There are some pets you own, and there some pets that own you. I am owned by birds. Anyone who reads this blog knows this. I am bias and can go on and on about the topic of my birds or birds in general. I thought it was needed to list some bird terms so down the road you won’t get confused or rather you’ll have a reference to come back too. The following words are common terms which have been used in my stories.

fids- a term to describe our feathery birds, which in time tend to be loved like our own kids. So feather kids aka fids

preen-it’s a birds way of grooming their feathers using their beak or tongue-they will groom, arrange and care for the feathers from top to bottom

hen-female bird

crop-a pouch inside the bird where food is stored for later digestion or to regurgitate to feed one’s young

avian vet- a vet that treats birds

clutch- the number of eggs a bird will lay

molting- when birds cast or sheds its feathers for new growth

crest- feathers for my cockatiels it’s the feathers on the head that looks like a Mohawk

fledging-when the bird is out of the nest but not feeding itself

nest box- a box that one can use in place of a nest or bird house

bonded pair- two birds that pair up for reproduction, can be short-lived or they can bond for life

blood feather- any feather that still has a blood supply- crucial to know when trimming the wings

chick- a new born bird

weaned bird- a bird that is out of the nest and eating on its own