Genome sequencing may shed light on parrots` longevity and intelligence

Washington: Researchers at Texas A and M University have successfully sequenced the complete genome of a Scarlet macaw for the first time.

This is a groundbreaking move that could provide new insight into avian evolution, biology and conservation.

The team was led by Drs. Christopher Seabury and Ian Tizard at the Schubot Exotic Bird Health Center in the College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at Texas A ‘n’ M.

Macaws are found in tropical Central and South America, from southern Mexico to northern Argentina. Trapping of the birds for the pet trade, plus loss of habitat due to deforestation in their native lands, has severely decreased their numbers since the 1960s.

There are 23 species of macaws, and some of these have already become extinct while others are endangered.

Macaws can live 50 to 75 years and often outlive their owners.

“They are considered to be among the most intelligent of all birds and also one of the most affectionate – it is believed they are sensitive to human emotions,” stated Tizard.

The bird selected for the sequencing was a female named “Neblina” who lives in the Blank Park Zoo in Des Moines, Iowa. Neblina is believed to be from Brazil. She was confiscated during a raid on illegally imported exotic birds by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in 1995.

Tizard said that a blood sample was taken from Neblina, DNA was extracted for sequencing, and after a series of steps, the sequence of the genome was assembled by Seabury and his team.

“The final analysis showed that there are about one billion DNA bases in the genome, which is about one-third of that found in mammals,” Tizard explained.

“Birds have much less DNA than mammals primarily because they do not possess nearly as much repetitive DNA,” he noted.

The final completed genome demonstrates some similarities to that of the chicken.

“But there are significant differences at both the genome and biological level,” he added.

For example, “Macaws can fly great distances, while chickens can’t. In addition, brain development and volume are very different in macaws, which is unsurprising since they are very intelligent birds compared to chickens. Likewise, macaws can live many years, while chickens usually do not, and therefore, our macaw genome sequence may help shed light on the genetic factors that influence longevity and intelligence.”

Tizard noted that a Scarlet macaw was selected for the first such sequencing of its type because Texas A ‘n’M researchers have been studying the bird for many years. Working primarily at the Tambopata Research Center in Peru, Texas A ‘n’ M bird experts have been investigating macaw diseases, behaviour and genetics.

“We now have the ability to initiate large-scale, genome-wide approaches for population and phylogeography studies,” explained Seabury, who is a collaborator of Donald Brightsmith, director of the Tambopata Macaw Research Project in Peru.

Seabury and Brightsmith added that the array of research possibilities regarding the Scarlet Macaw has now been significantly broadened by this research initiative.

Their work is published in the current issue of the open access and peer-reviewed scientific journal PLOS ONE.

ANI

7 puppies, 2 parrots die

7 puppies, 2 parrots die

By Cecily Asson Friday, May 17 2013

SEVEN puppies and two pet parrots were burnt alive when a fire gutted two homes yesterday morning in Tin Pan Alley, Barrackpore, leaving eight persons homeless.

One house was occupied by Seunarine Rampersad, 52, his wife, Rautie, a CEPEP employee and three of their six children Sasha, 20, Ramdhan, 24, and Angelina, 12, a First Form student of ASJA Girls College, Barrackpore.

The couple’s son Richard, 23, and his wife Devika, 20, lived in the other house which was built close by. The mid-morning fire which started in Seunarine’s kitchen spread quickly to Richard’s home which was located to the back.

No one was at Seunarine’s home when the fire started, however Devika, who was inside her home, observed smoke, ran out and called for help.

By the time she returned her house had already caught fire.

According to a police report, at about 9.50 am yesterday, residents observed smoke coming from Seunarine’s three-bedroom wooden home and raised an alarm. By the time a fire appliance from neighbouring Princes Town Fire Station arrived, the homes were already engulfed in flames. Firefighters were able to contain the fire from spreading and carried out cooling down operations.

Devika recalled hearing four loud explosions before she observed smoke coming from the kitchen area of her in-law’s home.

She told Newsday, “I was inside when I heard some loud explosions and I when looked outside and saw smoke coming from my mother-in-law’s house. I ran to a neighbour and called for help.”

Devika said the newborn pups were burnt but their mother escaped the fire. Pet parrots Sophia and James were not so lucky.

A distraught Rautie said she is baffled about the cause of the fire. She told Newsday she and her children lost thousands of dollars worth in furniture and other personal belongings. A total of $5,000 cash that was in her house was also burnt.

She recalled awaking at 4.30 am yesterday and preparing meals for her husband and children before leaving for work a short distance away.

