every instance. Experiences with African Fires are more reliable in this regard, but do not tolerate interfer­ ence at breeding time and require lC es more privacy. Infertile eggs are numerous among this species if too crowded as copulation is easily inter­ by Lloyd Wright rupted. They are very good breeders if Madill, Oklahoma in the right environnlent. I have suc­ cessfully bred them in cages of In my 20 years of raising African approximately 3' x 3' X 2' as well as in finches, I have not found the exact a large, planted greenhollse. In the fonnula for success. cage arrangement they can be housed There are a few truisms that cannot with other benign species such as be ignored and they are that Cordon Strawberries (Red Avadavat), Bleus (red cheeks) will almost always Bichenos (Owl finches), Lady Goulds, throw chicks out of the nest when first etc., without interference. imported. After the second or third Gray and Green Singing Finches are year, greater success is had. I feel they very aggressive with all species as becolne more trusting of available well as their own and should be food to which they have become housed alone for success. I learned accustomed and successfully raise this lesson the hard way. At one tiole I their young. The offspring of the felt that unrelated species would be hatchings are lnore reliable but not in okay together and I had a pair of Red-cheeked Cordon Bleus. Green Singers and Strawberries in a large cage 4' x 5' X 3' and Strawberries had five chicks in the nest. At the same tinle the Green Singers were in the process of nesting and when the Strawberries fledged the Singer nlale attacked and killed four of the chicks before I could intervene and I was able to save only one. Needless to say, I relnoved the Singers and they have successfully raised one clutch and are on three fertile eggs at this nl01nent. The Strawberries went on to raise two clutches of three and five and are in the process of fledging four nlore. A pair of Cordon Bleus was in the cage and the Strawberry hen selected the cup nest that was in the cage for the Singers. When the chicks hatched, the St. Helena or C01rl1nOn Waxbills. Bleu nlale fed the chicks, canalY style, and beat the Strawberries to the freshly put down food. Together they finished the job. In the lneantitne, his hen was in a nearby wicker nest on infertile eggs. Another species with which I have had success is Gold-breasted Wax­ bills. These tiniest of all the waxbills are a joy to watch including listening to their delightful little song. They usually set up housekeeping in an abandoned nest of another species. Sometimes they put in fresh nlaterial but not always. They clutch three to five small white eggs and I have never known them to throw chicks out. They are intinlidated at the feeding station, especially from the Bleus, PeterJs Twinspot (n1ale). therefore I provide several feeding

4 July / Augu t 1994

AMERICAN FEDERATION OF AVICULTURE Dedicated to conservation of wildlife through encouragement of captive breeding programs, scientific research, and education of the general public. 1994 OFFICERS LAURELLA DESBOROUGH, President (51 0) 372-6174 • Fax (510) 372-0306 CHUCK SAFFELL, 1st Vice President (813) 722-0997 GARY CLIFTON, 2nd Vice President (602) 830-4920 DAVID SMITH, Chief Financial O"icer(602) 516-0561 DIANA SKALSKY, Executive Secretary (602) 830-4920 LEGAL COUNSEL VICE PRESIDENT • LEGISLATIVE AFA office, P.O. Box 56218, Phoenix, AZ 85079-6218/ (602) 484-0931 / FAX (602) 484-0109 MEMBER NATIONAL & INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS American Cockatiel Society, Inc. • Avicultural Society of America Gold Triangle Parrot Club, Canada • International Aviculturist Society Society of Parrot Breeders and EXhibitors • World Parrot Trust

