SPEAKERS

Australia

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Robert North, will share with us some of his extensive knowledge of the Australian King Parrot.

Robert lives in Brisbane and has for over 60 years been a keen aviculturist caring for and breeding everything from racing pigeons to finches and soft bills. For the past two decades he has focused on the extraordinary variety of Australian parrots. 

While he confesses he is "still learning" about the both comic and complex breed of parrot, he freely admits each has their own unique character.

Robert continues to study, photograph, video and comment on many other birds and their behaviours with, meticulous attention to detail. He has been a guest speaker at bird conferences in Taiwan, India and presented three papers at the 2018 World Parrot Conference at Loro Parque, Tenerife in the Spanish Canary Islands.

Robert’s photographs have been published in magazines and along with his videos are viewed online around the world. He has shared with many not only his Australian parrot and finch videos but also videos of Australian Geoff Bray and his biggest Softbill collection along with some overseas collections which have excited many enthusiasts around the world.

His philosophy both in life and towards aviculture has always remained the same, “set a standard, be observant, and never stop asking questions.”

Finally, in the words of our guest, "With birds you're always learning, you meet people from all nationalities and all walks of life and we all enjoy the same passion, the love of birds."

Slovakia

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Pavol Kováčik is a 26-year-old veterinarian from Žilina, Slovakia. He works at a veterinary clinic in Žilina, specializing in orthopedic surgery for small animals like dogs and cats, and also serves as an avian specialist. His career combines his passion and lifelong dream. In his spare time, Pavol works at the zoo in Piešťany as a veterinarian for exotic animals.

A parrot breeder since age five, Pavol has progressed from small species to housing larger ones like macaws and black cockatoos.His dual role as a hobbyist and professional lets him address patients' needs comprehensively. Throughout his career, Pavol has encountered many issues and diseases affecting parrots, making significant strides in advancing avian medicine, evidenced by many treated patients and satisfied owners.

Belgium

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Pieter Colla is a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine that specializes in avian medicine. He’s one of the main founders of Neorni, a team of dedicated avian veterinarians and ornithologists based in Belgium. Neorni’s goal is to provide an all-inclusive care for birds by offering 3 veterinary services: a practice (NeorniVet), a pharmacy (NeorniPharma) and a laboratory (NeorniLab).

 

NeorniLab is world leader in colour mutation testing in psittacidae. Scientific research, innovation and collaborations with breeders is what sets Neorni apart. Neorni operates worldwide.

Belgium

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Simon Cans is a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine that specializes in avian medicine. He’s one of the main founders of Neorni, a team of dedicated avian veterinarians and ornithologists based in Belgium. Neorni’s goal is to provide an all-inclusive care for birds by offering 3 veterinary services: a practice (NeorniVet), a pharmacy (NeorniPharma) and a laboratory (NeorniLab).

 

NeorniLab is world leader in colour mutation testing in psittacidae. Scientific research, innovation and collaborations with breeders is what sets Neorni apart. Neorni operates worldwide.

Indonesia

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Dudi Nandika’s graduated from college in 2005 from Biology Department of As-Syafi’iyah Islamic University. Dudi began research on a subspecies of Yellow-crested Cockatoos on Sulawesi in 2005. In 2006, Dudi got an informal education as a parrot specialist. In 2007, he established Perkumpulan Konservasi Kakatua Indonesia to help conservation efforts for endemic and critically endangered parrots in Indonesia (Masakambing, Sulawesi, and Maluku as priority).

 

Dudi graduated his Master Degree in 2020 from IPB University, by doing thesis research on the breeding ecology of Abbotti cockatoo. At the end of 2023 he continued his Doctoral Degree of Biology at Universitas Gadjah Mada, Yogyakarta.

Czech Republic​

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Born 19. October 1962 in Czech Republic. In 1985 graduated Agricultural University Brno. Since 1986 working in research of plant and animal nutrition. From 2004 until now member of Czech Scientific Committee for Animal Nutrition (SCAN). Parrot breeding history started in 1970 with breeding of Canaries, Budgerigars, Lovebirds etc. In 80´ focusing on large parrots specially amazons and cockatoos resulting in collection of 25 species and more than 250 individuals.

 

Thanks to experience in animal management and nutrition new approaches in parrot breeding, feeding and hand feeding were developed enabling hand-rearing of difficult species like palm cockatoos, shining, great-billed and other parrots.

Czech Republic​

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Lubos Tomiska, born in 1991 in the Czech Republic, is a zoologist and aviculturist with a lifelong passion for birds, especially lories and lorikeets. Growing up in his family's pet shop business, he developed a deep interest in aviculture. He earned a Master of Science degree in Ecology and Zoology from Charles University, Prague, in 2015, focusing his research on sex ratio manipulation in birds.

In 2016, he moved to Tenerife where he spend working for five years as Assistant Bird Curator at Loro Parque Fundación. Since 2021, he has been a zoo management consultant in the Czech Republic, also contributing to Arndt Verlag publishin house and running the blog ParrotsDailyNews.com

Belgium

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Johan Buys is a 51-year-old from Belgium, residing in a small city in East Flanders with his wife and three

children. A lifelong animal lover, Johan's passion for birds began in childhood when he started keeping and breeding birds at the age of 12, receiving canaries and quails from his grandfather.

With a degree in Marketing, Johan found a way to turn his hobby into a career in the bird food industry, where he has been active for over 25 years. This career has given him the opportunity to visit breeders, zoos, and veterinarians worldwide, allowing him to exchange ideas and gather extensive knowledge on feeding, keeping, and breeding birds. His expertise spans a wide range of species, including canaries, tropical and British finches, large parakeets, parrots, hummingbirds, ibises, and flamingos.

Johan finds great honor in sharing his experiences and knowledge with fellow bird enthusiasts, continuously learning and passing on his expertise. Although his job and frequent travel currently prevent him from keeping birds, he hopes to restart his passion soon.