The Ultimate Parrot

Rating:
Summary: Gorgeous Photos, Decent Text for Parrot Lovers
Review: This book is published in the UK and has the typical UK focus on aviaries and breeding in aviary settings. These chapters will probably not interest the typical US parrot owner who has a pet parrot or two and is uninterested in breeding. The book has a large chapter on various "breeds" of parrots. I suppose that in the UK one refers to parrot breeds. In the US, however, you would be severely criticized for this. Parrots consist of different species, not breeds. The different parrots available are unrelated species with different scientific names. Cats and dogs, on the other hand, are the same exact species but are considered to have breeds to designate different varieties and traits humans have selectively bred. I just want to clarify this point so that a person new to the world of parrots is not labeled an ignoramus! The species descriptions are very brief and often limited to breeding habits or distribution in the wild. Most species descriptions are not accompanied by a photo, either. If one is looking for a parrot identifier with photos and lots of descriptive narrative, you'd be best to look elsewhere. However, the book has lots of gorgeous photos throughout and the chapter on parrot anatomy is quite good. Considering the steep discount, this book is overall not a bad purchase for parrot lovers.