MEMBER CLUBS Northeastern Region NEW JERSEY FLORIDA (SOUTH) OHIO MISSOURI State coordinator: State coordinator: State coordinator: State coordinator: Linda S. Rubin, regional vice pres. Peg Whitney (908) 542-7126 Kathleen Harring (305) 258-2377 Dianne Holloway (419) 636-3882 Carter Atwood (816) 987-3907 (617) 469-0557 Central Jersey Bird Club Cage Bird Club of Charlotte County Beakers Bird Club Gateway Parrot Club CONNECTICUT Feather Fancier's Society Greater Brandon Avian Society Classic Feathers Greater Kansas City Avicultural Firelands Exotic Bird Club State coordinator: The Real Macaw Parrot Club GEORGIA Society Golden Crescent Cage Bird Club Missouri Cage Bird Association Gustave Seehorst (203) 745-3697 PENNSYLVANIA State coordinator: Connecticut Association for Miami Valley Bird Club OKLAHOMA State coordinator: Mimi Shepherd, DVM Mid-American Exotic Bird Society Aviculture, Inc. Debra Foote (814) 967-2866 State coordinator: (404) 248-8977 Northwest Ohio Exotic Bird Club MAINE Anthracite Bird Club Aiken Bird Club Richard Bewley, (918) 366-7427 State coordinator: Central Pennsylvania Cage Bird Ciub KENTUCKY WISCONSIN Bird Fanciers of Oklahoma, Inc. Margaret Fisher Chester County Avian Society State coordinator: Central Oklahoma Bird Club State coordinator: Delaware Valley Bird Club David Bluma Oklahoma Cage Bird Society Maine State Caged Bird Society Thomas B. Angel, Jr., DVM •• :iii Erie Cage Bird Club Avian Insights Bird Club MASSACHUSETTS (606) 371-4929 TEXAS (NORTH) Greater Pittsburgh Cage Bird Society Kenosha Exotic Bird Club State coordinator: State coordinator: National Cockatiel Society Central Kentucky Cage Bird Club Madison Area Cagebird Association Nancy Meyers (413) 256-3129 Virginia Baker (214) 374-4141 Philadelphia Avicultural Society MISSISSIPPI Wisconsin Cage Bird Club, Inc. AParrot Conservation & Education Boston Cockatiel Society, Inc. York Area Pet Bird Club State coordinator: Exotic Cage Bird Society of Society VIRGINIA Maurice O. Hinton (601) 857-5168 North Central Region Dallas Cage Bird Society New England Central Mississippi Bird Club Massachusetts Cage Bird State coordinator: James McCabe, regional vice pres. Fort Worth Bird Club ~& Association, Inc. Dawn Kopf (703) 594-3841 NORTH CAROLINA (612) 753-5241 Plano Exotic Association I Blue Ridge Caged Bird Society State coordinator: TEXAS (SOUTH) .~ NEW HAMPSHIRE Commonwealth Avicultural Society Bob Beech (919) 855-8292 IOWA State coordinator: State coordinator: State coordinator: National Capital Bird Club Raleigh-Durham Caged Bird Society Ray Wangler (210) 732-8025 f Susan Fellows (603) 887-4930 .,:! Parrot Breeders Association of Alamo Exhibition Bird Club :p New Hampshire Avicultural Society Virginia Mid America Cagebird Society Coordinator: Capitol City Cage Bird Club The Aviary Bird Club of Central Midwest Parrot Club NEW YORK David Negron (809) 251-1153 Triangle Bird Breeders Club State coordinator: Virginia MINNESOTA i;J Charles Galusha (518) 686-5263 Tri·State Bird Club & Foundation SOUTH CAROLINA State coordinator: Northwestern Region it Broome County Caged Bird Club WEST VIRGINIA State coordinator: Steve Estebo (612) 432-4758 :~ Buffalo Hookbill Association Ted Stephens (803) 279-3374 Eclectus World Natalie Frumln-Welss, State coordinator: ~i Palmetto Cage Bird Club of Anderson regional vice pres. ,.'; Capital District Cage Bird Club Alexis Sellert (304) 866-3433 Central New York Caged Bird Club NEBRASKA (206) 927-6983 TENNESSEE State coordinator: Finger Lakes Cage Bird Association State coordinator: ALASKA Greater Rochester Hookbill Southeastern Region Wanda Elder (901) 853-9988 Greater Omaha Cage Bird Society State coordinator: Association Cage Bird Club of Northeast Michelle Keener (907) 345-2220 Long Island Feather Enthusiasts Rick Jordan, regional vice pres. Tennessee NORTH DAKOTA Alaska Bird Club Northern New York Pet Bird Club State coordinator: (305) 258·2373 Middle Tennessee Cagebird Club IDAHO RHODE ISLAND ALABAMA Tennessee Valley Exotic Bird Club State coordinator: State coordinator: State coordinator: SOUTH DAKOTA Wayne Tracy (208) 467-2082 * VIRGIN ISLANDS State coordinator: State coordinator: MONTANA VERMONT Bird Club of Greater Birmingham Royce King (605) 393-1720 State coordinator: Black Hills Cage Bird Club State coordinator: Central Alabama Aviculture Society Rocket City Cage Bird Club Peter Lowry (802) 754-6494 Mid-Eastern Region OREGON FLORIDA (NORTH) South Central Region Bob Smith, regional vice pres. State coordinator: state coordinator: Richard Hazell, regional vice pres. Mid-Atlantic Region (517) 764-5170 Mary Glep (407) 892·1837 (316) 681-2079 Birds Exotic All Bird Club Kayla Snyder, regional vice. pres. Central Florida Bird Breeders ILLINOIS Emerald Exotic Bird Club (215) 855-4463 Association State coordinator: ARKANSAS State coordinator: Fluttering Wings Bird