check out this guy

[Cedardave]

4667

[Mare]

What/who/type of bird is this?!

[Cedardave]

that is zoey.We lucked into a breeding pair of White Cheeked Turacos.This one is about 5 months old.They are the only breeding pair we are aware of in Canada privately.Most of the breeding of this species is done in zoos.They are from Ethiopia and South Sudan.Softbilled and fruit,vegetable and specialized pellets.If you go onto youtube...there are some pretty cool videos of other ones...they make a really neat sound....and while they are birds,so can fly...they have the ability to turn their rearfacing toes forward and can run like crazy to escape preditors in the wild.They have young about every 3 to 4 months

[Mare]

I am daft when it comes to why you want to breed these birds..?..I understand that many are endangered, bred and then let back into the wild..mostly macaws that I know of. Why would you want to breed these?..and who do you sell to?

[Cedardave]

They are simply unusual. They are very entertaining and uncommon.People interested in this type of bird are usually the ones with private zoos.We screen everyone before the birds leave us.....so we know the reputation of the person or group taking the bird in..we make sure they will be appropriately cared for.

[Mare]

Oookaay..I'm so sorry when I must sound defiant to you. I just don't/can't hardly believe, folks would breed wild birds on purpose. Folks that breed U2s should have a license.

[Dragonlady2]

There is a pet store in Ontario that has one of these for sale. That's where I first heard of them. Very interesting birds. Do they require a larger or different cage seeing as they use their feet more than their wings?

Just as a comment on breeding them, when we have birds on the endangered list, although these may not be, the only way we might ever have a chance to keep the species alive is by private breeders. Not to release back in the wild, but just to ensure that we don't kill off another species that will never be seen again.jmo.

[Cedardave]

These are far from endangered.They are considered pests where they are from as they are fruit and berry eatters.They are interesting in that where they are from,while pests...they are also benificial by spreading seeds to also spread the growth of crops.Lets keep in mind ...I didnt import them...I got them from a retiring breeder.The female is several generations from a breeding program at the vancouver zoo.The male is from a private zoo in the east of Canada.Odds are Dragonlady... The one at the petstore likely came from this pair.As for cage size...bigger is always better.They can jump several feet in one leap.But also have the control to jump shorter distances.These are a completely differant bird when you compare to a cockatoo.I agree cockatoos should be left for the wild and not captive bred.Their lifespan can be over a humdred years.These little gems have about the lifespan of a dog at 14-18 years.

[Quakerella]

Very unusual, but a beautiful bird. I guess at one time all the birds we have were wild. Through our importing, breeding and handling we have trained them to be household pets. You never know, with training and patience this bird may become another.

[Dragonlady2]

From my perspective, I hope that we get to a point where we look at how we can keep them alive in their natural habitat as opposed to domesticating....however, to save a species, I would go with breeding and selling if necessary to ensure they survived.