8 Bird Scene - October & November 2012 by Theparrotsociety

BIRD ISSUE Eight: October / November 2012

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THE KNOWLEDGE CENTRE FOR ALL PET BIRDS

The National Exhibition

All of the information you need to know for our up coming event

Introduction to the Blue Lizard

Jane Hainge tells us a heart-warming story

David Allen gives us an insight

13 iss TH u D e9 20 EC o 12 EM ut BE R

A Tale of Two Psittacines

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Parrot Society Conservation Projects

CONTENTS

BIRD SCENE: OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2012

CONTENTS 44

Donate to our CONSERVATION FUND… CLICK THE LINK BELOW: www.theparrotsocietyuk.org/donations.php

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28 38 44

The National Exhibition How we arrived at where we are now Introduction to the Blue Lizard David Allen gives us details about this fascinating canary.

ON THE COVER

BIRD ISSUE SIX: OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2012

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THE KNOWLEDGE CENTRE FOR ALL PET BIRDS

THE NATIONAL EXHIBITION

All of the information you need to know for our up coming event

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PARROT SOCIETY CONSERVATION PROJECTS A TALE OF TWO PSITTACINES

INTRODUCTION TO THE BLUE LIZARD

Jane Hainge tells us a heart-warming story

David Allen gives us an insight

13 IS TH SU D E8 20 EC O 12 EM UT BER

A Tale of Two Psittacines Jane Hainge gives us her experiences with her two pets Parrot Society Conservation Projects Details of all the current projects supported by The Parrot Society BENGALESE FINCHES Part II of this interesting article by Tony Edwards

BIRD SCENE: Issue Eight: OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2012 BIRD SCENE is run by The Parrot Society UK, 92A High Street, Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire, HP4 2BL, England. FOR SALES AND EDITORIAL ENQUIRES Telephone or Fax: 01442 872245 Website: www.theparrotsocietyuk.org E-Mail: les.rance@theparrotsocietyuk.org

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Introduct B

ird Scene went ‘live’ on Monday 22nd August 2011 and was our ‘new challenge for 2011’. This eighth issue will I hope give readers the same level of quality and interest as the first. It will confirm the areas that we will

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continue to cover in future editions. Our intention to publish this e-magazine every other month has been maintained and as we always add the date of publication of the next magazine in the current edition everyone knows when to look out for the next offering. At this point it is appropriate to thank our Trade advertisers who so generously support us you will see their advertisements in this e-magazine without their assistance it is unlikely that Bird Scene would have been produced. We will continue to use Bird Scene to

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by the Editor

promote and raise donations for our Conservation activities around the world there are donation links within this issue where you can pledge money to a particular project. Additionally Bird Scene will raise awareness of The National Exhibition which will be held at Stafford County Showground on Sunday 14th October, details of the build up to this years show appear on pages 38 to 43. Large banners publicising Bird Scene are prominently displayed at The National Exhibition which will receive an attendance of over 6,000 visitors and provide the ideal location to promote this e-magazine. I suppose I should not have been surprised how quickly the first edition went around the world with e-mails from America and Australia giving congratulations and offers of articles for future issues. The bird world has so many generous writers only too willing to support a new venture. I would love to know how many bird keepers have

Les Rance

We will continue to use Bird Scene to promote and raise donations for our Conservation activities around the world there are donation links within this issue where you can pledge money to a particular project. Additionally Bird Scene will raise awareness of The National Exhibition … seen this e-magazine but as it is a FREE electronic magazine for all Bird Keepers I guess that information would be hard to obtain. In this edition is the second part of an interesting article by Tony Edwards on keeping Bengalese those prolific birds that have a strong following on the Show circuit in the UK. The writer provides a wealth of information on these birds. We are also pleased to have received details from David Allen in respect of the Blue Lizard Canary I hope you enjoy this article. We are also pleased to have an article by Jane Hainge ‘A tale of Two Psittacines’. Please enjoy the read.

Les Rance, Editor, The Parrot Society UK www.theparrotsocietyuk.org | les.rance@theparrotsocietyuk.org

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ARTICLE BY: Jane Hainge

A Tale of Two Psittacines M

y story began in the early 1960’s, when I was a very young child. My grandmother bought a newly imported, wild-caught parrot whom she named “Polly”. I believe that this bird was a Yellow-Fronted or YellowCrowned Amazon (Amazona ochrocephala). Polly was a brilliant mimic. He or she (for the sake of 06

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simplicity I will refer to the bird as he) would laugh, sing and had a wide vocabulary of words which he often used in the correct context. Living amongst a large family, he was rarely without company. In warmer weather his cage was placed in the garden. However, apart from the first few months, I never saw him outside of his small, rectangular

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cage. He had no toys, one wooden perch and existed on a diet of peanuts, sunflower seeds and dried peppers. He was rarely, if ever, given fresh fruits or vegetables. Thankfully, I believe that most companion parrots fare better these days. After my grandparents passed away, Polly went to live with my uncle and has since been re-homed.

