c Breeding the ~ <{ Q) a0> Q) C9 Collared >­ ..0 en o (5 Finch~billed .c 0... Bulbul at Tracy (Spizixos semitorques) The young of this species are similar to by D. Grenville Roles, Curator the adults except they Salt Lake City, Utah have lighter . Inhabiting suitable hill-scrub coun­ try in east, central and south China and Taiwan (5. s. cineriecapilus)J Collared Finch-billed Bulbuls are one member of a family of about 120 spe­ cies ranging throughout Africa and tropical Asia. Approximately 8 inches long with greyish-green upperparts, (greener wings and tail) and yellowish under­ parts with black head and terminal tail band; the face is lightly streaked with white on the cheeks and spotted with white on the nostrils and base of the lower mandible. A broad white collar separates the black head from the olive breast. Eyes and feet are dark while the thick, finch-like bill is ivory. Reputed to feed in the wild on seeds, beans and fruit (de Schauensee, The of China), our birds are offered Vitabird Finch mix in addition to chopped fruits, hard-boiled , of prey diet, mealworms and crickets. We obtained four birds from Chris Johnson in Atlanta inJuly of 1987. All The Collared Finch­ billedBulbul was bred of the birds appeared fit and healthy, in a large) planted although one bird had a droopy wing, outdoor aviary at the and after a three-week period in quar­ Tracy in Salt antine we released them into their Lake City. new home in the Pheasantry. Our Pheasantry is a range of 13 large aviaries arranged in two blocks. Each block is built on a large mound A small wooden nest or burm and is heavily landscaped box was used by the and planted with trees and shrubs of Collared Finch-billed Himalayan origin. Each individual Bulbul. Bulbuls aviary has its own partially open­ usually will use fronted shelter, fitted with a water an open nest. and heat source (infra-red lamp). The Bulbuls' aviary is 15 feet square and 19 feet high at its peak; planted with Birches, Viburnum, Cornus, Dwarf Pines and Star Mag­ nolias. Most of the ground is covered by grass, with large rocks and tree Continued onpage 34 32 June / July 1991 Tomas Arndt

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Box 1122 • Canyon Country, CA phone: (805) 252-4871 (a portion of all proceeds goes toward parrot conservation in the wil branches providing a variety of able to recapture only one of the our Psittacines with great success. perching. birds, the other I suspect was taken by The chicks did well for a week and The Bulbuls share their aviary with one of the Cooper's Hawks which then died. Pekin Robins Leiotbrix lutea, Lace­ nest annually in Liberty Park. Almost The birds continued to try through­ neck Doves Streptopelia cbinensis exactly one year later, the birds out the summer to raise a family ­ and Chinese Bamboo Bam­ attempted to breed for us for the first but repeating the same frustratingly busicola tboracica. No bickering has time. In mid-April, birds had been awful pattern. The keepers tried hand ever been observed between species seen carrying very fine birch twigs feeding but could only get so far. In but the Bulbuls have been seen to rather aimlessly around the flight, but desperation I took a chick myself, fed chase each other on occasion. did not appear to be attempting any it religiously, kept it spotlessly clean, The heat lamps were left on for the construction. However, a check of petted and preened it, kissed and first winter the birds experienced the half-open-fronted wooden nest cuddled it and altogether watched it here, but they were never seen to seek box (5" square, 7" high and packed like the proverbial hawk! It may have out the warmth on even the coldest with hay) revealed a clutch of three been all of this concentrated attention day, so subsequently the lamps have ; markedly pyriform, basically and my years of experience, or, as not been switched on. Winters in Salt pink and heavily marked with mar­ everyone else assures me, just plain Lake City can become extremely cold oon spots and dots and dull mauve luck, that I got a survivor. This non­ with temperatures regularly dipping splotches. descript, drab little bundle, hatched (and often staying) below freezing. These were discovered on 4/13/89. 7/14/90, came to know his daddy, I We actually have bird-bath heaters The birds must have been extremely mean keeper, and would beg unceas­ immersed in all of the Pheasantry wary and alert to the approach of ingly for just a little more, no matter water bowls to prevent them from keepers, for they were never seen on how much he'd just engulfed. I freezing solid (they still freeze around or around the nest box at any time. started him off with hard-boiled egg the edges, however). On checking the nest box the next yolk with a dab of yoghurt, cricket On 4/19/88 we discovered two day, two eggs were found to have abdomens, chopped, white meal­ birds missing from the aviary. A quick hatched, the new chicks having dark, worms and a tiny quantity of soaked check revealed a small hole at the bruised looking upperparts and pale dog food. After a couple of days, I junction of the wire mesh frame and pink underparts. Live food supplies stopped the yoghurt and fed the the redwood baseboard. Formerly of crickets and mealworms were crickets whole but without the hind below ground level, it had been immediately increased together with legs, increased the dog food and exposed by the activities of the Bam­ the number of spot checks on the introduced fragments of Bird of Prey boo Partridge scratching and digging adults' behaviour. diet. in the ground at that spot. I was not It was seen that the (presumably) The chick continued to do well, terribly worried since both birds unmated bird was being chased feathering out into a dull greyish could be seen exploring the giant around a bit (though not seriously above, whitish below with dark bill, Cottonwoods in the vicinity of their harrassed) and the bird with the eyes and legs. aviary, and we have almost always drooped wing appeared to be the At that same time, I also acquired a retrieved escapees. I remembered male - perching prominently and Red-billed Blue Magpie Urocissa ery­ being told, too, of a Collared Finch­ vocalizing. One bird was also seen to tbrobyncba (hatched in the incu­ billed Bulbul which lived at liberty hawk for insects. On the 15th, one of bator) and raised it along with the for years at San Diego . the birds had the temerity to buzz the Bulbul, carrying them both home at Unfortunately though, we were curator, its snapping loudly as it night and keeping them in a small zipped by my ear lobe! incubatorlbrooder there. I would feed It was with some surprise, not to every two hours, until 10.00 p.m. or mention disappointment, that all of so. the chicks were discovered dead and The chicks were very companiable thrown out of the nest on the 23rd of until the day I put them both into a April, 9 days after hatching. wire cage next to my office instead of Thus began a series of four failures the large cardboard box they had in 1989 to rear the Bulbuls. Fertility become used to (the birds were about was excellent, the birds hatched per­ 5 weeks old). I had just released the fectly, were fed and appeared well for birds into their new cage and a week or so and then died. There returned to my office, when I heard appeared to be no neglect of the sounds of murder. On rushing back, chicks or damage to them; they there was the Bulbul being held down A case of mis-association ... the would have food in their intestine but by the Blue Pie who was trying to photo by Jack E. Taylor of Thick­ no nasty bugs to be cultured. We split his skull as quickly as possible. I billed Parrots on page 28 of the added waxmoth larvae, tried out fruit had to pry the Blue Pie's toes apart April/May 1991 issue should have flies and doubled the Bionate dusting one at a time to release the Bulbul been placed on page 26 or 27 with - nothing made any difference. who was obviously terrified. The bird author Jack F. Taylor's article. The birds overwintered without was not permanently damaged, how­ Photo caption on page 61, Junel problems, laying their first clutch of ever, but they were kept separated July 1991 issue should have read, the year at the end ofMarch 1990. All after that. "The juvenile plumage is greyish­ three eggs hatched which, after 48 At three months old, the Bulbul black, and assumes the adult appear­ hours, were taken to Kerry Singleton, chick is virtually identical to its ance in the SIXTH year of life." a local aviculturalist who hand-feeds parents and continues to thrive.•

34 June 1July 1991