Print and Digital Magazine PurchasesPrint Subscriptions at www.birdkeeper.com.au or email: birdkeeper@birdkeeper.com.au Digital Single issues and Subscriptions available at www.pocketmags.com

Enquiries Email: birdkeeper@birdkeeper.com.auPhone: 07 5568 0011 (Australia) +7 5568 0011 (International)Postal: PO Box 2330 Burleigh BC QLD 4220

latest issueSNEAK PREVIEW

Q See Contents for Complete List of Articles

Q Preview of Some Articles

T H E P R E M I E R P E T & A V I A R Y B I R D M A G A Z I N E

VO L 29 I S S U E 2 • A P R- M AY 2016

Amazons

Purple-crowned Blue Rainbow

R E D S I S K I N SM A J O R M I T C H E L L’S

C O C K A T O O S B I R D T R A I N I N G T I P S

M A S K E D D O V E SP I G E O N S

T H E P R E M I E R P E T & A V I A R Y B I R D M A G A Z I N E

71

Volume 29 Issue 2

regulars78 INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCES: Breeding the Major Mitchell’s CockatooBy Lubomir Tomiska

82 BREEDING AUSTRALIAN PARROTS: Purple-crowned LorikeetsBy Barry Blanch

86 ABOUT BIRDS: ‘Lactating’ BirdsBy Kit Prendergast

90 BUILDING BLOCKS FOR BETTER BIRDS: Five Pro Training Tips By Rebecca K O’Connor

92 FINCH FOCUS: Red SiskinsBy Russell Kingston

109 FINCH FUNDAMENTALS: Masked Doves—the Finches’ FriendBy Marcus Pollard

112 HOOKBILL HOBBYIST: The Real Scoop on Lory PoopBy EB Cravens

114 THE WISE OWL: Nowhere to HideBy Dr Milton Lewis

116 AVIAN HEALTH WITH DR BOB: Aspergillosis—the Silent KillerBy Dr Bob Doneley

119 CANARY CHATTER: Breeding Canaries in Australia—Part 5By Brian Bohl

122 CONSERVATION:• LPF: Nine Lear’s Macaws Go Wild

in Brazil• WPT: Fighting Illegal Grey and Timneh

Parrot Trade in AfricaBy Carolyn Pradun

124 WILD CORNER: Ruby, the Rainbow LorikeetBy Dr Claude Lacasse

125 LAST CHIRP• Diamond Dove ‘Albino’ Mutation?

By Paul O’Neill• 59th Annual ABS Show

Hailed As Best YetBy Wayne Robinson

• Win an Australian Opal Series Coin—the Rough-scaled Python By The Perth Mint 128 classifi eds

CONTENTSCOVER: BLUE RAINBOW LORIKEET

92 78

VO L 29 I S S U E 2 • A P R- M AY 2016

Amazons

Purple-crowned Blue Rainbow

R E D S I S K I N S

M A J O R M I T C H E L L’S C O C K A T O O S

B I R D T R A I N I N G T I P SM A S K E D D O V E S

P I G E O N S

T H E P R E M I E R P E T & A V I A R Y B I R D M A G A Z I N E

73

features73 AMAZONS IN AUSTRALIABy Andrew RankmoreEarly availability and pair compatibility issues have been overcome, with the popularity of a range of Amazon species continuing to grow.

96 BENGALESE FINCH FOSTERING IN INDONESIABy Peter OdekerkenPeter revisits an old friend in central Java and lets his camera do the talking.

98 PROTECTING YELLOW-SHOULDERED AMAZONSBy Dr David WaughDavid describes the tough job faced by conservationists in an unforgiving environment.

100 RACING PIGEONS—ENDURANCE ATHLETESBy Tas GazisWhat makes the racing pigeon capable of its incredible feats of speed and homing?

102 THE BLUE RAINBOW LORIKEETBy Jade WelchOne of the most sought-after mutations in aviculture is now on its way to being established.

106 NYASA LOVEBIRDSBy David MonrogerPretty and delicate, these birds can prove very diffi cult to breed.

102

73

Amazons provided several challenges because they were particularly hard to defi nitively 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 aff ord them. Species such as the Blue-fronted, Yellow-naped, Double Yellow-headed and Lilac-crowned hit the wider market for the fi rst time. This was further bolstered by the opening of importation in the 1990s that allowed the arrival of ‘new

Lilac-crowned Amazon

blood’ to fi nally 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.

