Abstract
At the AFA convention in Chicago I was approached by several individuals who expressed concern over their being offered large numbers of hand-fed birds at bargain prices - in short, smuggled birds.
With the curtailment of most parrot exports from Mexico we may well be seeing more smuggled birds in the future. People who capture birds for the normal legal export will now be seeking other means of selling their birds.
Young hand-fed birds are tempting purchases. A double yellow-head in the border town of Reynosa was offered for only $4 5 with free delivery! In addition to possession of contraband goods, any taker risks infecting all the other birds in his or her collection with diseases carried by the smuggled birds.
Before you purchase a smuggled bird, remember that you risk loss of the bird and your money to disease or authorities and the possibility of losing your entire collection.
What are certain signs that a bird is smuggled? Often they have their heads painted yellow, are very young, and are very inexpensive. In short, beware of the bargain birds! •