In 1938 Neville Cayley wrote “The Budgerigar, quite apart from its beauty and attractive mannerisms, possesses every attribute necessary to make it an ideal subject for breeding experiments. As an aviary bird it has no rival, its adaptability, hardiness and free-mating propensities, place it in a class quite apart from...
The Husbandry of Fairy-wrens By Bob O’Grady Softbill, Dove & Quail Branch
The pros and cons of keeping Fairy-wren’s Pros: They are active all day – whereas parrots don’t move and finches disappear; wrens are out in open view and are always nosey.They are easy to feed; at least relative to such birds as lorikeets and fruit pigeons, if you set the...
Talpacoti Dove
Columba talpacoti by Josie Pyle Softbill, Dove and Quail Branch Other Names: Ruddy Ground Dove Distribution and Habitat: a native of Central and South America, the Talpacoti Dove exploits a variety of habitats including grasslands, swamps and settled areas. It prefers low-lying areas and forages for the seeds of grasses...
Live food
Introduction 1. Live food is essential in the normal diet for many softbills (including frugivorous and nectarivorous birds) and button-quail. A regular supply of live food is essential for breeding these birds and is also an important part of the diet of quail chicks. Increasing the supply of live food...
Avicultural Hints
While the ‘experts’ can be wrong occasionally, experienced aviculturists can supply a wealth of information, some of which you will never find in books.If fostering birds or eggs, e.g. Gouldians under Bengalese, remove the resultant young from contact with the foster species as soon as they are independent, or sexual...
Mixed Aviaries
Definition : more than one species of bird housed in the same aviary. The aim is to keep species which occupy different areas or niches in the aviary. e.g. parrots and quail(As distinct from a colony : greater than one pair of the same species)Advantages :greater variety of birds may...