bird shows?

[bookworm0550]

i know there are bird fairs, but are there bird shows (like dog shows, where they compete for 1st place)? I only ask cuz my bf's cute little pit bull won 3rd place and i was joking that i should take one of my birds to a bird show, but then i started wondering if such things even exist. i don't even know what an "ideal" lovebird would look like. if there is even such a thing.

[Enko_chan]

There sure are!!

I don't think I'll ever get into bird shows, but I do show my fish!

[LovelySydney]

Yes there are definitely bird shows - I think there was one here in Michigan not too long ago but I dont remember where. I dont know if I would ever go to one - actually I probably would as long as someone would go with me. Unfortunately none of my friends really share my love for birds = )

[bookworm0550]

haha, too bad we don't live close enough to one another, i'd go w/ you totally. that's cool they actually have bird shows. it would be fun to see one. i wonder how they judge and what the birds have to do.

[linda040899]

The African Lovebird Society has sanctioned events all year long, although not as many as they used to have. They are usually in conjunction with a bird fair or expo. I've been to several and I've found listening to the judges comments to be invaluable in learning what to look for and various high points of different mutations. (Paul Crow taught me what to look for to determine what Seagreen looks like.)

I'm at work right now but I will try to elaborate on this topic later tonight.

[bookworm0550]

oh cool, thanks linda.

[Eliza]

In the meantime, check this link out:

http://www.africanlovebirdsociety.com/shows/

[linda040899]

If you go to the African Lovebird Society website, there is a description of what the ideal lovebird should look like.

There really is a difference between lovebirds and good specimens are not cheap. One very important thing to look for is large birds. Most of mine weigh at least 50 - 55 grams, some more. Backyard breeders and those breeders who just put birds together to produce babies without giving thought to what the outcome will be are producing lovebirds that are not good quality.

Many of you have asked me what I would use as a mate for a specific bird. Depending on what you have, many of you have gotten the suggestion from me that you use a basic colored lovebird. In Green series, that would be normal green. In Blue series, the basic bird would be either Dutch Blue (Aqua) or WF Blue (Turquoise). While it's acceptable to breed 2 inos together (as long as you are working with large, unrelated birds) an ino female paired with a basic green or blue series male/ino will produce much better ino offspring.

A very good example of poor breeding is my male Congo African Grey, Sonny. Ginger, my female CAG, is an import so she was hatched and raised by wild parents. She is what a CAG should look like. While Sonny is a larger bird, he's a red factor Grey and his feathering is nowhere near as nice as Ginger's. His beak is shaped much differently and all I can attribute that to is his genetic background. Ginger is absolutely stunning. I would not even consider pairing her with Sonny for breeding. Sonny is not breeding quality.

Hope this helps rather than confuses.

[personatus]

Linda it's nice to see responsible breeding, and selective breeding advice! We need more of that in the lovebird world!

Lot's of Lovebird shows around the world, I go to the BVA (Belgian lovebird society) annual shows in Belgium. Lot's of people visit from oversea's, as far as Brazil! Some amazing birds that need to be seen to be believed.

Here are some photo's from the 2008 show:

http://photobucket.com/BVA_SHOW_2008

[Enko_chan]

Thank you for those photos, Personatus. They are stunning!

I would love to see a bird show one of these days.