Did you know that there are thousands of pet birds at shelters and rescue organizations just waiting for someone to come along and adopt them into their new forever homes? January is Adopt a Rescued Bird Month, designed to raise awareness about the need to rehome birds that have been surrendered to shelters and rescue groups.

If you’re thinking about adopting a bird, but have never owned a bird before, Petfinder has some important advice for potential adopters to keep in mind. Here are a few tips:

Make sure your space can accommodate a cage large enough for a bird to comfortably move around and stretch his wings. Experts also recommend the bird have access to an enclosed room where it can fly around safely.

Interested in a talking bird? You can look into adopting an Amazon or African Gray parrot, but keep in mind that it takes time and patience to develop a relationship with the bird and teach it to talk.

Smaller birds can often require less maintenance than larger birds. Consider parakeets, lovebirds, finches, and canaries if you are a novice bird owner.

Remember that some birds can have very long lifespans. While many birds live for around 8 years, there are also birds that live between 30 and 50 years…or even longer! Adopting a bird is truly a lifetime commitment.

 

You can do a bird-specific search on petfinder.com to find adoptable birds in your area.