Dubai: A Dubai-based bird breeder sold a rare blue plum headed parakeet for Dh100,000 to a German bird collector last week.
Mohammad Mustafa Khan, who owns more than 300 special mutant parrots at his five hectare farm in Al Ruwaiyya, said the collector flew all the way from Germany to buy the bird.
According to Khan, his collection of birds which includes Alexandrine parakeet, plum heads, mustangs, long-tailed parakeets and bronze fallows among others are worth millions of dirhams.
“To give you an example, a pair of green parrots sells for around Dh3,000. But its mutant counterpart can fetch anywhere from Dh10,000 upwards,” said Khan.
What started as a hobby for the Pakistani expart has now turned into a full-fledged business in breeding Asiatic birds.
“Some of the birds in my collection are so rare that you will not find them anywhere in the world,” he said as he took this reporter on a tour of the farm.
Portuguese businessman Sergio Cipriano and avid collector who happened to be around said he bought five parrots – a mix of Alexandrines and plum heads – for Dh100,000.
Biggest breeder
“I visited the UAE four times just to meet Khan and to see his birds. He is the biggest breeder in the region and has an enviable collection of birds with special mutations,” he said.
Khan said he comes from a family that loves pets and birds. “I have always been an avid bird collector. But it was six years ago that I decided to take it up on a much bigger scale,” he said.
“I buy parrots from all over Asia from reliable sources. I have invested millions of dirhams in these birds. The life span of these birds is between 25 and 35 years. Most of the birds in my collection are around eight years. The breeding season has just started and is likely to go on until March.”
