This is a practical family reference guide to keeping pet birds, with expert advice on buying, understanding, breeding and exhibiting birds. This is a complete reference guide to caring for pet birds in the home or outdoor aviary, beautifully illustrated with more than 800 colour photographs. It shows how to select the right bird for your lifestyle, including advice on buying birds for novices, for breeding and for showing, and a complete directory of caged and aviary birds of the world. It features all the essential equipment you will need to house, feed and handle your pet bird correctly. It helps you in maintaining your bird's health: how to keep pet birds alert and in the best condition; common bird diseases; and, what to do when problems occur. It also features waxbills, weavers, wydahs, canaries and related finches, quails and pheasants, softbills, Australian parakeets, cockatiels, cockatoos, lories and lorikeets, parrots, doves and pigeons. It includes clear, accessible, informative text from one of the subject's leading experts. This fantastic illustrated 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 the seasoned breeder wishing to extend an existing aviary collection. The first half of the book takes a practical look at the subject of bird care: every aspect of bird husbandry is discussed, and there are expert tips and instructions to make learning new techniques clear and straightforward. Choosing the right bird and understanding the nature of birds you own, is highly rewarding. Each bird breed has its own needs, and a directory of more than 250 representative examples provides a fascinating insight into the colours, characteristics, weaknesses and breeding habits of each of the major groups. This is an invaluable reference book for bird-keepers everywhere.