The encyclopedia of caged and aviary birds

by David Alderton

This beautiful comprehensive directory and practical reference book is an essential manual for bird-keepers of all levels--from the novice looking to keep a single pet bird indoors to sthe seasoned breeder wishing to extend an existing aviary collection.

Genres: Animals, Nonfiction

Paperback

First published January 1, 2000

About the author

David Alderton is a UK-based writer specialising in pets and natural history topics. Growing up in a home surrounded by pets, he originally trained to become a veterinary surgeon. An allergic dermatitis acquired in his final year of study forced a change of career however, and so led him into the field of writing about pets and their care. He has since become a regular contributor of articles on this subject to a wide range of newspapers and magazines in the UK and abroad, and also participates frequently in radio and television programmes.

His books have currently sold over six million copies, and have been translated into 30 different languages. David’s titles have won awards in the USA from the Cat Writers' Association of America and the Maxwell Medallion from the Dog Writers’ Association of America, as well as being nominated for the Sir Peter Kent Conservation Book Prize. He has also chaired the National Council for Aviculture, the umbrella organisation for bird-keeping clubs and associations in the UK, and is a member of the Kennel Club, as well as editor of the monthly magazine Practical Reptile Keeping.

Reviews

[Laura Hamadi · Rating 3 out of 5]

The title is a little misleading as this is not the "ultimate encyclopedia" of anything, but it was a good overview for caged, household birds. If you're looking to learn more about a certain breed of bird, this is not the book for you.

It did describe briefly how to build an aviary and what to include for success, which is great stepping stone for people wanting to do this (myself included).

What I loved about this book is the section of full color photos and descriptions of different bird breeds. It was interesting to see all the different varieties that can be owned.

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an informative overview of bird keeping and bird breeds. I was hoping the bird breed part of the book would be more detailed, but what I found was a nice and concise introduction to the breeds I’m interested in nonetheless. If you’re looking for a book that goes more in depth with bird breeds though, you’ll probably want to look elsewhere.

[Holly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book helped me to select which type of birds I wanted to get, and was a great source of information for a new bird owner.