty books for that. However, if you know nothing, you will not know which specialty book to buy. For example, are you thinking about a small bird or a large bird? The author discusses generalized personality traits forgenuses of Psittadaceae( parrot family). Did you know that "budgies" (a.k.a. parakeets) and love birds were types of parrots?

   Coloration, characteristics such as an affectionate nature, and length of life differ across parrot genuses. According to Doane, while most Cockatoos like to be handled, most Cockatiels are not interested in human affection. The specially bred colors such as Lutino Cockatiels may not live as long as birds with the natural coloration. Budgies are most susceptible to cancer (all of them are predisposed to it apparently) and thus most budgies have relatively short life spans. The author provides very general information about how birds grow and develop and how you can work with your bird and encourage him to talk. Plenty of black and white photos.

1 comments about Bluebirds in My House: Bonnie and Ben.

1. This is really two books: it's an extremely informative look at bluebirds, and it's also an endearing animal story. Arnette Heidcamp- an extraordinary woman who seems to be a more than competent gardener and at least an amateur ornithologist- uses the engaging and entertaining story of these two baby eastern bluebirds, which she rescued from a nearby nesting facility, as the framework for a concise but comprehensive look at bluebirds in North America. In the first part of the book, Heidcamp examines the three types of bluebirds (eastern, western, and mountain), describing their eating, breeding, and migrating habits, and the challenges they've faced as their population declined at one point to near-extinction. She also details the rescue efforts that have met with considerable success since the 1950s, identifying some of those responsible for this laudable effort. The charming story of Bonnie and Ben follows, and this will provide the main enjoyment for most readers. The two baby birds had been abandoned before their lucky meeting with the devoted and kind-hearted author of "Hummingbird In My House" (another excellent story, well worth your time), and their interlude as guests in the famous sunroom provide us with another valuable reading experience.

   An appendix offers helpful information to those interested in attracting bluebirds and maintaining bluebird houses.

   I anxiously await her forthcoming book "Andy Rooney In My House", in which she nurtures the famous televison commentator and returns him to the wild.

1 comments about Conure: Your Happy Healthy Pet.

1. Although this book does not have the answer to a lot of questions conure owners may have it is by far the most comprehensive book on these birds.

3 comments about All About Breeding Lovebirds.

1. I bought this book hoping it would go a little in more depth on what to expect when eggs are laid and what happens when they begin to hatch but it is basically a book that tells you a little of everything about lovebirds. The photo's were nice and the information was good but it wasn't what I expected.



2. I read the book from cover to cover and found it to be very helpful in points about breeding lovebirds. Still finding out the sex of the lovebirds seems to be somewhat of a mystery, I foudn the book to be very entertaining and useful in what I was looking for. I would recommend this book to anyone.



3. ALL ABOUT BREEDING LOVEBIRDS, by Mervyn Roberts includes a nice section on Nutrition that covers what the little guys eat in the wild, where they apparently behave much like Crows in the States and plow up newly planted items in your garden as well as attacking mature fruits and seeds. Roberts book does not go into nearly as much genetic detail as Dr. D'Angieri's ATLAS or John Coborn's PROFESSIONAL BOOK OF LOVEBIRDS but it is accessible, and it includes many beautiful photographs (many of them black and white), and a great deal of information about breeding. The book is a little bit older than the two mentioned above, but the information included is not dated. I gave my granddaughter Anne Appleyard's THE LOVEBIRD HANDBOOK, a newer publication that covers everything a 12-year old needs to know.
   
   Roberts includes an annotated list of other books on Lovebirds in the last pages of the book but as his book was published in 1983, publications printed since then won't be included, such as Ann Appleyard's LOVEBIRD HANDBOOK which I have found very helpful.

5 comments about The Colored Atlas of Lovebirds: Agapornis : More Than a Hobby, a Passion!.

1. I realy love this book, it was just what I was looking for. The only thing negative was the shipping! It was sent flat letter with no bubble wrap, all the corners were bent and indentations in the hard color. The book is great, but the condition I recieved it in was not good. The cover was 20 to 30 % damaged.



2. Dr. Alessandro D'Angieri, a Brazilian physician with an interest in ornithology, is a researcher at the State University of Campinas's Zoology Department (UNICAMP) who has dedicated his life to the study and preservation of Brazilian and foreign birds. His deep interest in genetic diversity is reflected in this text devoted to the 262 species and 63 genera of the family Psittacidae and subfamily Psittacinae known as Agapornis.
   
   Agapornis form nine distinct forms in the wilds of continental Africa and the coastal region of the island of Madagascar. Dr. D'Angieri includes a map showing the original homeland of these little birds, many of them threatened by the encroachment of humans, who range across an area just South of the Equator. The book also includes hundreds of beautiful photos indicating the identity of these confusing little creatures.
   
   Apparently, the coloring of companion birds here in the States is the result of lots of cross-breeding around the world. I certainly cannot keep it all straight even after perusing Dr D'Angieri's book, let alone know whether a particular type is caused by hybridization, mutation or metabolic disorder. Color in the diet does not appear to affect the color of the birds, although a healthy diet will certainly improve their feather coloration. .
   
