Rare Avicultural Species
The rarer species kept here at Hill Country Aviaries, L.L.C. are bred to be used as breeding stock for other serious aviculturists. For the most part, these species will not be sold as companion birds unless the new owner has plans to pair them up and breed them later. Our interest in these species is to establish them in aviculture so that no more will be taken from the wild to supplement captive breeding efforts.
Breeding Pair |
First Generation Offspring |
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The Palm Cockatoo (Probosciger aterrimus)
above
Originally from the Aru Islands, New Guinea, and the Cape York Peninsula of Australia, the Palm Cockatoo is not well established in aviculture across the world. Several serious breeders here in the United States have had success in breeding, but a second generation of offspring has not yet been produced.
Red-tailed Cockatoo (Calyptorhynchus magnificus)
Found only in Australia, Red-tailed cockatoos are still extremely rare in aviculture. In the wild, this species is not endangered, but quite the opposite, it can be found in pest proportions. Australia does not allow the export of this species from the wild, and therefore, captive breeding of the available representatives is imperative if we are to have them in the future.
Buffon's Macaw (Ara ambigua) Military Macaw (Ara militaris)
The Buffon's Macaw, often confused with the more common Military Macaw (Ara militaris), is still quite rare in aviculture. Several generations of this species have been produced in captivity, but avicultural concentration is needed to establish the species. The Buffon's differs from the Military Macaw in color and size. Study the pictures above and see if you can tell the difference.
Yellow-faced Amazon (Amazona xanthops)
Yellow-faced amazons are found in the wild in Brazil. Early export records of this species are "sketchy" at best, and captive stock is still considered quite rare. Several generations have been produced in captivity, and this species tends to be easy to breed. Xanthops is a small bird and makes an excellent companion bird.
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First In Years: Blue-Throated Conure
Babies at Hill Country
Hatched and Reared 2003
(Pyrrhura cruentata)
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We are also proud to announce that we are breeding Gang Gang Cockatoos now.