She added, “I made sure and turn off the fire and unplugged the fridge and the fan. I don’t know what could have started the fire.”

Yesterday the family members went through the ruins hoping they could locate important documents.

The two families spent last night by a neighbour.

Rautie said they would like some assistance to help rebuild their homes.

A senior fire officer told Newsday the cause of the fire is yet to be determined and investigations are continuing.

Genome sequencing may shed light on parrots’ longevity and intelligence

Washington, May 14 (ANI): Researchers at Texas A and M University have successfully sequenced the complete genome of a Scarlet macaw for the first time.

Their work is published in the current issue of the open access and peer-reviewed scientific journal PLOS ONE. (ANI)

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Pet shop blaze claims lives of cats, rabbits, parrots and fish

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Pet shop blaze claims lives of cats, rabbits, parrots and fish

Copyright © Fir0002, Creative Commons

A fire at a west London pet shop has claimed the lives of dozens of animals.

About 60 firefighters were called to The Fish Bowl store in Fulham in the early hours of Monday, May 13.
 
Crews managed to rescue some animals, including rabbits, guinea pigs, snakes, and lizards.
 
But unfortunately an as-yet unconfirmed number of animals including tropical fish, parrots, cats, rabbits and guinea pigs died in the blaze.
 
A number of flats above the shop also had to be evacuated, with 18 people forced to leave their homes.
 
Proprietors Peter and Jennifer Johnson, who have been at the shop for 49 years, told the Fulham Chronicle they plan to carry on trading.

Station manager Matthew Burrows, who was at the scene, said: “Firefighters did very well in this challenging fire and managed to save the lives of lots of animals.
 
“The shop has been badly damaged in the blaze, and it’s very lucky that no one was hurt.”
 
The fire began at about 1.30am and took three hours to bring under control.
 
An investigation is now under way into the cause of the fire, which damaged the basement and first floor.

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Don’t forget that PFK is now available to download on the iPad.

Published: Practical Fishkeeping Monday 13 May 2013, 2:42 pm
Views: 548 times
Filed under: fire blaze fish pets animals lizards snakes cats parrots rabbits guinea pigs Fulham London Fish Bowl

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Rio 2 Teaser – The parrots are coming back and they’ll be dancing

Rio 2 may not be out until April 2014, but the first teaser has now arrived, which follows the time-tested idea of promoting kids film, which is to dispense with the story and just have dancing animals instead.

Here’s the synopsis: ‘In Rio 2, we find Blu, Jewel and their three kids living the perfect domesticated life in that magical city. When Jewel decides the kids need to learn to live like real birds, she insists the family venture into the Amazon. As Blu tries to fit in with his new neighbors, he worries he may lose Jewel and the kids to the call of the wild. Brazilian music legend and Rio executive music producer Sergio Mendes also returns along with composer John Powell. Rio 2 will feature new Brazilian artists and original music by Janelle Monáe and The Wondaland Arts Society, who also voices a role in the film.’

Carlos Saldanha returns to direct, with the voice actors including returnees Anne Hathaway, Jesse Eisenberg, Jemaine Clement, will.i.am, Tracy Morgan, George Lopez, Leslie Mann, Rodrigo Santoro, Brazilian singer Bebel Gilberto, Jake T. Austin and Jamie Foxx, along with new cast members Andy Garcia, Bruno Mars, Kristin Chenoweth, Rita Moreno, Amandla Stenberg, Rachel Crow, Pierce Gagnon and Natalie Morales.

Cats, parrots, and fish die in Fulham pet shop blaze

Fire fighters saved a number of pets from the blaze – including snakes, lizards, guinea pigs and several rabbits.

London Fire Brigade said nobody was injured in the blaze, which broke out in the early hours of the morning, but that 18 people were evacuated from flats above the shop as a precaution.

It took 58 firefighters and eight fire engines to put out the blaze after they were called at 1.40am. It was under control by 4.30am.

The owners of The Fish Bowl, on Dawes Road, which has been there for more than 50 years, were not available for comment but were said to be devastated.

Three cats and three parrots were among the animals which perished in the fire.

Residents said it was a “very sad day” for the family-run business which has been there since 1964.

Buses were temporarily diverted from the area while firefighters tackled the fire.

A clean-up operation was underway.

London Fire Brigade said the cause of the blaze is under investigation but is not being treated as suspicious.

Station manager Matthew Burrows, who was at the scene, said: “Firefighters did very well in this challenging fire and managed to save the lives of lots of animals. The shop has been badly damaged in the blaze, and it’s very lucky that no one was hurt.

“Our fire investigation team is now working to find out what caused the fire.”

