Cage & Aviary Birds

AFTER A FAILED search for the owner of a “stray” rosy-faced lovebird (Agapornis roseicollis) that was rescued from a garden in Somerset, die bird is being put up for adoption. The lovebird, which was renamed Tequila Sunrise by RSPCA staff, was found

CONSERVATIONISTS AND BIRDWATCHERS were thrilled at the arrival of eight bee-eaters (Merops apiaster) on the Norfolk coast - with one pair already nesting. The eight birds, which first bred in Norfolk last year, have been spotted in a sand quarry near

A NEW STUDY has discovered that birds show remarkably similar sleep patterns to humans and may experience flight in their dreams. Researchers at Ruhr University Bochum (RUB) and the Max Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence in Germany studied

I READ with great interest Jim Thorpe's article on the blackheaded sibia in the issue dated April 24. I was horrified to note that he considers cornflakes a good food to add to the birds' diet for additional roughage. In fact I would go so far as to

ROB IS BACK NEXT WEEK AS A member of the Southern Norwich Plainhead Canary Club and of the Cornish NPCC, I honestly consider that it is time the “experts” put the plainhead in its proper perspective. They should not encourage the breeding and exhibit

A RECENT online discussion point focused on fertility and how one pet breeder had a clutch of eight eggs that weren't fertile. Certainly we can sometimes struggle with keeping fertility rates at a high level. But what are the causes and the solutions

THE 2023 breeding season is going strong and modern communications mean that we can all get a day-by-day commentary from breeders across the country and beyond. As ever, the picture is a mixed one of early success and failure. The scenario of the slo

THIS year's Club Show will be all about getting behind the show team and making sure the event is a success. And I believe this isn't just a countdown to this show. It could be a countdown to a heavily reduced show in the future. Club Show numbers ha

YOU seem to have bred loads of mannikins! Any tips? MOLUCCAN mannikins (Lonchura molucca) are very similar to Bengalese. They're brilliant! A pair will settle in a cage and generally they are free-breeding. The key with them is: as soon as you know t

DURING April, I set 15 new pairs of Bengalese finches. Initially, I had planned to set just one pair of chestnut & whites, but the week before pairing I decided to make it two pairs. However, I hadn't determined which birds to pair together. When I c

OVER the many years I have bred budgies, my clutches have usually been about seven or even eight eggs as a matter of routine. If I only get four eggs, I just put it down to the hen being not fully fit and believe she needs a rest. This sometimes happ

BOTH societies held the first of this year's joint young bird shows at Coppenhall Working Mens' Club in Crewe on April 18. The judges on die night were Rob Hughes and Gwilym Jones. A total of 45 birds were benched and the main winners were as follows

Q Which clubs have you been most involved with? Any official roles? John Barron: The Cobh Show Bird Society and the Irish Fancy Canary Society (IFCS). I am currently the chairman of the IFCS. Q Briefly summarise your career in birdkeeping. JB: I kept