August 30, 2023

Cage & Aviary Birds

The world's only weekly newspaper for birdkeepers

Cage & Aviary Birds2 min read
Kãkãpõ Return To NZ Mainland For The First Time In 40 Years
FOR THE FIRST time in nearly four decades, wild kãkãpõ (Strigops habroptila) will be living on mainland New Zealand. On July 19, four kãkãpõ were translocated by aeroplane from Codfish Island near Rakiura Stewart Island to Sanctuary Mountain Maungata
Cage & Aviary Birds1 min read
Yorkshire Foreign Bird Society Forced To Fold
AT ITS LAST meeting in July, the Yorkshire Foreign Bird Society made the sad decision to close down the society. Yorkshire Foreign Bird Society, which was based in West Yorkshire, used to host monthly meetings in the Leeds/Bradford area and held its
Cage & Aviary Birds1 min read
QUOTE Of The WEEK
“My softfood includes a fresh green vegetable such as broccoli or fennel with some crushed garlic. I haven’t always used garlic, but since introducing I love the smell of the aviary in the middle of the afternoon!” Martin Lambert (and his budgies) en
Cage & Aviary Birds1 min read
Also In The News…
TWO BREEDING pairs of lapwing (Vanellus vanellus) have been spotted at Lecale Fens special area of conservation, just outside Downpatrick in County Down, Northern Ireland. The birds have returned to the area for the first time in several years follow
Cage & Aviary Birds2 min read
Stranded Juvenile Gull Rescued From High Building
A YOUNG GULL that became trapped on a high building in Hartlepool has been reunited with its parents thanks to a member of staff at the RSPCA with a head for heights. The yellow-legged gull (Larus michahellis) got stuck in a narrow gap between a thir
Cage & Aviary Birds2 min read
‘Wild’ Golden Pheasants No Longer Have A Viable Population In The UK
A NEW STUDY has classified the status of the wild golden pheasant (Chrysolophus pictus) population in the UK as no longer viable. Golden pheasants have occurred in multiple regions outside of their native China, with the largest populations establish
Cage & Aviary Birds2 min read
Parasitised Drongos Fight Back Against ’forged’ Cuckoo Eggs
WHILE AFRICAN CUCKOOS (Cuculus gularis) employ clever tactics to smuggle their eggs into other birds’ nests, they may have met their match with the fork-tailed drongo (Dicrurus adsimilis), finds a new study. Scientists from the University of Cambridg
Cage & Aviary Birds3 min read
Birdkeeper At Large
WHAT GOT YOU into keeping birds as a hobby? A follow-up question is to ask why you chose the species you did? Reflecting back to when I was a young lad, it was “budgerigars” and “colour” for me. As a “townie”, just about all of the birds I had encoun
Cage & Aviary Birds2 min read
The Warmest Of Welcomes To Birdkeeping!
AFTER always having pet birds throughout my life (I am 61 now), and often being able to hand train them I have become an avid reader of Cage & Aviary Birds since May this year. I did not know this whole world of knowledge and skill, trial and error a
Cage & Aviary Birds2 min read
Editor’s Letter
ONE OF MY unfulfilled ambitions is to see a proper live bird of paradise. I have a dim recollection of a tired-looking specimen at London Zoo, but I’ve decided that won’t count. I want to behold a radiant-plumaged male BoP in full-on show-off mode, w
Cage & Aviary Birds1 min read
Cage & Aviary Birds
Editor: Rob Innes. Tel: 01959 541 444 Email: birds.ed@kelsey.co.uk Deputy Editor: Laura Welch. Tel: 01959 541 444 Email (News): birds.news@kelsey.co.uk Email (Club News): birds.general@kelsey.co.uk Design: Focused On Design Ltd Email: design@focusedo
Cage & Aviary Birds4 min read
Late Summer In The Birdroom
WELL, it’s not long to go before we bench our potential show-stoppers. I’m very pleased with what I have bred this time. For the past two years I have been relying on my greens, which have more than held their own. But this time – fingers crossed – t
Cage & Aviary Birds3 min read
Wellbeing Before Breeding
IT IS almost September. That means many budgerigar breeders around the country will soon be starting to look at pairing their birds up following a rest period and show season. I have never been one of those breeders who puts their birds down towards