Holiday care Many years passed, I grew up, married and raised a family. I had always wanted to keep a parrot but work commitments kept me busy. My brother, Simon, was visiting peoples’ homes to repair computers. Clients of his owned an Orange-Winged Amazon (Amazona amazonica). When their relationship broke down, they offered their parrot to Simon. He brought her home, re-named her Polly and became very fond of her. I was delighted to look after her whilst Simon went away on his holidays. After about three years, she came to live with me permanently. Simon selflessly decided that her quality of life would be enhanced, as by now, I could give her more time and company than he was able. In character, she was extremely different from the parrot we grew up with. Quite probably a wild-caught bird, she was petrified of children, human hands, towels, strings, toys or anything else that was new to her. I knew that I would need to treat her with the utmost compassion. After all, I knew nothing of her past life experiences. In the 1960’s, birds were imported in far fewer numbers and conditions were better. I shudder to think about what this parrot may have suffered. She had never spoken a single word of our human language but of course understood much of ours.

He had no toys, one wooden perch and existed on a diet of peanuts, sunflower seeds and dried peppers.

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Settling in I sought information wherever I could find it, from books, magazines and talking to people experienced in parrot keeping. I learnt about correct feeding, housing, health care and positive reinforcement. It all made a lot of sense. I attached apple wood branches from the top of Polly’s cage to the picture rail, opened the roof bars and waited. Very gingerly, she would climb out and spread her wings. After some time, Polly would preen my hair and in return enjoy a full head massage. To encourage Polly to return to her cage, I would entice her with a small piece of cheese. After the initial settling-in period, I bought a much larger cage, one that would fit through the doorway so that Polly could join us in the lounge in the evenings. She loves to watch the television, especially wildlife programmes. This cage does not have seed catchers around the base, but sheets of perspex. Polly was rather anxious about moving house. The food pots and all her wordly possessions were placed inside the new cage. The doors were removed and the cages placed together. Polly would not climb into the new cage until I had darkened 08

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her old one by covering it with a sheet. This prompted her to scurry into her new home and she has never looked back since. My next purchase was a large wooden playstand which I attached to her cage with apple wood branches. Polly would climb out but it took her many weeks before she approached the stand. Nowadays, she will fly out from her cage onto the stand. Still very wary of hands, I taught her to step onto a hand-held perch and fly to me when asked, using small food treats. I carried her around the house on the perch to get her used to different situations but she flew and clung nervously to my back. Needless to say, this particular exercise has not been repeated. A big decision After Polly had been living with myself and my husband Keith, for about a year, I began to consider whether to get another parrot. Would Polly be jealous? Would the birds get along together? Would I favour the new, possibly more tame addition? What species should I buy? I asked myself these questions for many months. In the Autumn of that year, I visited Loro Parque in Tenerife and saw the largest collection of parrots that I had ever seen. I studied their behaviour and took note of their characteristics. The following Spring I visited the Tropical Bird Gardens at Desford in Leicestershire. This is an amazing place where, amongst the large aviaries, some parrots fly freely. Many were pet birds that now enjoy being handled and meeting the public. These can be found outside in the courtyard on trees and perches. One can hold

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Many were pet birds that now enjoy being handled and meeting the public. These can be found outside in the courtyard on trees and perches. One can hold Amazons, Lories, Macaws, Caiques, Greys, Cockatoos and Eclectus. Amazons, Lories, Macaws, Caiques, Greys, Cockatoos and Eclectus. The staff here all have one thing in common; a deep empathy for the parrots. It was here, whilst eating lunch, that I spotted a Black-headed Caique (Pionites melanocephala)

strutting across the lawn. I crouched down in front of him, a little distance away and offered my finger. He purposefully made his way towards me and stepped up. One could not imagine a dirtier looking bird with many pin feathers around his neck and back, but he was confident and very happy. He stayed with me for some time and shared my salad. I was smitten! By the time I had returned home my mind was made up.

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A long journey By now, it was late April. I searched on the internet for a young Black-headed Caique, but it was perhaps too early on in the breeding season. Eventually, I saw an advertisement for a handreared bird, ten months of age and believed to be female. Her name was “Billie” and her owner, Lisa, wished to sell her because she was expecting her first baby and felt unable to cope. The problem was that Lisa lived up in Lancashire, which meant a 7 or 8 hour round trip by road from my house in Buckinghamshire. As it happened, my son, Martin, called to see us that evening. He’d recently passed his driving-test and was a good driver, I’d spent many hours sitting next to him whilst he was practising.

Polly loves a spray bath as much as Billie hates it. She loses all her inhibitions, spreads both wings fully and gets thoroughly wet. Once, I was giving Polly her bath when Billie went and hid behind a large pot in the recess of the room. 10

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Martin was keen for more experience and offered to take me. On a beautiful morning in May last year, using his satellite navigation system, we set off at around 9 a.m. About halfway, we stopped for a break, then continued on our journey and met with some very heavy traffic. I began to fret. What if the bird was sick? Perhaps Lisa had changed her mind and didn’t want to sell after all. Maybe we would find no one at home. We arrived at 1.45 p.m. My concerns were unfounded. Once there, we saw a little parrot gaily hopping from Lisa’s shoulder onto that of her mother, then back again. I was absolutely enchanted! I stretched out my hand and was promptly bitten hard on the

