Paul Lewis wrote:The only birds that would get 12 hours light and 12 dark are from the equator. Most of our pet birds do not come from there. Birds that originate from Central America, Amazons, Conures, some macaws or from as far South as Uraguay or Argentina, Quakers, will get a great change in photoperiods much like Southern Californians do, plenty of birds come from Mexico which is a long way from the equator. Many behaviorists feel that birds need a 12 / 12 schedule as their birds get "moody" without enough sleep, nonsense, it's not natural. Full spectrum lights are great but I've never been convinced that they provide enough UV to aid in the synthesis of D3 to help calcium absorbtion. Birds do seem to like them however. If you were to add lighting to your birds area absolutely go with full spectrum. A 12 / 12 schedule shouldn't stimulate hormonal behavior either, usually you need to raise the photoperiod to 15-16 hours to stimulate breeding activity. Birds losing weight because they're seasonal feeders? Never heard of such a thing, but would love to see the studies.
After reading, thinking about what I read, rereading what you had to say and thinking about it some more, it occurs to me that if a bird is from the equatorial region then based on your statement that a 12L/ 12D schedule would not stimulate hormonal behavior and that it would take raising it to 15 to 16 hours of light or dark to stimulate breeding activity, there would be no equatorial birds breeding ever. This is due to the fact that in the equatorial region those conditions do not exist, thereby rendering your statement at best inaccurate.
All birds are seasonal feeders in the wild and this id due to the simple fact that there is not a single plant on this planet that produces 365 days a year, it grows, matures, fruits, dies back and then the process begins anew. This does in fact create periods when there is less food available to be eaten, which also lends credence to a certain amount of weight loss for any animal dependent upon that plant as a portion of its diet. This is common knowledge as well as common sense. I know this without needing a study of it because I live in a rural area and I see it all of the time.
I think that you really should consider doing a little more research into these things, perhaps even some field work so that you have the opportunity to observe these things for yourself.
I won't say that these behaviorialists are right about a 12d/ 12l schedule but it is perfectly normal and natural for a bird or any animal to get moody, cranky and bitey when they do not receive an adequate amount or quality of sleep, I know for a fact that I do.
