Reen Avadavats Was Amandava Formosa Liberated Eight Years Ago
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hehind provide considerable protec reen tion. one the less, during our high veld winters temperatures frequently drop to zero at night. .. " F.C. Barnicoat (1975) goes on to relate: "It was into this flight that the Avadavat original pair of Green Avadavats was Amandava formosa liberated eight years ago. This pair bred five young in the first season and by Joseph Lindholm III in each subsequent years between five Keeper/Birds Fort Worth Zoological Gardens and nine have been reared to maturi ty. From time to time, orne of the hough never commonplace, somewhat crowded, not terribly large stock has been old... Mr. Steyn has this wa a familiar species in aviary, right along a public path inside tried to keep the number of pairs... T cagebird literature, 0 it was the Tropical Hou e. Cagemates includ down to one or two. This ha been a rather shocking when it was officially ed various Asian and Australian finches, dicey position as losses do occur from listed as Thr atened (Collar & Andrew, as well as some small softbills. Jimmy time to time, but so far the breeder has 1988). Pinchner, former Curator of Birds at been lucky and he considers this pro It is not clear if this is actually a van iY1innesota Zoological Gardens, told me cedure better than overcrowding. ishing bird. It does have a scattered a number of the juvenile mortalities Detailed record have not been kept, range in Northern India and parts of were due to chicks leaving the nest and beyond that Green Avadavat have Pakistan, and some of these disjunct being trod upon by Roul Roul reared young for eight consecutive population may have been reduced Partridges. year ; probably to the eventh genera (or eliminated) by commercial trapping. At the same time, from the tion or nearly that. An interesting fact is At any rate, India has not allowed their Minnesota birds, it appeared this that no ne hlood has at any stage export for some time. It wa thus a mys species was susceptable to cool tem been added and the present little flock tery as to where the ones reaching the . peratures, and needed to be maintained i' d sc nded from the one original U.S. (through Europe), over the last sev at. temperatures above 60°F. From these pair. Ther ha been no attempt at eral years, originated from. I was told in experiences the Passerine Taxon selective breeding, the birds being all seriousne s by one ource that they Advisory Group (AZA, 1997) sugge ted allowed to choose their own mates. came out of China. However, the ship that the Green Avadavat "is a delicate They have not deteriorated in any way ments arriving in 1997 quite definitely pecies mo t suitable for small indoor however. [Rand Avicultural] Society came fron1 Pakistan (Danny Gonzalez enclosures of 'semi-desert climate. members were recently able to com pers. comm.). Ho e er, thi r port goe on to tate: pare the latest generation with some All that aside, after an absence of "Further re earch may di pute this th newly imported pecimens and they some years, quite a numher were com Ory as it appear to have been main Photo by J. Christopher Davis mercially imported from 1994, up to tained successfully outdoors, year the Septemher, 1997 han on imports round to near-freezing winter tempera due to the Wild Bird Conservation Act. tures." To my knowledge, there have been This, in fact was the case, as docu few breedings of the Green Avadavat mented by the South African avicultur in the U.S .. I am not aware of an offi ist F.C. Bamicoat (1975). He presents a cial first U.S. breeding record, nor am I detailed account of the succe ses of H. aware of any published account from Steyn, near Johannesburg. Mr. teyn Arrierican private aviculturists. was a specialist in Australian Finches When the American Zoo and and small psittacine . In front of a 65 Aquarium Association's North American foot long range of breeding aviaries, Regional Collection Plan for Passerines he constructed a safety aisle eight feet was drafted in Seattle in 1995, the only wide and six feet high. "To prevent U.S. zoo breeding records were for the this flight from proving an entire waste Minnesota Zoological Gardens. The ofaviary space it was attractively plant International Zoo Yearbook (Zoological ed with shrubs... There i no shelter to Society of London, 1982, 1986-7) this aviary whatever, and apart from reports Green Avadavat breedings at the protection ofvery limited overhead Minnesota for three years. In 1980, six cover provided by some green fibre hatched, but all died. The only one glass