Feature finger. It bled! My fault, after all Billie didn’t know me. Goodbyes were said and we headed for home. Billie’s cage was placed on the backseats of the car, whilst she travelled very well in the front, inside of the travel cage I’d brought with me. Fruit and seeds were her sustenance for our return journey. We reached home at about 6.15 p.m. Billie was fine but Martin was quite tired. Having released Billie into her cage, I went to greet Polly who had been in Keith’s company for the day. When Polly met Billie As soon as Polly saw Billie, she was transfixed. Having always enjoyed watching parrots on the television, she now shared the room with one! From the beginning, both birds came out of their cages together. I trust Polly, she is a gentle bird unless she perceives a real threat. I covered the open fireplace and the top of both cages. Our new addition was a real “live-wire” and into everything! Billie had been wing-clipped. I could see no reason for this so allowed her feathers to grow out. Should there ever be a confrontation between them, each parrot would need the ability for full flight to make a hasty retreat. Billie once flew onto Polly’s stand base causing Polly to prepare for flight. I removed her instantly. This happened again much more recently. I watched out of the corner of my eye as Billie cautiously climbed the ladder towards Polly. Polly raised her head feathers in a friendly manner but very softly lunged towards Billie, “Back off”, she was saying. Billie flew to my shoulder.

A new routine Within a short time, I bought a much larger cage for Billie, a stand and more toys. Occasionally, she would lose her grip on a perch and fall. Polly would be most concerned. In the evenings, she too joined us in the lounge. With both cages pushed tightly together, the birds were able to interact with each other and the bars between them added to their confidence. Polly began to mirror much of Billie’s bold behaviour and, as a result, has become much more confident herself. Polly loves a spray bath as much as Billie hates it. She loses all her inhibitions, spreads both wings fully and gets thoroughly wet. Once, I was giving Polly her bath when Billie went and hid behind a large pot in the recess of the room. Only when she felt it was all over, and she was safe, did I see a little head peeping from around the corner. I do not spray Billie any more, I only have to spread my paperwork across the table beside her cage and she will bathe herself enthusiastically in her water dish and soak everything. There has been no jealousy. Polly was here first, so is first to be fed, to leave her cage and last to be returned. Her routine has remained the same. Once each week I take Billie upstairs to a back room for some quality time on our own. She loves to sit on a perch that is suctioned to the window and watch my neighbours and the wild birds. She understands that windows are a barrier, whereas Polly does not. Billie loves to go into the garden in a smaller cage whenever the weather is BIRD SCENE 11

fine. Unfortunately, I cannot now do likewise with Polly, since she has seen the Red Kites soaring above. The last time, she started to thrash about wildly in her cage. I brought her back inside as I feared she would hurt herself. Polly is generally a quiet bird, but, peculiar to her species, she can make a sound that resembles a giant seagull. One late afternoon, as some people were walking past the house, Polly gave full voice to this noise. Everyone stopped and stared upwards towards our rooftop - whatever did they expect to see? Billie has a very high - pitched contact call. So as our neighbours are not disturbed unduly, I answer her with a soft, “swish,swish,swish,” 12

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sound. This, she has adopted herself and life is more peaceful as a result. I have had the gender of each parrot determined by sending away newly moulted feathers. It was suggested that I pluck 3 or 4 feathers from their chests, but this I could never do. Both were confirmed as females. Increasingly, pelleted food is recommended for parrots but I feel that a healthy bird has no need for them. Instead, I feed soaked and sprouted seeds and pulses, limited quantities of nuts, fruits, vegetables, berries and wholegrains. A calcium supplement is added twice each week and vitamins daily. Both birds enjoy their food immensely.

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Stimulation is of huge importance. Polly loves sisal filled canvas streamers knotted with wooden beads. She enjoys undoing the knots and crunching up the beads. Billie is easily kept occupied with a shallow bowl of water upon which are floating pieces of wood, plastic bottle tops, etc. She will dabble for some time. Also enjoyed are wine bottle corks, twigs, pieces of cardboard and balsa wood to shred. Fresh apple wood perches are provided regularly. Both birds are glad to have each others’ company, and in time, I hope their relationship will grow. I am pleased that I introduced a second bird, each is unique and I love and respect them both for that.

Donate to our CONSERVATION FUND… CLICK THE LINK BELOW: www.theparrotsocietyuk.org/donations.php

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ARTICLE BY: Tony Pittman

Parrot Society Cons

Conservation Sub-committee under the chairmanship of Council member Tony Pittman was set up four years ago to set criteria for supporting projects and consider proposals received for submission to Council. It was agreed that on the whole supported projects should be long-term and on-going. It was 14

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also agreed that projects employing avicultural techniques and expertise as well as habitat restoration measures should be preferred. The PSUK should also consider working in partnership with other organisations. However the PSUK should not accept proposals, which involved financially supporting infra-structure for eco-tourism. This

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servation Projects was a matter for the businesses involved. Also discussed at this meeting was whether projects in countries with a GDP similar or greater than the UK should be supported. This would affect projects in countries such as Australia and New Zealand. It was finally agreed that projects in such countries would be given lower priority.

The funding for projects derives from the interest on the legacy to the PSUK from the late Council member John Mollindinia supplemented with some of the Gift Aid monies received from the UK tax authorities thanks to Garry Steptowe’s hard work in preparing the claim documentation. BIRD SCENE 15

At present the following pro

The Scarlet Macaw in Costa Rica

he Parrot Society has part-funded this conservation project based on the Osa Peninsular, Costa Rica (Pacific coast) since 2004. The regular field work includes protecting the macaws from poaching activities, installing, maintaining and monitoring nest-boxes as well as conducting an education programme in local schools. The Parrot Society UK also helps fund research projects of different types.