Cage & Aviary Birds3 min read
Plans For My Own Budgie Shed
SINCE I last wrote about my budgies, there have been some changes in the way I keep them. Now I have had the budgies for a while and I have shown my dad I am serious about them, we are planning for me to have my own shed. This is an 8ft × 6ft shed wh
Cage & Aviary Birds2 min read
From Brazil To England - With Love
IN SOUTH America and elsewhere, it is not unusual for women who are involved in bird conservation projects to make items to sell, to raise funds for the project. In 2015, I attended the Parrots International convention in Campo Grande, in the Pantana
Cage & Aviary Birds3 min read
My Verdict On 2023? Crazy!
WITH the breeding season ending, it’s time to reflect on a crazy four months with unexpected highs and the painful lows of birdkeeping. Overall, this season has been my most successful, with the young-bird count hitting triple digits for the first ti
Cage & Aviary Birds5 min read
MAGNIFICENT AND MORE: The Riflebirds
IT IS NOT necessary to visit New Guinea in order to see birds of paradise. Four species are resident on the Australian mainland, with one species occurring as far south as New South Wales. The iridescent blue trumpet manucode (Phonygammus keraudrenii
Cage & Aviary Birds4 min read
The Red Is Here, Is The Black Next?
DURING my lifetime, this country has seen a number of arrivals and departures involving species of birds. We have lost, or are about to lose several, while gaining new ones without the involvement of man. The collared dove, first seen in the 1950s, i
Cage & Aviary Birds4 min read
Variety In Focus: Opalines
There’s nothing too complicated about opalines – but they have certainly posed certainly a challenge in recent times. Simply put, they appear as a normal bird but with body colour in the wings. They first appeared in the 1930s in Scotland and, like m
Cage & Aviary Birds3 min read
A Cat Ate My Belgian Hen!
IN 2013, at the height of the breeding season, with hens sitting on eggs and chicks, we moved house to our present home. Fortunately, the distance between our old and new homes was three miles and took 10 minutes in the car. The “new” house has a gar
Cage & Aviary Birds3 min read
A Beautiful Waxbill Duo
This is one of the most charming birds anyone can keep. Although delicate on arrival – especially the hen – when acclimatised it is quite hardy; I have kept them in outdoor unheated aviaries all the year round. Great care must be taken when purchasin
Cage & Aviary Birds4 min read
Training: The Third Leg Of The Tripod
‘YORKSHIRE VIEWS’ AUGUST THE Yorkshire canary is primarily a posture canary, hence the single top perch in its show cage. On this perch it needs to be able to stand as nearly as possible to the desired position so that a judge can assess its overall
Cage & Aviary Birds5 min readDiet & Nutrition
Two-month Roundup
READERS will have noticed a two-month gap in our reports, writes Terry A. Tuxford. This was brought about by Yvonne and me going to Cortez in Florida for almost five weeks. This was our first return to the US state since 2019; a destination we have v
Cage & Aviary Birds4 min read
Club Roundup
DALBEATTIE CBC open show on November 5 in Dalbeattie Town Hall DG5 4AD. Any exhibitor who has trophies, could they please return them either on or before show day, thank you. For enquiries, tel: 01556 610 943. MID ESSEX BS the 2023 gold championship
Cage & Aviary Birds1 min read
Cracking Members’ Show And BBQ
THIS year’s club members’ show and BBQ was held in early July 2023. It was well supported by members who brought along a total of 68 birds. Laura O’Reilly kindly agreed to attend and judge the birds. There were 32 classes to judge. Historically this
Cage & Aviary Birds3 min read
What’s On This Week Club Meetings Nationwide
CITY OF BATH BIRD BREEDERS SOCIETY – September 5, Claverton Down Community Hall, Claverton Down, Bath BA2 6DT. Members’ table show and staging repairs. Birds accepted from 7pm. Members are reminded to please bring raffle prizes. Enquiries: 01225 335

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