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| | | Birds are chosen for their song, beauty and how they interact with people. The better-bred singers, or those with more colorful feathers or interactive personalities command the highest prices. | | |
| Typical costs: | - Male canaries, found in red, rose, white, bright or pale yellow, are popular singing birds and run $45 -$125. Females don't sing and cost $40 -$95. Canaries with unusual colors or that sing particular well can run up to $190.
- Also singers, fincheshave bright colors that nearly span the rainbow including yellow, green, brown and red. The more common colored species cost $10 -$35.
- Parakeets are brightly colored members of the parrot family with red, green, blue, orange, yellow or purple feathers. They interact well with people, are natural acrobats and live around 10 years. Prices start around $20, but brilliant-colored parakeets can run to $275.
- There are 350 different species of parrots. Prices vary greatly on these colorful, noisy and sociable birds. Macaws run $450 -$800 and also are found in many bold colors. Common African Grays can live 50-60 years and cost $230 -$850 each.
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| What should be included: | - A health certificate should be included.
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| Additional costs: | - Cages should be limited to a single species per cage. Canaries require a cage large enough to fly, because they do not climb like parakeets. Small indoor table top cages designed to hold up to two small birds start at $75 and climb to around $250 for a unit that rests on a wheeled bottom and includes a bird play area on top. Designer stainless steel cages that hold Macaws and African Grays can run $900 -$1,700.
- Feed costs about $50 per year for small breeds.
- Those wanting to create an aviary--a large outdoor structure used to house many birds together--find that finches and canaries live well together in the large units. A small aviary costs $500 -$1,000. Large aviaries can cost tens of thousands depending on the architecture and materials used.
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| Shopping for a pet bird: | - The Avian Welfare Resource Center provides an online list by state of bird rescue groups.
- Petsmart.com offers a variety of birds that varies from store to store. Find a local Petsmart with their online locator, then call ahead to verify selection and availability.
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Article updated September 2007 |
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