Abstract
On the western edge of Phoenix,
Arizona in the community of Litchfield
Park , a major collection of birds
is forming . With over 260 flights
planned , Tal and Opal Crosser will
have one of the largest and finest
collections of exotic birds in the
western United States.
Native Arizonans, the Crossers have
lived in or near Phoenix most of their
lives . And , most of their lives they
have had an interest in animals. They
worked with tropical fish for anumber
of years, then , in 1974, decided to
obtain a couple of pairs of pet birds
including peach faced lovebirds ,
cockatiels and nine finches all of
which were males of several species.
They hoped to simply enjoy their
new friends , but the cockatiels
(proven breeders) turned out to be
killers , and the lovebirds hid in their
box . Four flights were initially constructed
to house their birds , but it
wasn 't long before they began acquiring
additional birds , and then new
aviaries were necessary.