Cage & Aviary Birds

EMINENT SCIENTISTS FROM across the country have come together to develop new strategies to tackle future outbreaks of avian influenza. The current bird-flu outbreak of H5N1 has been the largest and longest ever experienced in the UK. Led by a researc

Expert advice • Opinion • Getting started • Species profiles • Key tips • Leading fanciers THE parson finch (Poephila cincta) is one of the best known and most popular of the Australian grassfinches. From reading the avicultural literature over many

A TRADITIONAL and much-valued feature of the cage bird society meeting is the guest speaker. Having someone coming to give a talk is a great way to pick up tips, to learn a totally new technique or some fascinating facts. Although, of course, you’d e

NATIVE to the forests of tropical South America, the Orinoco goose (Neochen jubata) is the only living member of its genus. It is in the shelduck subfamily, Tadorninae, and is more closely related to the Egyptian goose than to the typical grey and wh

PERHAPS the best-known of all exotic duck species is the mandarin duck (Aix galericulata). Although it is uniquely eye-catching, it has been common in bird collections, probably for as long as they have existed. As a result, it is sometimes taken for

WITH the breeding season well under way, the trials and tribulations of bird breeding become all too familiar! My own season has started quite slowly, with my lilac-breasted rollers (Coracias cordatus) laying a clutch of eggs, only for them to be eat

IN 2019, I was given the great honour of judging the LCA Classic. A few days prior to the show taking place, I was contacted by the LCA’s vice chairman Huw Evans, who asked whether I would mind if an Italian Lizard breeder, who was coming to the show

ONE of the great appeals of zebra finches is the challenge of combining mutations to create vivid and eye-catching examples. Some of the most eye-catching are those that are almost totally orange or black in colour. Although the results are certainly

THE chairman Bill Squires spoke of the funeral he and others attended of David Collins who recently passed away. David was a regular member who always attended with his father Dennis. He died suddenly and will be missed by the club. Thoughts go to De