As a professional free flight bird trainer with high visibility, Hillary has heard from many different companion parrot free flyers of various experience levels. These insights reveal many different outcomes in free flying companion parrots that survivorship bias doesn't always reveal This episode examines several important...
Recently in our podcast episode #29 Why Scientific Literacy Matters to Our Animals, we spoke about how the human brain is wired for thought in different ways and how that impacts the way we interact with the world. Shocker of all shockers, this has direct...
In this episode, Hillary uses her experience as a guest speaker at the ABMA 2021 conference as well as her evolution on the principle of applying negative reinforcement in using space as a reinforcer to reinforce calm behavior in challenging birds to help the listener...
This podcast episode is a wide ranging topic on the concept of how understanding how our brain is wired for thought helps the animals in our care as well as conservation. From concepts of how we handle behavior questions we don't know the answer to all...
In this episode, Hillary speaks with Liv Morton. Liv is a member of Avian Behavior Lab, our online education program catering to the world of animal care professionals and other animal lovers and enthusiasts. Hillary and Liv talk about the ins-and-outs of working with male cockatoos....
Does falconry still have a place in the modern world? It’s an old heritage sport, and there are a lot of misconceptions about what it entails. In this episode, Hillary uses her experience and insights as a licensed American falconer to discuss what the commitments...
Getting a new baby parrot is a wonderful thing. Some babies, like macaws, are particularly smooshy and lend themselves well to gentle puppy-like play, head and tummy rubs, and even idle snuggles while we watch the tube or work at our desks. Indeed, this seems...
Target training is referred to often as a basic behavior, the first one we teach when we are working with an animal. It can be particularly helpful when working with animals that are particularly sensitive, reticent to engage, shy about taking food from us, or...
by Katie Pnewski Fly season is upon us, which our mini donkey’s aren’t a huge fan of, more specifically Louise. Louise is allergic to flies but she is also reactive towards fly spray. This is very common among equine species like horses and donkeys. The familiar...
Reprinted from our sister site, The Avian Behavior Lab If you have ever seen a bird of prey hooded sitting calmly, you might have wondered how a falconry hood works. Is the raptor calm because he is hooded or is he petrified in fear? Does it...