Breeding birds

[MyLittleCorner]

I bred dogs for over 30 years and each litter was bred to incorporate or enhance a certain trait. Linebreeding, outcrossing and inbreeding were utilized as needed.

Do bird breeders breed for anything beside color?

Example, would a bird breeder seek out a bird that talked very well to breed to another that talked very well and do so over the generations to (hopefully) develop a "line" of birds that consistantly talked very well?

Or a bird that had a particularly nice disposition?

Or great feathering?

Are any kind of pedigrees kept on birds?

[Monica]

Breeders can breed for color as well as size, and I've heard, occasionally, even for temperament. I haven't heard of breeders specifically looking to breed birds who could talk.

I think it's probably a pretty rare "occurance" for breeders to *NOT* breed problem birds (the type that start plucking or mutilating, or screaming and the owner can no longer handle it so they give the bird to a breeder thinking the bird wants to breed when it could be something entirely else!).

There are no pedigrees when it comes to birds, as far as I know! Pedigrees are used for domesticated animals that we've created breeds in, such as dogs, horses, cats and livestock. Birds are not domesticated, and the closest breed we come to within birds would be the English budgies. No such thing as 'pedigrees' are kept as far as I know unless we are speaking of hybrids, and someone wants to know what hybrid species they have. Beyond that, or wanting to only breed pure species, I don't know of any sort of pedigrees with birds.