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At present a genetic study is being under taken under the title “Genetic Structure and Variability of the Scarlet Macaw populations in Costa Rica”. A paper will be published on the results of the study later this year and this will be accessible to interested members on the PSUK website along with other published papers produced by the project.

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ojects are receiving support:

Major Mitchell’s Cockatoo in Australia

f our six current conservation projects this is the project that we have supported for the longest and was the one first supported by the late John Mollindinia. The main objective of the project is to place tin around the trunks of nesting trees to prevent goannas (large lizards) climbing them and feeding on eggs and baby cockatoos. The following report gives an excellent insight into the project.

I am pleased to report that the birds still appear to be doing well, most species travelling between water holes vital to their existence. A recent clash between conservationists and tree loggers cited the Barraband as vulnerable but that is not the case as their habitat range covers almost two thirds of New South Wales, a vast area. There is still a fair amount of trapping to do particularly on playing fields and

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Major Mitchell’s C

golf courses where the cockatoos cause a great deal of damage. It is fairly demanding as I am the only licensed government trapper left to do that type of work. The funding from The Parrot Society UK came through OK, thank you for that. Fuel is one of the main issues now when travelling vast distances the grant helps with tyres etc: Last season was a very good breeding time for the Major Mitchell’s cockatoos. It is important that I go out when the

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Mitchell’s try to find nesting sites as a large number of Corellas are moving into the region and they monopolise the nesting trees, sadly I have to destroy these birds otherwise the Major Mitchell’s (being placid) won’t defend their own nests. I only address this issue on our tinned trees. The tinning has proved to be a deterrent to Goannas (large Lizards), Cats, Opossums, etc: and I am happy with it all. Peter Davidson has retired from Tandau Farm, he went to a great deal

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Cockatoo in Australia

of effort prior to leaving to ensure that John’s tree was well cared for. It is not easy for me to visit the area at nesting time as I am very busy checking my trees. I have sent A$500 to Peter to arrange for the water hole near John’s tree to be regularly serviced, I am sure it will be. However, every time I am in that region I will service it myself. I am not sure exactly how many young Major Mitchell’s cockatoos John’s pair has produced since we first tinned the tree in 2002 but it must be around thirty.

Meantime a number of landowners in the western Division are now aware that nests of the Majors need to be tinned and are in fact now doing so, that is good news for the birds. I enjoy receiving the P.S. magazine and always study your bird prices compared to ours some of your captive raised Australian species are cheaper in England than in Australia. That is about all the news for now I’ll touch base with you in a few months time. Regards, Ray

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The Kakapo i

any of the flightless native birds of New Zealand have suffered as a result of the introduction into New Zealand of small hunting mammals such as cats, rats and mongoose. The kakapo as a ground-living bird almost became extinct until the last surviving birds were re-located to off-shore islands that had been cleared of predators. The PSUK has assisted by supplying an incubator for hand-rearing baby kakapo. The breeding of kakapo depends on the trees producing rimu fruit providing a good supply. 20

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No rimu fruit means no young Kakapo! The following report shows the progress being made with this project:As predicted from rimu fruit counts, there was no breeding in 2010. All 33 of the chicks who fledged in 2009, including the 26 hand-reared chicks, are now free-living on Whenua Hou (Codfish Island) and Anchor Islands. Two of the original Stewart Island birds, Sass, a male, and Sarah, a female, died, reducing the population from 124 to 122. The population shrank again in January of this year

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in New Zealand (2011) when the veteran “Richard Henry”, the oldest kakapo in the world, was found dead. He was believed to be at least 80 years old. Discovered in Fiordland in 1975 he was transferred to the off-shore islands where he made a substantial contribution to the growth of the kakapo population there. He spent his last years wandering around Whenua Hou. Although there was no breeding in 2010, it has been an eventful and busy year with 33 fledglings to monitor, the premature failure of 26 transmitters and the accidental dropping of a sling-load of rat poison from a helicopter onto Anchor Island. Demographics The population of 121 birds consists of 65 males and 56 females (78 adults and 43 juveniles under 6 years old). The female population has reduced by one to be four short of the population milestone of 60 identified in the recovery plan. Sarah is only the second Stewart Island female to have died on a predatorfree, offshore island in 28 years, and the first adult female death in 19 years. Distribution The population is currently divided between Whenua Hou and Anchor Islands

Whenua Anchor Hou Island Total Females 33 23 56 Males 41 24 65 Total 74 47 121 On the basis of the fruit count data and numbers of females on each island up to 19 nests are expected on Whenua Hou and up to 7 on Anchor. This will be the first time that nesting on two islands at the same time will be managed. In order to reduce the expense and logistical difficulty of deploying human nest-minders some of these will be replaced with “electronic nest-minders”; modified Snark data loggers that will tell us when, and for how long, females have been away from the nest. BIRD SCENE 21