Help find my feathered pals

A SUBSTANTIAL reward is being offered for the safe return of two escaped parrots.

The pair of yellow thighed and black headed caiques flew out of an open window at of an address on Derby Road, Lower Kilburn, on Saturday.

1. ​

2. ​

   These two parrots escaped through an open window at a house in Lower Kilburn at the weekend. THey were being looked after while their owner was away.

The exotic pets were being looked after while their owner, Annette Ward, was on holiday in America.

Ms Ward, who lives in Rotherham, cut short her visit to the States to search for her feathered friends.

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But they have yet to be found.

Ms Ward said: “They are my babies. They are very tame and have been out since Saturday and will be hungry.

“If anyone sees them, if they could put some food out then it might entice them in.”

John Hayward, co-ordinator of the national theft register for exotic animals, said: “These two parrots have been a major part of Ms Ward’s family for a number of years.

“There is a very good chance that they will survive at this time of the year with the weather we have.

“They are small, highly colourful birds who will stand out in the area.

“I would urge anyone with any information regarding the whereabouts of the two birds to please get in touch with our office.”

Mr Hayward can be contacted on 07802 404929 or 01869 325699.

Genome sequencing may shed light on parrots’ longevity and intelligence

Washington: Researchers at Texas A and M University have successfully sequenced the complete genome of a Scarlet macaw for the first time.

This is a groundbreaking move that could provide new insight into avian evolution, biology and conservation.

The team was led by Drs. Christopher Seabury and Ian Tizard at the Schubot Exotic Bird Health Center in the College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at Texas A ‘n’ M.

Macaws are found in tropical Central and South America, from southern Mexico to northern Argentina. Trapping of the birds for the pet trade, plus loss of habitat due to deforestation in their native lands, has severely decreased their numbers since the 1960s.

There are 23 species of macaws, and some of these have already become extinct while others are endangered.

Macaws can live 50 to 75 years and often outlive their owners.

“They are considered to be among the most intelligent of all birds and also one of the most affectionate – it is believed they are sensitive to human emotions,” stated Tizard.

The bird selected for the sequencing was a female named “Neblina” who lives in the Blank Park Zoo in Des Moines, Iowa. Neblina is believed to be from Brazil. She was confiscated during a raid on illegally imported exotic birds by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in 1995.

Tizard said that a blood sample was taken from Neblina, DNA was extracted for sequencing, and after a series of steps, the sequence of the genome was assembled by Seabury and his team.

“The final analysis showed that there are about one billion DNA bases in the genome, which is about one-third of that found in mammals,” Tizard explained.

“Birds have much less DNA than mammals primarily because they do not possess nearly as much repetitive DNA,” he noted.

The final completed genome demonstrates some similarities to that of the chicken.

“But there are significant differences at both the genome and biological level,” he added.

For example, “Macaws can fly great distances, while chickens can’t. In addition, brain development and volume are very different in macaws, which is unsurprising since they are very intelligent birds compared to chickens. Likewise, macaws can live many years, while chickens usually do not, and therefore, our macaw genome sequence may help shed light on the genetic factors that influence longevity and intelligence.”

Tizard noted that a Scarlet macaw was selected for the first such sequencing of its type because Texas A ‘n’M researchers have been studying the bird for many years. Working primarily at the Tambopata Research Center in Peru, Texas A ‘n’ M bird experts have been investigating macaw diseases, behaviour and genetics.

“We now have the ability to initiate large-scale, genome-wide approaches for population and phylogeography studies,” explained Seabury, who is a collaborator of Donald Brightsmith, director of the Tambopata Macaw Research Project in Peru.

Seabury and Brightsmith added that the array of research possibilities regarding the Scarlet Macaw has now been significantly broadened by this research initiative.

Their work is published in the current issue of the open access and peer-reviewed scientific journal PLOS ONE.

ANI

Training Tips For Cage-Bound Parrots

Dealing with a frightened parrot requires exquisite patience and a calm personality. The human needs to begin with a point of reference where the bird is already comfortable. With the cage-bound bird, this starts with establishing a positive relationship through the cage bars.

Many parrots seem to enjoy the non-confrontational company of a human sitting by the cage and reading aloud. Do not make direct eye contact with the parrot at this time, only look up briefly out of the corner of the eye, then look down again.

After a few days (or weeks) of this non-confrontational approach, the bird might be ready for more contact. Hold up a special treat in your fingers, and drop it in the food cup through the cage bars. Once the bird learns that nice things happen when your fingers approach, the next step is to offer the treat from your fingertips. All this is done through the safety of the cage bars, with lavish verbal rewards as well.