sheeting, the bird are fully hatched in 1984 died. However, in exposed to the elements. Of course 1985, one ofthe six hatched survived to the aspect of the aviary on a north-fac A Green Avadavat in tbe qff-exhibit breeding independence. All this took place in a ing slope is favourable and the aviaries progra1rl. at the Fort Worth Zoological Park. the afa WATCHBIRD 49 appeared to be not only steadier, but a pair of Red-eared Waxbills..." and female constructed the nest, and slightly larger than the fresh imports Given such interesting reports, and roosted at night in what they had built, and equally well coloured. It is well in light of the Fort Worth Zoo's previ from they day they began. The roof of known that featherplucking among ous success with the closely related this nest took shape on 10 May, and it this species is frequently a problem. Golden-breasted Waxbill Amandava was practically finished the nest day. This has never occurred among the subflava (of which 53 were fully On the 22 May, I returned from a aviary-bred birds, whose smooth reared between 28 October 1994 and week's absence to discover this nest plumage has stood them in good stead 20 August 1995 (Lindholm, 1996)), it held five eggs. Both parent birds fled on the show bench..." was decided to attempt off-exhibit the nest when I checked. Barnicoat (975) continues: "Feeding breeding of Green Avadavats. This nest was not checked again has also been simple. No live food of From some time in the 1980s, there until 31 May, when I found two chicks, any kind was used to supplement their had been no specimens in American one obviously newly hatched, as both diet, though doubtless... the birds have Zoos. Four pairs were obtained from halves ofthe shell were still in the nest. been able to find a certain amount of Nonn Kopecki, in South Dakota, on 11 The next day, the .other three eggs aphids and other insects... The only March, 1996. These birds were wild had not hatched, but the chicks looked supplement food the Green Avadavats imports. vigorous. At the next nest check, on 4 have taken to is the moistened brown On 25 April, 1996, all four pairs June, one chick was missing. On 6 bread and 'ProNutro' pushed through were released in a compartment ofFort June, the remaining chick appeared the wire ofthe adjoining aviaries for the Worth Zoo's off exhibit Avian weak and unresponsive, so at 8:20 A.M. parakeets... As companions in their Reproduction Center. This aviary mea it was transferred to a pair of Society large flight the Green Avadavats have sures 14 feet long, 7 feet wide, and 91h Finches with a proven track record with not had many birds. There has always feet high. For most ofthe year, the ARC fostering Gold-breasts. They accepted been one pair of doves, the species is an outdoor facility. From October the chick at once, which was still alive being changed from time to time. On through March, this complex of four that evening, but was discovered dead the ground a pair ofquail has bred well compartments and a service corridor is the next morning. The Societies were through the years. There has usually covered in plastic and heated, so that still sitting tightly, and there was some been a pair of Violet-eared Waxbills the temperature never goes below seed in the'crop. Two of the three with them, and at present there is also freezing. On sunny winter days, how unhatched eggs had no detectable ever, air conditioning is essential as development, while the third held an temperatures inside the plastic rise embryo in mid-development. quickly. The compartment in question From 9 June through the twelfth, "Take Control Of Your Aviary Records" is planted with Ficus benjamina and four eggs were laid by the pair of creeping Ficus. Firefinches in a wicker basket inches The four pairs of Green Avadavats away from the Avadavat nest. On 12 -tAYiMtde~ were introduced along with a pair of June, I began regularly supplying two 11-.~-.r Red-billed Firefinches and an aged pair week-old crickets (tiny mealworms of Black-cheeked Waxbills. having been the only previous live ~i ; Two days after the introduction, the food). beginnings of a nest were noted in a On 18 June, I discovered an egg in With the help of noted avicultural expert and wicker basket. By 1 May, it was obvi a newly constructed Avadavat nest (of author Rick Jordan, AviMate 2 has become ous that this was a Black-cheeked which there had been no trace 15 I the professional breeder's product of choice. Waxbill nest (in which three eggs were June). This, again built entirely from Integrated records on breeders, nursery laid in May, eventually proving clear).