Club, Inc. Emerald Coast Avian Society Bonnie Doane (708) 223-2117 DELAWARE Carol Hoenes (501) 839-2948 Mid Oregon Bird Club State coordinator: Exotic Bird Club of Florida Northwest Bird Club Florida West Coast Avian Society INDIANA Nancy Selz (302) 798.8625 State coordinator: KANSAS Gulf Coast Bird Club WASHINGTON Nicole Vander Heyden, DVM State coordinator: State coordinator: DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Imperial Bird Club Patl Hazell (316) 681-2079 State coordinator: JacksonVille Avicultural Society (317) 786·1826 Jeri Wrlght,leglslatlve liaison Central Indiana Cage Bird Kansas Avicultural Society, Inc. (206) 838-9802 Thomas Marshall (703) 777.3252 Sunshine State Cage Bird North East Kansas Cage Bird MARYLAND Society, Inc. Kentuckiana Cage Bird Club Avicultural Society of Puget Sound Slate coordinator: Tropical Cockatiel & Lovebird Michiana Bird Society Avis Northwest Bird Club LOUISIANA Cascade Canary Breeders Assoc. Brad Clark (301) 242.8471 West Florida Avian Society, Inc. MICHIGAN State coordinator (acting): West Pasco Exotic Bird Club Greater Spokane Avicultural Society State coordinator: Jeanne C. Murphy (504) 833-4241 Northwest Exotic Bird Society Dave Bowman (616) 381-5779 Fax (504) 833·4241 South Sound Exotic Bird Society Ann Arbor Cage Bird Club Acadiana Bird ClUb B.EAK.S. Bayor Bird Club Motor City Bird Breeders, Inc. Louisiana Aviculture Society Saginaw Valley Bird ClUb Town & Country Feathered Friends

6 July / August 1994 areas to avoid this. it easier to dispense. Frozen mixed In the greenhouse, 10' x 16' x 8' vegetables are put on top of the seed there is a large ficus which is the and the egg mixture on top of that to Western Region Central Coast Aviculturai Society Coastal Avian Society favorite of the St. Helenas. They have keep it cool. Nothing is left of the veg­ ilobert Gibson, regional v. p. Contra Costa Avian Society (702) 645-7608 built large, bulky, conical nests with etable and egg food mixtures when Foothill Bird Fanciers some stacked three high. This species ARIZONA Gold Country Aviculture Society the next feeding time comes around. 1 statB coordinator: Gold Country Bird Society is another good breeder but easily In the breeding season, this is done If/llchelle Rietz (602) 973·9282 Golden Gate Avian Society intimidated and benefit from the sep­ morning and noon. If the nest has four \Arizona Avian Breeder~ Assoc. Monterey Bay Cage Bird Club Arizona AVlculture Society Redwood Empire Cage Bird Club arate feeding station. or more chicks, I repeat this at night Arizona Seed Crackers Society Redwood Exotic Bird Society The greenhouse is full of many Santa Clara Valley Bird Club and it is always gone when I turn out Avicultural Society of Tucson plants such as three bougainvillia Yuma-Imperial Exotic Bird Club the light around 9:00 p.m. The green­ COLORADO State coordinator: loaded with blooms most all season, house operates on seasonal light only State coordinator: Joe 8aker (808) 966-6966 but especially beautiful in late fall and with a 60 watt night light on year Ray Vander leest (303) 795·2088 Hawaii Parrot Fanciers Inc. winter. There are many ferns, clivia, Front Range Avian Society around. Rocky Mountain Society of gardenias, tropical hibiscus and My experience with Peter Twin Aviculture, Inc. Southern California baskets of impatiens and varigated air­ Spots has not been so successful. I NEVADA Region plane plants. There are many foliage have a beautiful male for which I am State coordinator (acting): Joanne Edwards (702) 436·0110 Alella M. long, regional V.p. varieties. trying to secure a hen. Sad to say, I las Vegas Avicultural Society (213) 596-7429 In the years I have used this unit, I have spent over $1,500.00 trying to Reno Area Avian Enthusiasts CALIFORNIA (SOUTHERN) have learned what does well in it and establish this species. My first attempt NEW SAN DIEGO AREA: State coordinator: State coordinator: what does not. The species I do not in my greenhouse was semi success­ Kelly Tucker (505) 298-3876 Marty Muschinske (619) 468-3201 use in this situation are any of the Finch Society of San Diego County ful. A nest was made on the ground las Cruces Parrot Club singers, weavers, Lady Goulds or New Mexico Bird Club Hookbill Hobbyists and eight fettile eggs were laid, but a North County Aviculturists