Campaign against illega

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al wildlife trade in Bolivia

n 2009 PSUK supported Asociacion Armonia, based in Santa Cruz in eastern Bolivia, to conduct a series of public presentations against the inhumane, unsanitary and uncontrolled illegal wildlife trade in Bolivia. The project goal was to educate the Bolivian public on the realities of the illegal pet trade to motivate public and institutional support towards the enforcement of existing laws against the trade of Bolivian wildlife as well as wildlife brought in from neighbouring countries such as Brazil. Presentations were to be made in Bolivia’s five main cities – the capital La Paz, Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Cochabamba, Trinidad and Tarija. The illegal trade of wild birds in Bolivia has been and continues to be the main threat to many parrot species. While Bolivia has created excellent wildlife protection laws which declare clearly that no one is permitted to trade Bolivian native wildlife without government consent and an authorized management plan, the illegal trade devastates parrot species with almost no law-enforcement. This threat with expanding agricultural land and ranching areas is driving trapping into the few protected areas in Bolivia. Asociacion Armonia in its conservation work with the Redfronted Macaw and the Armonia/ Loro Parque Fundacion Blue-throated

Macaw conservation programme has been studying the extent and impact of the illegal pet trade in Bolivia. Their studies found that some 37,000 individual birds are trapped from the wild into the illegal pet trade yearly, including many large CITES protected macaws, and endemic and threatened species. One must also add the number of birds that die in the process of reaching the market- possibly another 10,000. Through these studies, they were able to take hundreds of photos of parrots in appalling conditions, suffering the blind eye of Bolivia’s law. Asociacion Armonia produced 18 panels on the illegal trade using some of these photos, demonstrating to the public the horrible situation and the threats to native wildlife. These panels were presented in 4 day periods in the five cities. The illegal trade campaign raised interest by several organisations supporting Armonia’s actions – the most important being the politically placed CITES coordinator Veronica Varga for Bolivia, who requested to work directly with Armonia for 2010. The campaign was expanded to include more locations in 2010 and various national organisations such as the equivalent of the British Bar Association in Bolivia have taken notice and have become supportive. BIRD SCENE 23

Parrot Environmental Education in Columbia

he “Loro Bus - Parrot Bus driving conservation“ project with its slingshot amnesty campaign operated by ProAves in Colombia and supported by the Parrot Society UK won a prestigious international award, the National Energy Globe. In 2008

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769 projects from 111 nations were submitted and the best from each nation was honoured with a National Energy Globe. They were presented at an international gala ceremony held in Prague in the Czech Republic on 13th April.

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The Yellow-shouldered Amazon in Bonaire

he Yellow-shouldered Amazon (Amazona barbadensis) is recognized by the IUNC as vulnerable to the threat of extinction (BirdLife International 2010). Venezuelan populations appear to be in decline whereas on Bonaire the population is increasing and estimated to be around 800 individuals (January 2010 roost count). Yellow-shouldered Amazons do not construct their own nest and therefore

depend on cavities of sufficient size. Consequently, nesting areas are found in tree and cliff cavities and are generally located away from residential areas. The breeding season begins in April and continues until September. Eggs are incubated for approximately 27 days and chicks remain in the nest cavity for a further 60 days before fledging (Williams, 2009). Various threats impact on the breeding birds including illegal poaching.

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Donations to Cons

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servation projects

In order to make donations to any one of the six specific projects please click on the button www.theparrotsocietyuk.org/donations. php and you can donate using your credit card. All donations go to your selected project, no sums go toward administration. Your support will ensure that endangered parrots survive for future generations.

Donate to our CONSERVATION FUND… CLICK THE LINK BELOW: http://www.theparrotsocietyuk.org/donations.php

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BENGALESE FINCHES ARTICLE BY: Tony Edwards

O W T PART SHOW SCENE The Bengalese general show and colour standard specifies requirements for type, condition, colour, and matching of pairs. It is important to stage the birds in top condition. Even for the experienced Bengalese breeder, it can be difficult to get each member of the chosen pair in

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excellent condition for a particular show, and then to maintain it throughout a busy show season. When feathers are damaged it is best to pull them cleanly. Tail feathers will normally take six weeks to regrow. Feather plucking is not usually an issue and Bengalese can easily be prepared

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carrying some weight, but when they are too fat it spoils the bird’s outline and can make the birds lethargic. Giving pairs a few hours in a show cage before their first show of the year is often adequate for them to become steady. They are unlikely to be well placed if they do not spend time on the perches while being judged. It should be noted that for those interested in showing their birds, any birds can be shown, even those without closed rings, in the adult classes. Classes are often provided for owner bred current year closed rung birds, they are usually referred to as ‘Breeders’.

for the show bench, typically by placing them in large stock cages as small single sex groups for a few weeks and allowing them to bathe regularly. Without good feather condition the birds will not challenge for the top awards, even if the birds are of excellent type. Bengalese look better on the show bench when

The Bengalese show season is usually from late July to early January. There are now two shows promoted by the NBFA. The ‘All Bengalese Club Show’, usually hosted by an area or specialist society or run by the NBFA itself, but now any club or society can be considered to host the NBFA Club Show, independently or in conjunction with their own show. When the Parrot Society offered the opportunity for the NBFA to stage a Bengalese section at their Show Stafford in October it was gladly accepted. The NBFA has now labelled its section ‘The Bengalese National’.

