T H E PR E M I E R PE T & AV I A RY B I R D M AG A Z I N E
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T H E P R E M I E R P E T & AV I A RY B I R D M AG A Z I N E VO L 29 I S S U E 2 • A P R - M AY 2016
Purple-crowned Blue Rainbow
Amazons RED SISKINS M A J O R M I T C H E L L’S CO C K ATO O S BIRD TRAINING TIPS MASKED DOVES PIGEONS
regulars
78 INTERNATIONAL
EXPERIENCES: Breeding the Major Mitchell’s Cockatoo By Lubomir Tomiska
82 BREEDING AUSTRALIAN
CONTENTS
T H E P R E M I E R P E T & AV I A RY B I R D M AG A Z I N E VO L 29 I S S U E 2 • A P R - M AY 2016
Purple-crowned Blue Rainbow
Volume 29 Issue 2
Amazons RED SISKINS M A J O R M I T C H E L L’S CO C K ATO O S BIRD TRAINING TIPS
COVER: BLUE RAINBOW LORIKEET
MASKED DOVES PIGEONS
PARROTS: Purple-crowned Lorikeets By Barry Blanch
86 ABOUT BIRDS: ‘Lactating’ Birds
By Kit Prendergast
90 BUILDING BLOCKS FOR BETTER BIRDS: Five Pro Training Tips By Rebecca K O’Connor 92 FINCH FOCUS: Red Siskins
By Russell Kingston
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102
92
78
109 FINCH FUNDAMENTALS:
Masked Doves—the Finches’ Friend By Marcus Pollard
112 HOOKBILL HOBBYIST: The Real Scoop on Lory Poop By EB Cravens
114 THE WISE OWL: Nowhere to Hide By Dr Milton Lewis 116 AVIAN HEALTH WITH DR BOB: Aspergillosis—the Silent Killer By Dr Bob Doneley
features
119 CANARY CHATTER:
73 AMAZONS IN AUSTRALIA By Andrew Rankmore Early availability and pair compatibility issues have been overcome, with the popularity of a range of Amazon species continuing to grow.
122 CONSERVATION:
96 BENGALESE FINCH FOSTERING IN INDONESIA
Breeding Canaries in Australia—Part 5 By Brian Bohl • LPF: Nine Lear’s Macaws Go Wild in Brazil • WPT: Fighting Illegal Grey and Timneh Parrot Trade in Africa By Carolyn Pradun
124 WILD CORNER:
Ruby, the Rainbow Lorikeet By Dr Claude Lacasse
125 LAST CHIRP
• Diamond Dove ‘Albino’ Mutation? By Paul O’Neill • 59th Annual ABS Show Hailed As Best Yet By Wayne Robinson • Win an Australian Opal Series Coin— the Rough-scaled Python By The Perth Mint
By Peter Odekerken Peter revisits an old friend in central Java and lets his camera do the talking.
98 PROTECTING YELLOW-SHOULDERED AMAZONS
By Dr David Waugh David describes the tough job faced by conservationists in an unforgiving environment.
100 RACING PIGEONS—ENDURANCE ATHLETES By Tas Gazis What makes the racing pigeon capable of its incredible feats of speed and homing? 102 THE BLUE RAINBOW LORIKEET
By Jade Welch One of the most sought-after mutations in aviculture is now on its way to being established.
106 NYASA LOVEBIRDS By David Monroger Pretty and delicate, these birds can prove very difficult to breed.
128 classifieds 71
A
WORDS AND PHOTOGRAPHS BY ANDREW RANKMORE
THE EARLY DAYS Prior to the import bans of exotic birds in the 1970s, bird keeping could be best described as a ‘pet’ activity that was partaken in as a curio—a collection of colour, rarity or simply entertainment. Birds of all sorts followed the trends of decades and centuries, and were often freely traded with sailors at prominent ports with exotic overseas links. Newcastle in NSW, for example, had access to exotic animals of all kinds through its established coal export links with South America for many decades. Such was the popularity of exotic animals, a town near Newcastle was even locally known as ‘monkey town’ in the late 1800s due to the number of residents owning primates. Further evidence of this exotic trade exists in a small museum in Wallsend, Newcastle, with the skin of an ex-pet Toucanette that would have arrived by coal ship from South America. Such was the variety of exotic animals available, one can’t help wondering what unrecorded species Australian animal keepers once had and have since lost. With the closure of importation and trapping, aviculture began to develop into what it is today, with a defined focus on breeding rather than just keeping birds. To begin with, Amazons were extremely rare and, like other exotic birds of the period, were not even on the aviculturists’ radar. Those that did exist were only rarely found as pets, in zoos or socially ‘high class’ collections in which breeding was not of any interest. By the time breeding became of interest in the 1980s, the specialist Amazon breeder had very few birds from which to select, with age a consistent issue. Hence, early in their Australian establishment,
J WELCH
ustralia has a limited number of Amazon species available to the aviculturist and, until relatively recently, most of these were quite rare and limited to few collections. Restricted imports/availability and pair compatibility issues provided hurdles with much uncertainty to the establishment of Amazons in Australia. These issues continue to plague some species to this day. However, the techniques and philosophies of modern aviculture have provided a generation of success, with some species now considered readily available and/or common to Australian aviculture.
