too noisy for me mate! i can only imagine what DDZ sounds like with all that screeching
and the occasional "arhh-arghhhhhhhh" of the peacocks.
i toyed with the idea of getting a hahn's macaw at one stage. then my better judgement got the better of me.
last time i was at melbourne, i saw they had replaced the green wings with a pair of red fronteds. are these guys common in australia? actually steve, i'd love to know what macaws are the rarest (hycinth?) and commonest (blue and gold?) if you know...
DDZ, first thing in the morning and just before dark is not the quietest place on earth!
Hahns Macaws, indeed any type of Macaw and most Conures are too noisy for urban dwellers - apart from space considerations etc.
Peacocks aren't much better but here the noise isn't the problem - it's the mess that they make. We are going to delete our free ranging Blue Peacocks because they foul the verandahs of the entrance building and insist on sitting on the picnic tables in wet weather. Ara, would your neighbourhood Peacock like some mates - free of charge?
The Red-fronted Macaw situation is as Ara described pretty much although recent developments would suggest that the Blue-headed Macaw would be the rarest in Australia. Very few people knew that Dollar Bill had a breeding pair in Melbourne and had had them there for a number of years. There were five birds there when the Feds raided his place and, as he had bred them previously, I am intrigued to know where the previous progeny have been placed. These birds are incredibly rare [Google them and see what you get]. A mate of mine, unaware that there were any in Australia, actually travelled to Austria some years ago to see them in the flesh.
Of the remaining species - next rarest would probably be the Buffons, Militarys and Hyacinths. There were no holders of Buffons recorded on the final NEBRS list but some turned up at Dollar Bills. There have always been a few Militarys in Australia - do you remember seeing a pair at Natureland, Ara? There were a couple of holders listed on NEBRS as there was also for Hyacinths. I don't understand why the Feds pinched Dollar Bill for his Hyacinths as he was listed under NEBRS as a holder of the species. However, they are not common. Adelaide Zoo has been trying to pair up their two cock birds for some years as has Ashmore. We were offered a pair of Hyacinths just last week but I doubt if their provenance was kosher. Price - $110,000!
There are now a few Red-fronteds around thanks to Priam's breeding successes. The Gowlands have spent an enormous amount of time, money and effort in getting this species going in Australia. They have even travelled to South America to study them in the wild and in local captive situations there. They are breeding them reasonably well now but their efforts are hampered by the need for new bloodlines. There is a single cock bird in Wellington Zoo which, for a variety of reasons, will probably stay there until he dies. Their only other source of fresh blood would be the Dollar Bill birds - if they are ever found again. Under existing government protocols Priam would be prevented from receiving these birds.
phoenix - you need a real bird to complement those boring little finches! Forget about a Hahns but have a close look at some of the Amazon species. They have personality plus, are great talkers and are not too noisy for suburbia. Please consider!!!
