Bird Talk (1-year)

Good Beginner's Magazine

Bird Talk is a good magazine for people new to companion birds including children. It contains solid basic information on diet housing and safety for new bird owners. The focus is on parrots though recent articles have begun to cover some finches and softbills as well. Reading this magazine for a year will be enough to help most people decide if a bird is right for them and to give people some idea of what species to select. The beautiful photography and extensive advertising for specialty products are also plusses.

There are three main drawbacks to Bird Talk. First the information is very basic. Those interested in in-depth information on any species won't find it here - check out books or the AFA Watchbird (the American Federation of Aviculture's magazine) for more serious information. Second as another reviewer pointed out the material is often redundant. Subscribe for two years or more and you'll feel like you're reading back issues instead of a current magazine. Finally the magazine tends NOT to cover the more difficult aspects of bird ownership in any depth. As any parrot rescue can tell you parrots (like dogs) can have some serious behavior issues if not properly socialized and cared for including screaming feather picking aggression and self-mutilation. The magazine glosses over or outright ignores the more difficult side of parrot ownership which is unfortunate especially since so many up-and-coming bird owners rely on it for information.More detail ...