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Feature SHOW CLASSIFICATION The NBFA has encouraged the keeping and exhibition of Bengalese finches for over 50 years. Bengalese are normally shown as matched pairs although single bird classes are included at larger shows. The standard NBFA classification now comprises eleven colour classes with a further class for crested birds (one crested and one without a crest) of any colour. It is:• Chocolate and White • Fawn and White • Chestnut and White • Variegated Dilutes (today Dilute Fawns and Whites only) • Any Other Colour Variegated (including other dilutes) • Self Chocolate • Self Fawn (including pastels/dilutes ) • Self Chestnut (including pastels/ dilutes) • Self Grey (including pastels/dilutes) • Self White (both birds to be the same eye colour) • Any Other Colour Self (including Pearls) • Crested (one crested and one noncrested bird)

SHOW SEASON The Bengalese show season is usually from late July to early January. There are now two shows promoted by the NBFA. The ‘All Bengalese Club Show’, usually hosted by an area or specialist society or run by the NBFA itself, but now any club or society can be considered to host the NBFA Club Show, independently or in conjunction with their own show. When the Parrot Society offered the opportunity for the NBFA to stage a Bengalese section at their Show Stafford in October it was gladly accepted. The NBFA has now labelled its section ‘The Bengalese National’. The entry has grown slowly, proving to be very popular and now attracts the largest numbers of Bengalese at any show. I believe that the 2011 entry was much larger than any entry at the Cage and Aviary Birds National Bird Show. VARIEGATED (PIED) BENGALESE The mechanisms that control the amount of white feathers on a pied bird are not fully understood, although they can be attributed to different key genes and other genes (often referred to as

Fawn & White variegated Bengalese were also first imported into Europe in the 19th Century. Cinnamon was sometimes used to describe their colour. The fawn colour should be deep and even. Genetically the chocolate colour in Bengalese is dominant to fawn.

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PARROT SOCIETY MAGAZINE: 11

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modifying factors). The occurrence of white feathering in a Bengalese typically first appears around the beak and the lower abdomen with occasional white feathers in the wings and tail. As the amount of white increases other parts will also have white feathers. The last areas to become white are often around the eyes and upper thighs. Colour standards indicate 30% white feathering but the general show standard states 50% as the ideal level, evenly balanced on both sides. Chocolate & Whites As indicated above Chocolate & White variegated (pied) Bengalese were first imported into Europe from Japan in

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the 19th century. It is one of the most popular colours, with the colour standard indicating that birds should be a deep plain chocolate. Fawn & Whites Fawn & White variegated Bengalese were also first imported into Europe in the 19th Century. Cinnamon was sometimes used to describe their colour. The fawn colour should be deep and even. Genetically the chocolate colour in Bengalese is dominant to fawn. Dilute Fawn & Whites The Dilute Fawn & White Bengalese Finch was established in the 1970s, but the origins are not clear. Initially the mode of inheritance was stated as being

Feature sex-linked recessive, although I believe that it is regarded today as being autosomal recessive (i.e. not sex-linked). The form is vary variable, from being as a normal Fawn & White, with markings welldefined but with a colour of dilute fawn or cream; or with no distinct demarcation between the dilute fawn and white areas, the colour appearing to merge with the white to give a shaded effect. The most attractive examples often display a necklace pattern of mixed dilute fawn and white feathers. It is has been suggested that the Dilute Fawn & Whites are not a separate mutation but a colour that has been produced by selective pairing of lighter birds. While I accepted that it is possible to produce very light fawns in this manner, this does not account for the necklace pattern. The show standard covers all variegated dilutes and states that they should be a dilution of the main colours; chocolate, fawn or chestnut. Chestnut & Whites The first reference I have found for Chestnut & White Bengalese was in 1976 when James Buchan referred to them as Dilute Chocolates in his book ‘The Bengalese Finch’. They must have been around for quite a number of years before then. The chestnut should be a rich colour of a horse chestnut, neither too dark nor too light. Genetically the chestnut colour in Bengalese is dominant to fawn but recessive to chocolate.

Silver & Whites Silver & White Bengalese are reported to have first appeared in the 1970s from Chestnut & Whites. They are often described as being dilute chestnut or dilute chocolates. Their actual genetic make-up is not clear, but from experience I find that from a pair consisting of a Silver & White and Dilute Fawn & White, chicks of both colours are usually produced. SELF-COLOURED BENGALESE Although they are regarded as self birds, the all white mutations are usually bred in conjunction with the pied varieties. Occasionally coloured selfs will produce chicks with white feathers; they usually appear above or below the beak, between the legs, in wings or in the tail. White feathers can also be caused by a localised effect, which is not inheritable. The show standard states that no white feathers are permissible for coloured self classes. Dark-Eyed Whites As mentioned earlier White Bengalese were the first colour to be imported into Europe from Japan. It was popular but was regarded as being more delicate than the other varieties. I believe that they disappeared from the UK until examples were imported circa 2000 from Holland. It is believed that the combination of dominant and recessive

