News

Use of Feathers in American Indigenous Cultures Part One Article and photographs by Jon Friedman Introduction  This article describes, in limited fashion, the importance of birds and their feathers to the many North American indigenous tribes found throughout the continent. Birds, being unique and free-flying animals, represented and symbolized many things to the many tribes. Obviously, their ability to fly represented freedom. Particular species of birds were of special significance for individual tribes and clans. Feathers of birds became symbols of all the attributes attached to those birds and were believed to be messengers between the Creator and the People,...

Season's Greetings! Warmest winter greetings and wishes for a wonderful New Year from everyone here at The Wild Bird Store!  As this year comes to a close, we have been working hard on our new website and plan to launch it in the first part of December. The web address will be the same - www.wildbirdsonline.com but it will have a streamlined appearance and feature mainly products that we craft, locally made products, and the best commercially made birding products available. Our newsletter archive will still be up as well. At time of launch, our new website will be fully operational...

Parrots in the American Landscape Photos and Article by Jon Friedman Introduction I can imagine, if I were a much younger man, perhaps starting out on a career path and being just as fascinated and concerned about bird life as I am today, that I could be involved with studying wild parrot flocks in urban and suburban areas. Of course, this phenomenon of experiencing wild parrots simply did not exist in my youth. However, the thought of being a pioneer in this field is interesting and intriguing. Why I find it interesting is the subject of this article, and why...

MYTHS & FACTS CONCERNING FEEDING HUMMINGBIRDS Most of us have heard several myths regarding wild birds that many people assume to be true. Some of the more commonly accepted myths include: human handling of baby birds will cause the parent birds to abandon their babies; backyard feeding causes the birds to become dependent on our handouts and abandon their natural foods; feeding birds keeps them from migrating; and, birds should be fed only in winter when “they need our help the most”, among others. Now for the facts…The most comprehensive report ever written about the relative attractiveness of various commercially...

Butterflies in Southern Arizona by Jon Friedman Photo by Reenie Breitling-Hollister I remember visiting the Museum of Natural History in New York when I was a kid. I was mesmerized while standing in front of large display cases that featured an amazing array of butterflies – large and small, some extremely colorful and some less so, native and non-native, etc. I was endlessly fascinated and spent a lot of time with those exhibits. Growing up in a densely populated large northern city as an urban kid, I was totally unfamiliar with almost every species of butterflies that were stuck to...