Australia 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.

THE EARLY DAYSPrior 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 defi ned 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,

WORDS AND PHOTOGRAPHS BY ANDREW RANKMORE

J WEL

CH

78

WORDS AND PHOTOTRAPHS BY LUBOMIR TOMISKA

INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCES

Breeding the Major Mitchell’s Cockatoo

Introducing Lubomir TomiskaLubomir 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 fi nals 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 fi ndings in several Czech and foreign aviculture magazines. In 2015 he started the world’s fi rst psittaculture-based 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.

Major Mitchell’s Cockatoo Cacatua leadbeateri leadbeateri

countries it is called the Major Mitchell’s or Pink Cockatoo.

There are two possible Latin names used for this species. Although generally classifi ed in the genus Cacatua, Forshaw (2002) indicated the diff erences between Major Mitchell’s Cockatoos and other white cockatoos are so signifi cant 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 classifi ed 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.

Major Mitchell’s Cockatoo Cacatua leadbeateri mollis

There 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.

TAXONOMYThe Czech or German name Inka Kakadu was fi rst 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

82

WORDS BY BARRY BLANCH Grad Cert App Sc. Ornithology PHOTOGRAPHS BY JULIE BLANCH

BREEDING AUSTRALIAN PARROTS

Purple-crowned Lorikeets

Purple-crowned Lorikeets (from left): female, male and juvenile

Purple-crowned Lorikeets Glossopsitta porphyrocephala are small birds that belong to the Loriinae subfamily of parrots in the Glossopsitta

genus. They are classifi ed 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 fl owering 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 identifi ed as either species. Over the past 20 years, the Purple-crowned Lorikeet has become very popular in Australian aviculture. Purple-crowned Lorikeets male (left) and female

Purple-crowned Lorikikeets (from left): female, male and juvenile

ned urple-crowneLorikeets lossopsittaGlo

92

The 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 eff ort 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 fi nch 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

Red Siskins —The Australian Experience

WORDS AND PHOTOGRAPHS BY RUSSELL KINGSTON OAM

FINCH FOCUS ON AUSTRALIAN FINCHES

Pair of Red Siskins—male (top) and female (below)

Red Siskins may be kept and bred in a colony

109

Masked Doves—the Finches’ Friend

WORDS AND PHOTOGRAPHS BY MARCUS POLLARD BSc (Hons)

FINCH FUNDAMENTALS

Just 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 fl ight feathers have a brownish edge and they have a small spot of metallic fl ash on the wing—a tiny version of that on our magnifi cent 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 fi nches, 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 fi nches. 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 fi nch. Many of the other pigeons are just too big or plain ‘mental’ for inclusion around fi nches, 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 fl ighty and even native Bar-shouldered Doves were not the best for my fi nch 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

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 SOLUTIONKnocked 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 fl utter 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 eff ort in order to have something apart from fi nches in my cages.

Why pigeons or doves? I had been down the quail road, but they scoff ed too much live food and fl ew around on moonlit nights, plus their incessant calling at night must have disrupted the fi nches—drove me nuts at any rate. Quail versus baby fi nch can have but one disastrous outcome! I tried various Neophemas and found that they too liked to fl y around on moonlit nights—especially the Bourke’s Parrot—and although they can survive mid-air collisions with fi nches magnifi cently, the same can’t be said for the fi nch!

So I began what was the start of a lifelong relationship with these Masked Doves. The

Masked Dove male

P O

DEK

ERKE

N

A Wild AsideOn 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 fl ying up directly into the car’s radiator! And indeed that’s exactly what one did a few kilometres down the road.

119

Breeding Canaries in Australia Part 5

WORDS AND PHOTOGRAPHS BY BRIAN BOHL

CANARY CHATTER

In 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 fi nish the process by lining the sides and bottom of the nest with soft tissue. When chicks fi nally 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

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 aff ect the vital egg-laying process. Obesity in female canaries will have a negative eff ect on their ability to ovulate, so keeping females in peak physical condition with sound nutrition and adequate fl ight exercise prior to breeding is essential.