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pied mutations when combined can produce Dark-Eyed White Bengalese (similar relationship as the DarkEyed Clears in Budgerigars). If this is true then some Whites are capable of producing a small percentage of variegated birds. In the UK there is another form, which I believe is an extreme version of the variegated (pied) dilute fawn and white, its’ feathering is not pure white, and legs and beak are not usually a pale pink. Pink-Eyed Whites This is the albino form of the Bengalese finch being pure white with pink eyes and legs. The first reported examples occurred in 1978 but the variety was not established until 1985. The mode of inheritance of the albino mutation in Bengalese in the UK and Europe is regarded as being autosomal (nonsex linked) recessive, but a Japanese co-dominant albino mutation has been identified. Every coloured Bengalese I have bred from pink-eyed whites, other than some dilute varieties, has had much lighter than its coloured ancestors. I wonder if the UK mutation is actually the same mutation as that found in Japan. Self Chocolates As indicated previously the ancestor of the Bengalese Finch is believed to be the Chinese race of the White-Rumped Munia (Lonchura Striata Swinhoei)

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which is very similar to lighter coloured Self Chocolate Bengalese. Selfs were produced in Denmark by selectively breeding variegated birds to remove white feathers. The first selfs reported were imported into the UK from Denmark in the mid-1950s as part of a foreign bird consignment. They had slight markings on the chest and no white in their plumage. Subsequently using stock originating from Denmark, both in Holland and Germany they were cross-bred with other Lonchura species. This caused significant darkening of the chocolate colour and more pronounced markings. They are often referred to as black-browns and are my wife’s favourites. Chocolate colour and inheritance are as Chocolate & Whites. Self Fawns In the UK Self Fawns were soon developed from the Self Chocolate imports, while in Germany much strongly coloured birds, described as fox reds, were produced, again using other Lonchura species. They are often referred to as red-browns. Fawn colour and inheritance are as Fawn & Whites. Self Chestnuts These are also reported as first occurring in the 1970s, an important decade in the establishing new Bengalese colours. Chestnut colour and inheritance are as Chestnut & Whites.

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Self Greys Grey Bengalese were first established in Europe in the 1980s. Prior to their import into the UK, It is probable that grey Bengalese had been bred by UK for many years, but have been discarded as poor coloured Chocolates. The grey is recessive to the other main colours and comes in combination with chocolate, chestnut and fawn. These are named blackgreys, chestnut greys and red grey in the UK recognising their European origins. Self Pastels/Clearwings Pastel Bengalese are produced by a diluting mutation (recessive inheritance) that reduces the colour of other self

varieties. It is not clear the relationship between the pastel mutation and the variegated dilute fawn and silver mutations. Selective breeding appears to have produced the clearwing forms which display dark extremities with near white wings, rump and stomach, giving an effect like belted cattle. Self Creminos/Greyinos Creminos first appeared in 1985, it’s mode of inheritance is sex-linked recessive. This read-eyed variety should a rich cream colour with rose a tinge. When combined with grey, pale grey birds referred to as Greyinos are produced.

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Self Pearls This mutation is reported as first appearing in Japan in 1982. They were first imported into Holland in 1999 and then into the UK from Holland a few years later. They are usually described as Chocolate Pearls, a chestnut colour with grey colouring on the head, wings and tail; or Grey pearls when combined with the grey mutation to give birds with differing shades of grey. Other Colours Other combinations of established colours can produce other attractive varieties, such as grey and whites. Tri-colour Bengalese with chocolate, fawn and white feathering have been produced but have not established. Crested/Frilled Crested forms were known in the UK during the 1950s. The crest should be as large as possible, radiating from a centre point on the top of the head. They can be any colour, but should be shown as a matched pair – one crested and one

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non-crested (as they are usually paired for breeding). In Japan in addition to crested birds, frilled birds also appear to be popular. There are various established combinations of crested and frilled feathering. Frizzled birds were imported into Holland from Japan, in the 1974, but the variety did not prove popular. I am not aware if the variety has ever been in the UK. CONCLUSION The Bengalese finch is a relative inexpensive, attractive and sociable addition to any bird collection, but offers a challenge for anyone wishing to become involved in breeding and exhibiting them. With the wide range of colours available, there is clearly at least one colour that would attract any birdkeeper.

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The National Exhibition MINUTES 14th October 2012 It is now six years since The Parrot Society started out on a venture of hopefully rebuilding “The National Exhibition”. The defining factor was whether it was possible for all branches of our hobby to jointly pull together and ‘make it work’ after recording such a success in the first year the question was then whether the enthusiasm would be sustained. It has indeed worked each year since the first Show in 2007 the numbers of exhibits have increased. The following Minutes show the depth of involvement of all the exhibiting clubs. Minutes of The Organising Committee - THE NATIONAL EXHIBITION 2012 Sunday 11th March at the Quality Hotel, Allesley Road, Coventry CV5 9BA Meeting commenced 2.25 pm Present: Keith Jones, Les Rance, Ray Howells, and representatives of 15 clubs that participate in The National Exhibition. 38

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1. Apologies: The Bengalese Society and the Foreign Softbill Society, and David Coombes P.S. Chairman. 2. Welcome – Especially to Australian Finch Society for joining the exhibiting clubs. 3. Review of the 2011 National Exhibition. Generally the societies were very satisfied with the 2011

