To: Color and Vision Network <cvnet@lawton.ewind.com>
From: "John A. Endler" <endler@lifesci.ucsb.edu>
Subject: Re: CVNet - query on lighting for indoor aviaries
Dear Dr. Waddle,
I have two suggestions for further information:
Post this note on the Animal Behviour network (ABSNET).
Send this query to British and American zoo associations. They have
a lot of practical knowledge of best conditions for keeping birds
healthy.
I have one thing to say which I haven't published yet (and am not
sure where to publish it). I highly recommend using both incandescent
and fluorescent lights together, and never use fluorescent lights
by themselves. As you probably know, they flicker (50HZ in the uk,
and 60HZ in North America). This is faster than most humans notice,
but birds would certainly percieve it. When I raise guppies (fish!) under
fluorescent lights alone, their behaviour in certain psychophysics
experiments (such as the optomotor response) become erratic, but when
they are raised under natural light, or incandescent light, then their
behaviour is consistent and clear. Even a few weeks under fluorescent
lights causes problems--presumably some higher order physiological
adaptation to flicker. Mixing fluorescent and incandescent lamps
reduces the flicker.
I mimic daylight by using a mixture of lamps, and the ones I like best
are used by plant physiologists to mimic daylight (including UV) in
growth chambers. So for pure practicality, see your local Plant Physiologist!
I've found them incredibly helpful for all mannar of things involving
light.
UV will not be much of a problem for birds found on the forest floor
in tropical localities, or temperate forests with a closed canopy, but
birds characteristic of woodland (or forest with open/broken canopy) will
have much more UV and this should be mimicked in the aviary. Plant
physiologists can lend you a spectroradiometer to measure the ambient
light spectrum and make sure that you have constructed the right
combination, which is relatively simple with the special lamps that
plant physiologists use (they don't flicker either!).
with best wishes,
John A. Endler
At 08:24 AM 24/05/2000 -0700, you wrote:
>From: Michelle.Waddle@newcastle.ac.uk
>To: cvnet@lawton.ewind.com
>Subject: lighting for an indoor aviary
>
>To anyone who may help.
>
>I'm trying to gather as much information as possible about lighting used in
>indoor aviaries.
>The intention is to mimic as close as possible an environment which wild
>birds (in particular Starlings) would have naturally, only indoors, as we
>unfortunately don't have the facilities of an outside aviary. So I'm
>looking for any advice concerning frequencies, UV levels (bearing in mind
>that it has to be healthy for humans also), colour, and anything else you
>can think of.
>
>If any one have experience with this sort of thing, I'd be interested to
>hear how the lighting you use is, in respect of keeping good condition,
>colour and moult in the birds.
>
>Thanks in advance to anyone who has suggestions
>
>Michelle Waddle.
>
>
>
+--------------------------------------------------+
| Prof. John A. Endler |
| Dept. Ecology, Evolution and Marine Biology |
| University of California |
| Santa Barbara, CA 93106 USA |
| Tel: 1 805 893 5826 Lab: 1 805 893 8249 |
| Fax: 1 805 893 4724 |
| mailto:endler@lifesci.ucsb.edu |
| http://lifesci.ucsb.edu/EEMB/faculty/endler.html |
+--------------------------------------------------+
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Thu May 25 2000 - 10:27:57 PDT