Bichos da Mata

A bird belonging to the Psittaciformes Order is commonly called parrot. On the other hand a robin, a canary and a seedeater belong to the Passerifomes Order and therefore, are called passerines.

Scientists classify animals according to their habits and physical characteristics. When one is able to adequately classify a bird we are able to know what it eats, what are its habits, or how to properly take care of it in order to maintain a good health.

Before buying a parrot or any pet, you should think that it will live many years and should receive lots of care and attention. Try to evaluate your lifestyle and the animal’s needs - if you travel a lot, for example, with whom will you leave the bird? Will it have enough space to exercise? When it reaches sexual maturity and becomes aggressive, can you handle this?
So have you thought well and still want to have a parrot? So buy it from authorized stores. Your purchased bird should come with a receipt and a leg band. Without this, a bird is illegal and caught in nature. Besides being a crime against nature, you can face criminal penalties.

The bird should have a receipt and a leg band. Many birds are receiving leg bands with false rings and only the receipt, with the appropriate information on the unique leg band number and the breeder’s name will assure you that the bird is legal.

The bird should have a leg band and receipt. But if you have doubt about the authenticity of the bird’s documents, check the site of IBAMA (www.ibama.gov.br) to verify if the breeder’s ID on the leg band and receipt is properly registered. Report to authorities if you find any irregularities.

There is no way to legalize a bird that was wild caught. It will be remain a problem for the rest of your life and you will always be in risk of facing fines and criminal prosecution.
Think about it, when you buy a bird from the illegal trade is it fair that for owning this bird thousands of others die suffering in terrible conditions when they are stolen from nature? For every 10 wild caught birds, 9 die.

The best option is that you go to the closest environmental authority and voluntarily deliver the bird. But beware: when you give your bird DEMAND the Terms of delivery and keep it safe. This is your proof that the bird will be delivered to a rehabilitation center authorized by IBAMA and will receive appropriate care. Also, if there is a complaint against you, this document will prove that you acted accordingly to the law, as a good citizen.

Birds in the wild consume a wide variety of foods appropriate for their species. A parrot, for example, eat more than two hundred food items in the wild while in captivity only receives basic food such as sunflowers seeds and some fruit what is not enough to maintain the bird healthy for the many years of its life. Most birds kept in captivity receive inadequate nutrition and have signs of nutritional deficiencies linked to a diet mostly based on extremely harmful seeds like sunflower and peanuts.

When we talk about care we cannot compare life in captivity with life in nature. The violence imposed by captivity in cages denies these birds the right to fly in freedom, to breed and to fulfill their ecological role.

No one should release a captive bird by yourself. Besides the problem of not being able to find food by themselves, the animals are kept in inappropriate places, with little or no space to fly and without the characteristic social interaction of each species which means that they cannot fly properly and don’t know how to protect themselves to survive. For a bird to be released it will have to pass through a rehabilitation phase. Besides that, we can only release birds that occur within its original range, ie, you cannot release an animal originally from the Amazon region into the Atlantic rainforest. Releasing is much more than simply opening cages.

The bird must go through a process of disease screening and clinical examinations, and learn to feed by itself with foods similar to what it will find in nature. Each species has a different treatment. For details of the process, click on OUR WORK.

Clinical and physical tests are performed. In addition to that observing the behavior of the bird is essential to determine whether it can be released or not.
For details of the process, click on OUR WORK.

The BMATA can recover 60% of the received birds.

Unfortunately not. Among the most serious cases with no possibility of return to nature are birds with burned eyes and amputated or broken wings.
To learn more click at BMATA IN PICTURES.

The releases should take place in protected areas, called ‘Monitoring and Release Areas of Wild Animals’ which are previously registered by IBAMA and are subject to strict rules and regulations.
To learn more, click on OUR WORK.

Monitoring is an essential part of the work in conservation and wildlife management. For this process the animals are observed through binoculars or equipped with radio collars and followed with the help of maps, GPS and satellite images of the region. The notes are recorded and a camera is used to take pictures. If an individual is having difficulty to survive it may be captured to go through further evaluation.
To learn more, click on OUR WORK.

The BMATA has been very successful in the rehabilitation and release of birds in these conditions. The results of the previous releases have repeatedly demonstrated that even birds that were too imprinted on humans, when given the opportunity not only were able to thrive in nature, but also to mate and raise offsprings!
Check this on BMATA IN PICTURES.

Yes, Association Bichos da Mata has several successful cases of individuals with these characteristics.
To learn more, click on BMATA IN PICTURES.

That's a big step forward compared with thousands of others who are chained by their leg and locked in cages. But hardly a wild animal living in the household is considered to be completely happy, since it can’t express a lot of its natural behaviors without being considered a problem. Behaviors such as screaming, showing aggression towards other people who get near to the "favorite person”, biting and chewing objects, defecating anywhere on average every 20 minutes, demanding attention at all times, generally are not tolerated by most persons in a modern world when people are already very busy with their daily problems. Having a parrot is a huge responsibility for the bird’s 50/60 years of life.

Yes, birds purchased from the illegal trade can carry and pass on serious illnesses to humans such as psittacosis, salmonellosis and many others. Birds bred in captivity bought from legal breeders receive preventive proper care in order to not become contaminated with these diseases and are sold with health certificates.
Read more in OUR WORK.

Yes, unfortunately there have been some cases like that reported. Many parrots end up fleeing and many of them are not recaptured, surviving as feral birds. This illegal trade also brings serious consequences for nature, for example the introduction of species outside its natural range.

It is known that in captivity, a parrot can live up to 50 to 60 or more years when properly cared. But this varies according to species. There’s few data obtained so far for free ranging birds.

It is not known, because toucans unfortunately die before the age of 20 in captivity mainly by liver diseases (by ingesting citrus fruits and foods rich in iron). It is estimated that they should live up to 40 years or more. In the wild there are no studies on the subject.

Canaries, finches and other similar birds that can live until 15 years or more. Blackbirds, robins, and others can reach up to 25 or 30 or more.

Contact the IBAMA Green Line Service Center 0800-618080 or the website www.ibama.gov.br
It is important to present clear and accurate data on the complaint to be made. The data of the person reporting (name, phone, address) are kept confidential.

Animal trafficking and loss of habitat are the biggest threats to the survival of animals. In addition, the removal of seed dispersers, pollinators, predators and prey of distinct ecological niches cause high risk of unbalanced ecosystems, as their capacity for regeneration is highly compromised.

Be a good citizen and do not buy illegal animals. Above all, seek guidance on how to protect the environment and guide your relatives and neighbors. Learn to appreciate birds living in freedom and teach about them to everyone you know. Do not stay quiet when you see a bird being abused. Report. Do your part.

You can help BMATA not buying any illegal animal and not allowing others to do so. This will already be of a great help to us. If you want run an extra-mile, you may:
Join us as an ASSOCIATE
Make a DONATION
Purchase our PRODUCTS

Our site provides more information about our work, but if you have any specific questions, you may address them through contato@bichosdamata.org.br.