Youth in Aviculture

…So any nation which in its youth lives only for the day, reaps without sowing, and consumes without husbanding, must expect the penalty of the prodigal whose labor could with difficulty find him the bare means of life."
"Arbor Day - A Message to the School-Children of the United States" April 15, 1907 –Theodore Roosevelt

This is so very true of our aviculture today. The average age of the American Aviculturist is 40-50. The baby boomer generation has worked very hard to increase the population of exotic bird species in America, but we have neglected to sow the aviculture passion in our youth. Without our youth, the fruit of our labor will become extinct just as the Carolina Parakeet became extinct in 1918. How do we pass on the joy, excitement, and even heartache of keeping, raising, exhibiting, and interacting with the avian world?
One word… Interest. Regular bird club meetings just don’t spark the flame of interest in our youth. They don’t even raise our blood-pressure at times. Personal hands-on experience is the only way to generate the passion. Specially designed programs and excited leaders to teach our youth the skills in keeping exotics will bring our youth to aviculture.
Our kids are not the kids of baby boomer days. They are not content to sit and listen to dull lectures, play silly games or meet to eat. Today’s youth are high tech. This doesn’t mean the simple pleasure of hearing a bird call to them won’t make their heart leap. It just means more imagination has to be used in sparking the initial interest. There is a natural interest in kids for nature. The more exotic the better. So as aviculturists, we need to put forth some good old-fashioned imagination and start Avian Youth clubs in our local area.
The county extension office is a good place to start. Most county agents are the coordinators for 4-H clubs and they are most willing to help an excited potential club leader get a new club started. County Extension offices put out monthly newsletters so your new club will be advertised at least monthly. They are regular visitors in local schools so the school system is aware of the club and can encourage the students to attend.
Youth Club meetings should be educational and fun. A new and different topic should be covered each month. These topics should include basic care of a bird, behavior techniques, handfeeding babies, and specific discussions of various species of birds. Some youth are going to be interested in hookbills while others will be more inclined towards the softbill birds. As leaders we need to cultivate the wide range of interests within the club. Guest speakers, special visits to an aviary or bird show will keep the interest flowing. Club meetings should also cover specific standards for the various species, exhibition training and judging exercises.
Mock bird show benches can be setup with the children acting as judges. When they complete their placement of the “competing” birds, they give an oral report to their leader or a guest certified judge for their reasons in their placement of the birds. This will give them a formal introduction in exhibiting birds. Field trips to bird shows bring everything they have learned into reality.
Local clubs should offer a youth division for exhibiting to encourage our youth to compete. Most shows are two day events with multiple shows going throughout the day. Youth division could be held either Friday evening or Saturday before novice division. Youth division would be judged with more leniency than even novice. Youth birds should be allowed to be clipped, non-banded, and in just pet cages. By giving less stringent guidelines for the youth, more could be involved since the cost of exhibition would be less than even the novice division.
All the field trips, monthly meetings, and preparation do require dedicated leaders. The rewards sown by those leaders are tenfold. The contribution youth club leaders are making to the future of aviculture can’t be calculated.