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Introducing a Superb new fluorescent Bird Lamp developed by Arcadia

He may look black to you. But, under the right light, he looks very different to her!

	The Arcadia Bird Lamp for healthy birds
	Produces excellent natural colours and iridescence
	2.4% UVB and 12% UVA for optimal avian use
	Improves feeding and breeding behaviour
	Why a dedicated bird lamp?

	Unlike humans, birds can see the UV light that is a part of natural sunlight. The bird uses this UV light for behaviours such as reproduction and feeding - life without UV would be the equivalent of humans seeing everything in black and white, only worse. Without UV we are able to recognise the sex of another. In some breeds, birds require UV to differentiate the sexes .

Where a bird is not kept outside , UV light should be provided. normal domestic lighting does not do this. Most domestic lights distort the natural colour of the bird. The Arcadia Bird lamp has been designed to provide the correct level of UV for the bird, and show off it's true colours.

	What do we mean by full spectrum light?

	By full spectrum, we mean a balanced light output across the full spectrum, including the UV segment. Many modern triphosor tubes have three peaks of energy that match the three colours that our eyes perceive.

	Thus the tube's effective out put is maximised to the human eye, and the tube will appear very bright. These peaks do not necessarily match the avian eye, and there would be no UV present.

	The true full spectrum tube offers a balanced spectrum, with the gaps between the triphosor peaks being filled in with light emitted from a halo phosphate mixture. In addition, UV emitting phosphors have been added, which give account for some 15% of the tube's output. This is split into 12% UVA and 2.4% UVB

	The overall colour of the tube's light output should be close to that of natural sunlight, which is 5,500K. The Arcadia Bird Lamp is very close to this at 5,600K. For birds, a colour temperature of higher than 5,800k is not suitable. Overloading the blue spectrum produces primarily female offspring. For this reason aquarium lamps should be avoided for bird use.

	Full spectrum light should also produce accurate colour rendition. The Arcadia Bird Lamp achieves this, with a Class 1A specification.

	The importance of full spectrum light

	Without a balanced source of light, the oculoendocrine cycle (light to the pituitary and pineal gland) is affected. This affects every aspect of a bird's life. Skewed lighting can result in agitation, picking behaviours, weakness, breeding problems and metabolic disorders.

	Vitamin D3 synthesis

	Vitamin D3 is required by birdds for healthy bone development.

	Many species can synthesize vitamin D3 from sunlight through their skin. Specifically, it is the UVB light within the spectrum that enables D3 synthesis.

As birds are covered in feathers, they are unable to use their skin in this way. In most birds, thepreen gland collects the precursor D3 from the bloodstream, and concentrates it in the gland oils. These are then exposed to UVB light by the bird spreading the gland oilson to its feathers during preening. Thebird then ingests the UV exposed material when it preens itself again, and oil enters the body as previtamin D. The liver and kidney then convert this to vitamin D3.

	How a bird's visual system differs from the human system

	The retina of the eye contains cones, which, when stimulated by different wavelengths of light, transmit colour information to the brain. In a human, there are three types of cones, enabling us to perceive three primary colours: red, green and blue. This is known as trichromatic vision. The combination of these colours enables us to perceive thousands of different colours.

	Birds have a fourth cone, which is sensitive to UV light, and can perceive four primary colours, the additional colour being UV. This is known as tetrachromatic vision.

	In humans, UV light is unable to pass through the lens of the eye, but the bird has no such limitation.

	The latest research has discovered that some birds can even see five primary colours (ie have pentachromatic vision), being able to differentiate between two different wavelengths of UV.

	The effect of daylight hours on a bird

	Birds perceive light in two ways. Firstly, through the eye. The retina of the eye is capable of transmitting information about the intensity, colour compostion, and polarisation (direction) of light. This information travels in two directions; to the brain via the optic nerve, and through a special pathway to the pituitary gland.

	Birds have an additional way of perceiving light, a special gland which surrounds the eye, called the Harderian Gland. This gland measures the duration of light a bird experiences, known as the photoperiod, and passes this information onto the pineal gland.

	Both the pituitary gland and the pineal gland act as regulators to the endocrine system and thus effect the whole metabolism of the bird.

	To ensure that the bird's health is optimised, your lighting should be turned on one hour after sunrise and turned off one hour before sunset. This may be facilitated by using a timer. Thus the natural annual cycle of daylight is maintained, and the bird's natural cycle for reproductive conditions, and consequently feathering cycle, is maintained.

	Breeders will be aware that breeding behaviours can be induced by artificially extending the photoperiod to 14-16 hours. In most cases this should be done gradually. Where this fails, a sudden increase may work. Our Price is for The Complete system Includes.      Lamp Holder , Bulb & Reflector unit Only £45.95 £7.95  post & packing

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