Would the audience be able to tell the differece between a parakeet and a dove. I am thinking of adding some to my act and also any tips for the care and training of them would help me too thank you very much

Absolutely. Lance Burton once used them in his act.
Parakeets are smart, but like to chirp and fidget. Needless to say, they aren't as visible from a distance as are doves. Training any animal takes time and patience.
Good luck on your ambitious undertaking.

kregg

Tim,
the audience can for sure tell the difference especially by the size, wingspan, etc. etc.

sperris

Many bird workers have tried parakeets. After Doves, ducks, geese and chickens, they are not a very attractive choice for a variety of reasons. They don't survive travel nearly as well. The audience can tell one from the other. They are noisy beyond control. They will not stay "put" and like to explore. They are really an extremely small production for the effort. They prefer to fly. Therefore, they really should be produced in a cage that is not opened on stage.

In the early days of VCRs Lance Burton accidentally exposed a parakeet from glove on a TV special. (Zoom lenses are dangerous things!) He was using a slow parakeet with a good cameraman. That plus the VCR made the exposure unavoidable. I've never seen him use one since.

Parakeets come in very pretty colors, are readily recognized, very available, and cheap. Otherwise, they are a poor choice for a stage animal.

For four years we commercially raised parakeets, for what I assume is the largest pet company in the world. I always had hundreds, if not thousands of birds and babies to pick from, I never found two good ones the same color. Showbiz does not come naturally to parakeets like it does to other stage animals. Currently Lucy and I have a live unicorn (registered Quarter Horse) in stage training. You would think she could read minds because it comes very naturally for her. For some animals, it is a piece of cake. Others make a better audience than entertainer.

If you have a pet parakeet that will at least perch on you and stay there, it's worth a try. I certainly don't recommend that you keep buying them until you find one that will work as a show bird.

Also, caring for parakeets is slightly more demanding and more expensive than caring for doves. Doves will do fine outside in most climates. For doves, available water is more important than temperature.

Good Luck!

Bob
Magic By Sander