The next goal is to get the bird more comfortable with the bird cage door being open. Once the bird is relaxed with the movement of your fingers to receive a treat, offer the treat at the open doorway. After that, the parrot might gradually allow you to slowly move your hand (with food treat) inside the cage. Once that is achieved without panic, very gradually try to get the bird to allow you to briefly touch its feet. Take your time, and don’t force the issue or you could set things back several weeks.

A parrot that is trained to step courteously onto something other than a hand (such as a hand-held perch) can easily be moved from one place to another whenever its body language indicates the potential for aggression.

The bird seeks the safety of its bird cage above all, so always make the return to the bird cage the ultimate reward. When you finally (weeks later) reach the stage of stepping the bird onto your hand inside the bird cage, only do this for a second before stepping the bird back down to its perch. Once this is accomplished, you can very slowly, very gradually start teaching the bird to stay on your hand as you move the bird out of the bird cage while perched on your hand.

The point is to gradually teach the bird that nothing bad happens when it is with you, despite it leaving the safety of its bird cage. Never force the issue. Always observe the parrot’s body language for clues to your next step. If the bird begins to look frightened, immediately back off, allow the animal to relax; then begin again.

Ever so gently nudge at the envelope but never push the bird too far or too fast. After all, you have years to enjoy together, so a few weeks either way will not matter in the end. What does matter is that the bird learns that you respect its feelings and are willing to take the time to earn its trust.

The Territorial Parrot
A lovely way to step around confrontations with companion parrots is to perch train them. A parrot that is trained to step courteously onto something other than a hand (such as a hand-held perch, basket, baking dish, crock, whatever) can easily be moved from one place to another whenever its body language indicates the potential for aggression. This allows humans to, for example, easily remove a territorially aggressive parrot from its cage and place it safely on a play gym, enabling the human to service the bird’s cage without danger of attack. A lovely way to avoid conflict!

If your parrot decides to up the ante by heading along the perch toward your hand in an aggressive manner, you can easily block its advance. First, make sure the free end of the perch is higher than the hand-held end, as birds tend to go up instead of down. Second, have something in your other hand to block the bird’s approach. This can be anything from a nailbrush to a small stuffed animal, it matters not. It only needs to be something the bird is not used to seeing in your hand, and it is only used as a distraction while you move the bird to step down on a different roost.

An alternative to perch training is training a parrot to politely come out of its bird cage onto a T-stand. Most parrots have certain morsels they adore, which are easily identified as the thing they always eat first when offered their food bowl. As long as owners do not make the mistake of offering these prizes so freely that they lose value, they can be extremely useful when the need arises to offer a special treat as reward for polite behavior.

For example, when dealing with an aggressively territorial parrot, an owner can teach the bird to come out of its bird cage onto a T-stand to receive a luscious treat that can be earned no other way. Place the T-stand next to the open cage door, and let the bird see you drop the treat in the food cup at the far end, then move away. Do this repeatedly over a period of several days, until the parrot is climbing out comfortably.

Then discontinue placing the treat in the food cup, and gradually approach the bird while it is sitting on the T-stand, letting it see that luscious treat in your hand. When the bird remains on the T-stand at your approach, hand it the treat, or drop the treat in the T-stand’s food cup. Once your parrot is comfortable with this, slowly pick up the T-stand with parrot on it, and carry it out of sight of the bird cage.

Want to learn more?

Why Won’t My Parrot Come Out Of The Bird Cage?
Pet Bird Afraid Of Hands 
How To Train Your Parrot To Fly To You

Leonia power outage caused by Quaker parrots, PSE&G says

LEONIA — Nearly 500 customers were without power early Wednesday morning after a Quaker parrot nest caused a transformer to overheat, PSEG officials said.

The bright green birds, also known as monk parakeets, are a common sight along the Palisades, and their large, globular nests sometimes cause problems for the company when they build them on utility poles.

The outage happened around 3 a.m. and crews restored power by 4:30 a.m., said Anette Hicks, a spokeswoman for the utility.

“They removed the nest and the parakeet,” she said. She did not know if the bird survived the ordeal.

The Quaker parrots have been flourishing in Leonia, Fort Lee and Edgewater and in surrounding towns for decades, but PSEG obtains a permit twice a year to remove their nests from utility poles to prevent outages. Crews worked in March to remove nests from poles in the three towns.

This is the second such incident in recent months; a four-hour outage in December was also attributed to a monk parakeet nest.

Earlier: Edgewater parrot nests removed from utility poles along the Palisades