   I raise Agapornis otherwise known as Lovebirds and include several Personata and Roseacollis types in my collection. Two of my Personata companions include a pair of Cobalt blue-black masked twins. According to the author, this coloration is not common. Using Dr. D'Angieri's book I have been able to identify the coloration of several other birds, but this is an incredibly complex book so the photographs are very important and if a picture of a particular type does not exist, I cannot identify it at all.
   
   I enjoyed this obviously professional book immensely, even if it includes more material than I can hold in my head, and will use it as a reference. I don't know if I will ever use it to guide the mating of birds to obtain a specific coloration for which it seems designed.



3. This book is becoming slightly dated as new mutations have arisen, and some pics show birds in other than their best plumage. These minor faults aside, the genetic explanations and practical knowledge available to the breederin this book are most useful. And many (if not all) of the pictures are terrific. Other volumes or info on the web are needed for detailed lovebird care, but this book is most useful re: mutations and their selection.



4. The Colored Atlas of Lovebirds : Agapornis : More Than a Hobby, a Passion!

   This shopping




5. This book is a must for anyone who is interested in the SCIENCE of professional breeding, especially for unusual color (read: more expensive birds)... it is truly NOT for the casual bird fancier. If you're buying it to better understand, care for and enjoy your pet, you will be disappointed. (Note: This reviewer believes that the breeding of birds should be left to professionals. Breeding birds 'casually' or 'at-home' is not a good practice. Baby birds are more than a lot of work, and there are many things that can go wrong, causing anguish to both owners and birds.)

No comments about Long-Distance Pigeon Racing.

5 comments about Amazon Parrots Complete Owner's Manual.

1. I also found this book extremely outdated (the original version was written in 1987 and there has been an enormous amount of research and experience with captive parrots since then that has revolutionized the way parrots are perceived and kept), with much information that is contradictory, confusing or incomplete. This is indeed a "dangerous" book for someone who knows little or nothing about Amazons (or parrots in general) and is looking for advice and information. Examples: In considering "Amazons as pets" the "warnings" are incomplete and/or euphemistic (most Amazons will outlive their care-takers; they not only "soil things", they are outright destructive if not constantly supervised; owning an Amazon, or any parrot, is a major committment to a labor-intensive responsibility that is time-, energy-, money- and attention-consuming and should not be undertaken lightly); the "Advice for buying" is terrible!! and any parrot book written these days, especially for the American market, is not complete if it does not mention the thousands of parrots that are given up every year to shelters and rescues - many of these birds are desperately in need of a good home and can be adopted by serious people; under "Dangers for your Amazon", fumes from Teflon pans in the kitchen are not mentioned and these can be speedily fatal; the diet advice is simply awful!; advice to breed to preserve the species that are threatened with extinction is completely wrong - parrots bred in captivity do not contribute in any way to preserving the species, as is now recognized by conservationists.
   At least one of the addresses given under "Information" is completely out of date; a large number of the references have nothing to do with Amazon parrots, but are about budgies, African grays or Australian parrots - Amazons, as the name implies, come from South and Middle America.
   Yes, the pictures are lovely, but the incorrect and misleading information make this book one that should be removed from the shelves.
   Anyone looking for good up-to-date parrot information can best consult the Internet - there are a myriad of excellent sites, with forums for questions. Here you can also get recommendations for books that will really be helpful, informative and up-to-date. Be sure to look at many RELIABLE sites to get a good over-view the pro's and con's of parrot owning before beginning - we are talking about living, intelligent beings here, not playthings.



2. The book not only provides scant and outdated information, some of it is erroneous, and quite a part of it harmful. I am quoting the ones I can remember: amazons, like all parrots, do NOT need to be fed grit; not only cherry, but a lot of other types of fruit tree wood are poisonous to parrots, including apple and apricot; acorns and celery are both harmful to parrots, and should not be fed to them. All in all, this is a guide to quickly and painfully disposing of your pet, and ought to be avoided. I don't give it one star mainly because it has some pretty pictures.



3. After purchasing just about every Amazon Parrot book out there and being disappointed, I found this one. Instead of pretty photos and general narrative fluff, this book has good solid information for anyone interested in the species. Thank you.



4. As a new Amazon owner I was looking for a species-specific book that would give me detailed information about my blue-front. Unfortunately this book seemed superficial, simplistic, and somewhat out-dated (with some information actually contrary to what is widely recommended now). It has some wonderful pictures, and fragments of useful species information, but overall I think there are better general care books available (certainly more detailed), and this book's Amazon-specific information was sketchy.



5. I bought this book to help me learn more about the amazona genus that I was considering as a pet. But what I found was a book written before 1992 which was around the time importation was banned and hand raising and breeding birds within the United States had became more common. This resulted in very little information about todays common amazons. Also, this book described all the the precautions one must take to ensure the saftey of your wild caught bird, precautions that are now just plain useless! Though if what you are looking for is a picture book about amazons, this is almost a good book for you.