Societies. The Societies, like the mouse got in and disrupted the nest. I UTAH San Diego County Bird Breeders State coordinator (acting): Association Zebras, are too noisy and will interfere lost the hen before another nest could Steve long (801) 647·3653 with nesting. The Singers and Weav­ be built. I have since gotten rid of the Avicultural Society of Utah CALIFORNIA (SOUTHERN) LOS ANGELES AREA: ers are too aggressive as are other spe­ mouse problem and feel I will have WYOMING State coordinator: State coordinator: Jaml Kennedy (805) 296-4451 cies, but I have not had first hand success now. The wasted money Antelope Valley Bird Society experience with them. I feel the men tioned was due to receiving Avicultural Society of America Goulds would be okay if not cage­ imported birds that were very badly International Parrotlet Society Northern California long Beach Bird Breeders raised only. They seem to be dis­ handled in quarantine and I lost all of Region Norco Valley Bird Breeders oriented when in such a large area them in a matter of a few days. It is not Orange County Bird Breeders Donna Tondreault, regional v.p. Pionus Breeders Association and will injure themselves. Tempera­ hard to see why importation is being (916) 642-9050 Simi Valley Bird Society ture is kept about 60° with an auto­ curtailed. The dreadful way these CALIFORNIA (NORTH) Valley of Paradise Bird Club matically operated exhaust fan for beautiful birds are handled is a State coordinator: Ventura County Bird Club Jim Pritchard (707) 887·9462 West Los Angeles Bird Club ventilation in the summer. This unit disgrace. Aviary Association of Kern West Valley Bird Society now houses five pairs of Gold­ Being retired, as you might have Butte County Bird Club Capitol City Bird Society breasted Waxbills, three pairs of guessed, there is time for all of this Central California Avian Society Philippines Strawberries, four pairs of African activity. I also raise Magna Double Avian Society of the Philippines Fires, five pairs of St. Helenas, six Yellow-headed Amazons, Leadbeater

• Position open - contact regional vice president if interested pairs of Red-cheeked Cordon Bleus Cockatoos and cockatiels. Three sum­ •• Indicates 2 year term has been fUlfilled. If no new interested party and one pair of Binchenos. There are mers ago, I put up a large outside comes forward and indicates adesire to serve, incumbent remains in many unsexed fledglings at this time aviary covered with a plastic mesh. It position. and I have an auxilliary area that is is 69' x 54' x 10' high with sides of opened for the birds to fly into and, 1/4" wire cloth. This houses at this For information about contacting any of these member clubs, when closed off, allows catching time Gold.en Pheasants, Peacocks, please call that club's state coordinator. excess birds to keep this colony under quail, and a few fancy pigeons. In the SCHEDULE FOR control. Without this facility, catching middle is a 35' pond with Koi and a AFA BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETINGS would be impossible due to the dense pair of Mandarin Ducks. I am looking Mark these dates and plan to allend! foliage. for a small variety ofswans. AFA CONVENTION 1994 The feeding program consists of a My first love is and always will be August 4- 6 seed mixture of four parts finch miX, finches. I wish I could have worked Board Meeting, Wednesday, August 3 one part straight canary and one part with more African species, but I guess Holiday Inn - World's Fair parakeet mix. Meal worms and fly lar­ availability will be clIItailed now, but I 525 Henley Street vae wigglers are thrown three times a am not really upset about this for obvi­ Knoxville, Tennessee day in the breeding season and once a ous reasons as stated above. For room reservations: day during the non-breeding season. I (615) 522-2800 or (800) HOl-IDAY If I can be of assistance with my use a mixture of hard-cooked eggs limited knowledge, it would be my with shells crushed to which is added pleasure. You can reach me at Rt. 2, vionate, wheat germ, Skipio's high Box 380A, Madill, OK 73446, phone protein mix and Gerber's High Protein 405-795-5217. I am not selling any cereal. The cereal is added to give a birds at this time nor in the near lighter and less dense mixture making future.• afa WATCHBIRD 7