Lilac-crowned Amazon
Amazons provided several challenges because they were particularly hard to definitively sex and pair, had few breeding successes, and a behavioural nature that could result in deaths. As the late 1980s rolled around, the Amazon situation improved, with many species becoming ‘available’ if one could afford them. Species such as the Bluefronted, Yellow-naped, Double Yellowheaded and Lilac-crowned hit the wider market for the first time. This was further bolstered by the opening of importation in the 1990s that allowed the arrival of ‘new
blood’ to finally secure the establishment of captive Amazons for the future. Such an opportunity for new blood was essential for the sustainability of the ‘rarer’ and more aggressive Amazons in Australian aviaries, such as Red-lored and Cuban Amazons—playing a pivotal role in today’s accessibility to such species.
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INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCES WORDS AND PHOTOTRAPHS BY LUBOMIR TOMISKA
Breeding the
Major Mitchell’s Cockatoo
T
here is no doubt that the Major Mitchell’s Cockatoo Cacatua leadbeateri is one of the most beautiful parrots in existence. However, breeding can be tricky, making this species rare and therefore expensive in European facilities. Male aggression or imprinting is often an obstacle to successful breeding of Major Mitchell’s. An appropriate aviary, nest box and diet are therefore not the only essentials. We can’t forget our birds’ mental health can be a vital factor, especially in the case of white cockatoos.
countries it is called the Major Mitchell’s or Pink Cockatoo. There are two possible Latin names used for this species. Although generally classified in the genus Cacatua, Forshaw (2002) indicated the differences between Major Mitchell’s Cockatoos and other white cockatoos are so significant that they can’t share the same genus name. He suggested use of the older name Lophocroa. Since the name Major Mitchell’s is predominantly used and classified as Cacatua, (including in the new Handbook of the Birds of the World and BirdLife International Checklist of the Birds of the World), that is how I will refer to it.
TAXONOMY The Czech or German name Inka Kakadu was first mentioned in the well-known book Brehm’s Tierleben (Brehm’s Animals Life) by Dr Alfred Edmund Brehm. The name referred to this bird’s colourful crest which reminded the author of Indian headbands. In English-speaking
Major Mitchell’s Cockatoo Cacatua leadbeateri leadbeateri Major Mitchell’s Cockatoo Cacatua leadbeateri mollis
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Introducing Lubomir Tomiska
Lubomir Tomiska is our newest ABK columnist. Born in 1991 in the Czech Republic, Lubomir spent much of his childhood in pet shops, which were a part of the family business. It’s not hard to imagine how his love of animals, and particularly birds, developed during these years. Over two years from 2008, Lubomir’s employment by an exotic bird export/import company, allowed him to travel across Europe and meet and learn from many foreign aviculturists. At 19 he decided to study a Bachelor of Biology at Charles University in Prague and, after graduating, he began a Masters degree in Evolutionary Ecology of Birds. His thesis was focused on sex ratio manipulation in birds. He completed his MSc finals a few months ago. When it comes to keeping birds himself, Lubomir has been breeding parrots since just seven years of age. He started with Budgies and Australian parrots, and later kept South American and African parrots. In 2007 lories and lorikeets became his area of specialisation. Since that time, he has studied their nutrition and other biological aspects. He publishes his findings in several Czech and foreign aviculture magazines. In 2015 he started the world’s first psittaculturebased journalistic website parrotsdailynews.com. His aim is to share everyday news from the world of aviculture, including reports, comments, interviews and articles. Recently Lubomir was also involved in the translation and publication of the new Czech version of the book Psittaculture by Tony Silva. We welcome Lubomir to the ABK team.
BREEDING AUSTRALIAN PARROTS WORDS BY BARRY BLANCH Grad Cert App Sc. Ornithology PHOTOGRAPHS BY JULIE BLANCH
Purple-crowned Lorikeets
P
Purple-crowned Lorik Lorikeets ikeets (from left): female, male and juvenile
urple-crowne urple-crowned ned Lorikeets Glossopsitta Glo lossopsitta porphyrocephala are small birds that belong to the Loriinae subfamily of parrots in the Glossopsitta genus. They are classified as ‘true parrots’ because they have a curved, hooked beak. The Purple-crowned is a small arboreal lorikeet found only in southern parts of mainland Australia. Most lorikeets are very playful and intelligent and some can clearly mimic a range of sounds. Although Purple-crowned Lorikeets are parrots, they don’t eat seeds. They are nectarivores, feeding mainly on soft fruit and nectar, using the brush-tipped tongues unique to the family. Native shrubs and flowering Eucalyptus trees, planted in gardens and suburban parks, provide a year-round dietary supply for Purple-crowneds, encouraging increased numbers to inhabit populated areas. It is not uncommon to observe Purple-crowned intermingling with either Musk or Little Lorikeets as they forage together and they can be mistakenly identified as either species. Over the past 20 years, the Purplecrowned Lorikeet has become very popular in Australian aviculture.