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event but there are a number of improvements that need to be made and these are dealt with below. 4. Sponsorship arrangements for 2012. Richard Johnston of Johnston & Jeff has agreed to replicate the sponsorship package including rosettes and 1 tonne of seed as prizes that he donated last year, in addition he has kindly offered to store exhibition items that there is no space for at Stafford. A meeting with Malcolm Green of The Birdcare Company will be held on the 16th March and

all the indications are that he will also donate rosettes and a supply of supplements for each club. The rosettes and prize vouchers will be handed out on the Saturday this will help the Parrot Society confirming that all clubs are indeed present on that day. Ray Howells has also kindly agreed to build 22 judging stands and this will be of great benefit for the exhibition. 5. In line with the Old National it has always been intended that this event should be an Open Show and it was agreed that this will continue. If clubs so wish non BIRD SCENE 39

members will not be eligible for club rosettes but they will qualify for seed, rosettes and supplement prizes donated by the joint sponsors. 6. Parrot Society Bounty: The following notes lay out the areas that need to be followed for exhibiting clubs to qualify for the Bounty. 6.1 Erection of staging from 12.00 noon on Saturday 13th October. 6.2 Booking in of exhibits on Saturday evening 5.00 to 7.00pm and Sunday morning 7.00 to 8.30.

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6.3 Judging to be finished by 12.30. 6.4 Presentation of sponsored prizes at 14.45. 6.5 Lifting of exhibits starts at 15.15. It was agreed that three security staff would be supplied by The Parrot Society to ensure that no birds leave the Sandylands Centre until everyone is happy that all their canaries are accounted for. 6.6 Dismantling of staging and palletising starts at 15.30. 6.7 Show report to be received by the PS office by 19th October 2012. 6.8. Bounty claim forms to be

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received by PS office by 31st October 2012. 7. Free tea, coffee and biscuits supplied by The Parrot Society will be available in the Argyle Hall both on the Saturday when staging is being erected and when birds are being checked in on the Sunday morning. 8. As we are now supplying Early Entry wristbands to all Exhibitors it seems unnecessary to block access to the P.S. Selling Area between Prestwood and Argyle Centres. 9. Signage ‘The National Exhibition’

with an appropriate arrow will be provided from the Bingley Hall, through into the Prestwood Centre and then into the Argyle Centres to direct visitors to the Exhibition. Also clearer signs will be displayed on the ‘Booking In’ tables to assist exhibitors. 10. It was agreed that the barriers used to stop visitors gaining access to the exhibits during judging be put across so that they do not impede access to the club stands when the show opens at 9.30. 11. The Australian Finch Society and

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The Waxbill Finch Society requested that their Club stands be located on the Balcony of Bingley Hall, this was accepted. 12. Everyone was happy with the staging layout and in the Sandylands Centres (Canaries) it was agreed to arrange the crowd barriers to maximise the amount of window space to assist judging. Doors to the Show Halls will be opened at 7.00 on the Sunday morning. The meeting closed at 16.00. From the above you can see that we are indeed making good progress with the arrangements for the 2012 National Exhibition and the support from both Richard Johnston of the seed merchants Johnston and Jeff and Malcolm Green of

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The Birdcare Company with regard to sponsorship is very much appreciated by both The Parrot Society and the exhibiting clubs.

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ARTICLE BY: David Allen

Introduction to the Blue Lizard

he Blue Lizard is a Lizard canary but in the White ground form. Everything apart from the ground colour is the same as the Gold & Silver Lizard. The Blue Lizard has been around for a number of years both in the UK and in Europe the first birds were seen in Europe as far back as the 1950’s. In recent years there has been an increase in their popularity in the UK with a good number of them being shown in the AOV classes at large shows. In January 2011 a meeting was held at the All variety canary show and a new club was formed the Blue Lizard

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Canary Club of Great Britain. The club agreed the standard for the Blue Lizard to be the same as for the Gold & Silver Lizard, the only change being the ground colour which is White. So at the 2011 National at Stafford for the first time ever a section was put on for Blue Lizards by the newly formed club. The support by the members was amazing with 26 Blue Lizards benched. The club was really pleased with the amount of interest shown in them by visitors at the show. The appeal to some people is the fact that they do not need to be colour fed. This is correct but to breed Blue

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Lizards you need to have Gold & Silver Lizards as a Blue must be paired to a Gold or Silver Lizard preferably a Gold and these Gold & Silvers should be colour fed. The 2011National Exhibition was an excellent show to showcase the Blue Lizard to a large number of people. The club would like to thank the Parrot Society for helping them to promote their new club and birds. Blue Lizards are a dominant factor Whites so there are no hidden carriers, so a Blue Lizard is Blue or not. You need to pair a Blue Lizard to a Silver or Gold Lizard preferably, a Gold. The

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Blue has the same exhibition classes as Gold & Silver. Clear cap, Broken Cap, Non Cap with classes for both hens and cocks. Although the Blue Lizard Canary Club of Great Britain has been formed separate from the Lizard Canary Association of Great Britain, it still promotes Lizard canaries as a whole and encourages members to join the LCA as well as the BLCC. We also promote the colour feeding of Gold and Silver Lizards as we believe this enhances the ground colour of Gold and Silver Lizards. Membership of the BLCC is £10 and subscriptions should be sent to David Allen 108 Nowell Road, Rosehill, Oxford OX4 4TD. BLCC Secretary& Treasurer 01865-452476.

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More information on Blue Lizards can be found on the clubs website www.bluelizardcanary.com or you can contact David via email david. allen9750@ntlworld.com

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