Obesity in male canaries has been shown to aff ect 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 signifi cant 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 fl ight cage exercise prior to the breeding season, some fanciers allow both sexes to fl y 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 fi ghting and aggression, I have housed upwards of 20 male canaries in a single fl ight 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 eff ects on the female. It infl uences reproduction, bone formation, egg-shell manufacture, blood coagulation,

Female canaries are placed in breeding cabinets and males (in front cages) are gradually introduced

Implementing these lights into your bird’s daily life aids in improving feeding and breeding behaviour

UVA & UVB Bird Lamp and Tubes

Call Anthony on 0481 332 329 or Find us on Facebook Arcadia Reptile and Bird Australia

60

M A K E S A L E S B Y A D V E R T I S I N G I N A U S T R A L I A ' S H I G H E S T C I R C U L A T I N G B I R D M A G A Z I N E

GALAHSBLUE AND SPLITSMATURE CINNAMON COCKSPLIT LUTINO COCKS

AFRICAN GREYSMACAWSBLUE & GOLD

Phone Tod Osborne (03) 5762 3724

KARMIC AVIARIESEST 1984

VIOLET AND PIED RINGNECKSBlue Series Green-cheeked ConureLutino in Quakers and Alexandrines

Dilute Red-collared LorikeetsCaiques, Amazons and Hahn’s Macaws

Lutino Galah and Little CorellasPhone 0409 401 839

WINDWOOD AVIARIESBirds for coming seasonINDIAN RINGNECKS Opaline in Blue, Green, Violet, Emerald, CobaltDominant Pieds in Cobalt, Violet, Emerald, Blue, PastelWhitehead Whitetails in Violet, Emerald, Grey, Blue, PastelCobalt, Violet, Emerald and combinationsSCARLET-CHESTED PARROTSViolet Green split White-fronted BlueViolet Blue, Violet ParblueViolet SeagreenLUTINO TURQUOISINES BLUE BLUE-WINGED PARROTSLay-By Available, Orders TakenWill Freight Aust WideCall 0431 495 899 or email windwoodaviaries@bigpond.com

INDIAN RINGNECK MUTATIONS

www.ourringnecks.comEmail: raelene@ourringnecks.com

Phone Raelene 0409 438 620

HANDREARING FORMULAS

IN BULK

Freight Australia WidePhone Kim 0414 342 087

Pet City, Mt Gravatt

MutationMOUSTACHE

MutationPLUMHEADS

MutationINDIAN RINGNECKS

VOSMAERI ECLECTUSLUTINO GALAHS

Phone Nigel (02) 6865 2261

PRIVATE BREEDERS FOR OVER 30 YEARS

INDIANRINGNECKEDMUTATIONSClear-headed Clear-tailedIn all colours & SplitsViolets, Violet Lacewings,Violet Greens,Lacewings—all colours.Mauve & CobaltRingnecks —all colours.Single & Breeding pairs.MOUSTACHE PARROTSSUN CONURESSCARLET-CHESTED PARROTSPLUM-HEADS, ALEXANDRINES,PRINCESS PARROTS—Yellows and splitsFISCHER’S & MASKED LOVEBIRD MUTATIONSFREIGHT AUSTRALIA WIDEPhone Peter Russell (07) 3261 7663or 0402 227 195TOP QUALITY BIRDS GUARANTEED

Bird AviariesBird AviariesBird Aviaries

Walk-in hexagonal designs - a range of sizes. Modular design. Galvanised front with sheeted backs, weatherproof. Flat-pack. Bolt-together assembly. In stock.

Phone Steve @ Shed27 Capalaba Tel 07-32455122 or 0414-656577

BLUE AND GOLD MACAWS

AVAILABLE NOWFrom 4 months old to

14 months old. Hand reared and Aviary bred

Happy to ship interstate Birds are fed Roudybush and

fresh fruit and water daily Sexing Certificate provided

SMS 0418 644 444 Dural NSW

Get Double the Exposure for your Advertising— in Print and on the Web* *Only Available to Print Advertisers

CLASSIFIED ADVERTISEMENTS $20 extra

DISPLAY ADVERTISEMENTS $30 extra

ADVERTISE your Birds and Products on BirdKeeper Website

Be Seen Before BirdKeeper Hits the Streets!

Phone 07 5568 0011 or email birdkeeper@birdkeeper.com.au