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Purple-crowned Lorikeets male (left) and female
FINCH FOCUS ON AUSTRALIAN FINCHES WORDS AND PHOTOGRAPHS BY RUSSELL KINGSTON OAM
Red Siskins—The Australian Experience
T
he Finch Society of Australia Inc has recently announced it is contributing to the international conservation initiative for the Red Siskin. This program is headed by The Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in the USA to help understand, protect and restore sustainable populations of Carduelus cucullata. I recall a similar program initiated here in Australia by the the Avicultural Federation of Australia Inc (AFA) in the early 1990s. This has prompted me to write about my own experiences with this lovely bird and outline its history in Australia. The population of Red Siskins in their natural habitat of northern Venezuela and Colombia has plummeted in recent decades. The consensus among biologists is that trapping for the bird trade has been largely responsible for the decline. While I suspect habitat loss as a result of agricultural industries has had some bearing on the issue, I have to concur. As a result of their decline, a ban on international trade of the Red Siskin has existed since 1975, when this species was added to Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). Eminent aviculturist, author and ornithologist Robin Restall once told me how huge numbers of these birds were taken from the wild, with predominately only males being sent to the European bird trade for cross-breeding with domestic canaries. The local villagers used the female birds as a food source. They were thrown into boiling vegetable oil and eaten whole as a crisp. In 1990, the AFA was concerned about the increasingly bad rap Australian bird keepers were receiving in the media in relation to smuggling, poor husbandry practices and illegal trapping. In an effort to generate positive perceptions of bird keeping and show its utility as a tool for conservation, the AFA resolved to initiate a breed and release program for a critically endangered finch species. The AFA board decided it must be a foreign species to gain international attention and simplify logistics by dealing with only one government body; be colourful in
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Pair of Red Siskins—male (top) and female (below)
Red Siskins may be kept and bred in a colony
FINCH FUNDAMENTALS WORDS AND PHOTOGRAPHS BY MARCUS POLLARD BSc (Hons)
Masked Doves—the Finches’ Friend P ODEKERKEN
J
ust for something different, I thought why not take a look at the only non-finch to share the aviary with the rest of my finchy hordes—the humble Masked Dove. The Masked, Namaqua or Cape Dove Oena capensis hails from the sub-Saharan areas of Africa and is well represented in Australian aviaries. This dove does shades of grey extremely well and is basically grey on the back and wings, with a lighter greyish-white on the chest. The outer flight feathers have a brownish edge and they have a small spot of metallic flash on the wing—a tiny version of that on our magnificent Bronzewings, and a more a metallic purple colour. Males have a distinctive black chest and face patch which is absent from females. Sexing is also possible virtually from the nest as males have a distinctive curve to the end of their beaks which the female never exhibits. Having attempted to keep a number of pigeon and dove species in with finches, I must admit that all were failures except for this little 20cm chap that seems quite at ease with even the smallest of waxbills. Not wishing to really upset the pigeon/ dove lovers too much, I must say that most doves in the aviary turn into projectiles and pose a health hazard for many finches. Let’s face it, even the ever-popular Diamond Dove Geopelia cuneate is a ‘grey torpedo’ when disturbed, and its small stature makes it huge by comparison to even the largest finch. Many of the other pigeons are just too big or plain ‘mental’ for inclusion around finches, no matter how large the aviary. The bigger the aviary, the greater the momentum of the larger body when striking the smaller body. I tried Bleeding Heart Doves, but they were too big and too flighty and even native Bar-shouldered Doves were not the best for my finch aviaries. Then I saw a pair of Peaceful Doves at what passed for the local bird shop when I was an impressionable youth. ‘Peaceful’ Dove? Who on earth named them that, I wonder? Maybe they are peaceful in their native bush setting, but introduce them into your aviary at your own peril—entry to their enclosure required some form of metal headgear! Back to the bird shop they went, to the
Masked Dove male
exasperation of the owner. She told me that she’d just got in some Masked Doves. She said they were pretty knocked about and not very colourful but that she would ‘do me a deal I couldn’t refuse’. UN-MASKING THE SOLUTION Knocked about didn’t quite cover these Masked Doves, as their customary long beautiful tails were stumps and they lacked more than a few head and body feathers. They certainly didn’t possess any vibrant colours but, given I’ve always been attracted to drab coloured birds anyway, I thought what the hell. One thing I did notice was that they appeared to show no concern at my proximity to them and simply sat there and stared back at me from behind their wire front cage. They were most unlike the other doves I’d seen, where their usual response was to flutter up and down the cage like lunatics and shed as many feathers as possible in doing
