Abstract
Man has held an appreciation of
birds for thousands of years, marveling
at their capability of flight. He has
enjoyed their seranades of sonorous
songs and has been enraptured by
their often riotous colors. Man 's
appreciation has been as of a work of
art - each species representing a different
expression of the devine creation.
And, how many representative
expressions there are. Over 8 ,650 different
living species.
While some enjoy the trek through
the field , and others a trip to the zoo,
the aviculturist by definition seeks a
" hands-on" involvement. He wants
to sense with more than the eye and
ear. To feel , if not with the hand, at
least deep down inside that he is a
part of the process of the life of birds.
To really know what it is that is a
bird , one must become a biologist,
though not necessarily a university
trained biologist - just someone
who has gone beyond the "artistic
appreciation " stage. One doesn't
need to know the technology of
painting to appreciate the Mona Lisa,
unless one wants to paint the Mona
Lisa. Thus, to work with birds, one
must understand the technical components
comprising the subject.