so, or to attempt to escape the cage by boring a hole in the roof with their heads! Maybe these doves were in that bad a nick they simply didn’t have the energy to do so, I postulated. So I decided to give these mangled Masked Doves a last-ditch effort in order to have something apart from finches in my cages. Why pigeons or doves? I had been down the quail road, but they scoffed too much live food and flew around on moonlit nights, plus their incessant calling at night must have disrupted the finches—drove me nuts at any rate. Quail versus baby finch can have but one disastrous outcome! I tried various Neophemas and found that they too liked to fly around on moonlit nights—especially the Bourke’s Parrot—and although they can survive mid-air collisions with finches magnificently, the same can’t be said for the finch! So I began what was the start of a lifelong relationship with these Masked Doves. The
A Wild Aside
On a trip to the Mornington Wildlife Sanctuary in the Kimberley region of Western Australia, I was amazed to see a host of Diamond Doves as we travelled. They were one of the most common birds in some parts of the region. ‘Radiator birds’ was what one chap called them because of their habit of sitting right in the middle of the road and waiting until the car was almost on top of them before flying up directly into the car’s radiator! And indeed that’s exactly what one did a few kilometres down the road.
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CANARY CHATTER WORDS AND PHOTOGRAPHS BY BRIAN BOHL
Breeding Canaries in Australia Part 5
I
n this penultimate article of the series, I will discuss egg-laying, fitness, the influence of calcium, incubation, and hatching.
AGE OF BREEDING PAIR Both male and female canaries are sexually mature at nine months of age and, in theory, they are equipped physically to reproduce. However, experienced canary breeders know that the pairing of males and females that are both under one year old usually result in clear eggs, abandoned eggs or poor feeding from both parents producing dead-in-nest youngsters. This is quite demoralising to the novice canary breeder but the situation can be avoided by a slight change in breeding strategy. There are a number of breeders who will not pair less than one-year-old birds under any circumstances, and they rigidly adhere to this decision. They combine a younger bird with a corresponding male or female over one year old which will bond with the younger, inexperienced canary and guide it through the reproduction process. I recall pairing a two-year-old male with a less-than-one-year female some years back and the young female canary had absolutely no idea about how to construct her nest. The more experienced male painstakingly built her nest during the day and then taught her how to finish the process by lining the sides and bottom of the nest with soft tissue. When chicks finally arrived, he again took control and mentored her through the chick-rearing process. I’m not suggesting that canaries less than a year old should never be paired during the breeding season because, in certain cases, only young birds may be available to the breeder and he or she must take the chance that parenthood will be successful. In my own breeding program, appropriate
Female canaries are placed in breeding cabinets and males (in front cages) are gradually introduced
pairing of older to younger partners is the preferred method. FITNESS TO BREED Because female avian ovulation is the initial step in the process of egg formation, anything that limits or interferes with female ovulation will affect the vital egglaying process. Obesity in female canaries will have a negative effect on their ability to ovulate, so keeping females in peak physical condition with sound nutrition and adequate flight exercise prior to breeding is essential. Obesity in male canaries has been shown to affect semen production and the quality of the semen produced. Also with obese male canaries, the breast muscles can protrude beyond the bird’s keel bone and a ball of fat develops in the area between the lower abdomen to just above the pelvic arch. Males with significant fat reserves in this area will have limited agility, which can result in poor fertilisation. A fellow breeder once told me ‘Keep your males lean, mean and keen if you want good results from your boys during the canary breeding season’. When selecting both sexes for breeding, the intuitive breeder will feel and check
the girth around the bird’s body, just above the legs. When it comes to adequate flight cage exercise prior to the breeding season, some fanciers allow both sexes to fly together free as a community and don’t separate males and females until the appropriate photoperiod and temperature conditions are almost ideal. This was a question that I needed answered before entering the fancy, and my research convinced me that male and female canaries should be kept separate and only brought together during the annual breeding period. Contrary to the myth that male canaries should not be kept together for fear of fighting and aggression, I have housed upwards of 20 male canaries in a single flight for months prior to the breeding season and, other than the occasional squabble over greens and treats, they have co-existed peacefully. CALCIUM All egg-laying avian species have a critical dependence on calcium in their system for the egg-laying process to be successful, with no detrimental effects on the female. It influences reproduction, bone formation, egg-shell manufacture, blood coagulation,
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