'~ \::, _'. Lories·Tanagers Humming ~. Rare Finches Park to the ~ ;;inging Birds .. other birds upon request tune of man , Also have high quality nectar diets! AUlea ._"-,_,,6- Dick Schroeder Don Wells (619) 737o~~~~3,eaJ~!~~71-8330 by Lori Bieda Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada )

Award Winning Habitats That Address the Most Important Elements of Quality, Functionality, Nestled away in the pandemonium day at the greenhouse keeping close CAGES AND\ ACCESSORIES and Safety of the city of Niagara Falls is a quiet tabs on the mother and her baby. He • Outside Feeder S)'stem • 5 Year Warranty. Bird I'roof Door Latch paradise, a place where the touch of had preViously named the mother • Unique Lower Apron and Disposal Tray System human kind has not tainted but "Freddie, until I realized it was a • Four Cage Sizes Accommodate Conmes. Cockatiels, Amazons, Cockatoos, ~Iaca\\~ and ~Iore rather enhanced nature. Here, an female," Petrella laughed. • Three ~on- Toxic Cage Colors: White, Gray, Almond environment of greenery and lush Petrella quickly realized that Fred­ CAlL NOW FOR FREE CATALOG AND INFORAfATION ON THE FINEST BIRD CAGES AND ACCESSORIES AVAlIABLEI vegetation is home for more than 45 die was looking for insects to feed tropical birds, and while the sur­ the baby. "There weren't enough 1-800-336- BIRD or1-619-438-4442 roundings may closely resemble a flies in the house, so I set out on a 2270 Camino Vida Roble. Suites I & J• Carlsbad, CA 92009 FAX: (619) '138-6636 's natural habitat, the fruit fly hunt and I must have called steady influx of humans is certainly every place in the region looking for not a normality out in the wild. a supply. I finally found a professor Yet for one hummingbird, this who teaches at a university about AVICULTURAL man-made surrounding proVided per­ two hours from my place, who said SOCIETY OF haps the most perfect setting - so he had some. I got in my car and QUEENSLAND perfect that it was here where this drove straight there to pick some Welcomes new members (Colibri corus­ up." An Australian Society catering to all birds both in cans) chose to build a nest. More When Petrella arrived back at the captivity and in the wild. We publish a bi-monthly remarkable, however, is the fact that house, Freddie was waiting for him at magazine on all aspects ofaviculture and conser­ the door. "As if she knew I was com­ vation. Anyone interested in membership please this particular hummingbird suc­ contact, Ray Garwood, 19 Fahey's Road, Albany ceeded and hatched what is now the ing, she immediately came right over Creek, 4035 Queensland, Australia. Annual first South American hummingbird to me and affectionately picked at my subscription: 522 (A) airmail. or 516 (A) surface. Please remit monies or bank drafts in Australian successfully reared in North America. eyes and my face with her beak. She currancy. Owner of the hummingbird exhib­ wouldn't leave me alone. When I it, John Petrella summed up his brought the fruit flies over to the excitement about the event when he nest, I held the container and she exclaimed, "I'm a father" on April stuck her beak inside. Then she flew The Avicultural Society 29, 1992. over and immediately fed them to the baby. She repeated this process over "I was so excited when I went in of America, Inc., and over until she felt it had enough that morning to check on her and food." Welcomes new members_ found she was no longer sitting on Yet the friendliness of this Sparkl­ eggs, but that there were two babies ing Violetear was not a new phenom­ in the nest. I couldn't believe my enon. Petrella said she had been quite eyes," Petrella said. "In fact, I nearly friendly for some time. gave up hope because not more than "Freddie started to be really one month before she had the friendly about half a year ago. She babies, she abandoned a nest because F",unded 19Z7 used to come pretty close to me the eggs were not fertile. I didn't when she realized that I was the hand We publish a monthly bulletin on all think she'd ever have a baby," he that fed her, so to speak. Soon, she aspects of aviculture. For member­ said. came within about an arm's length ship information please contact: Helen Hanson, (714) 780-4102, ASA, Yet when Petrella saw that the eggs and I held up a feeder. To my sur­ Inc., P.O. Box 5516, Riverside, CA had finally hatched, he "hovered prise, she started feeding out of it 92517. Yearly dues $20. Foreign over them like a mother for the almost immediately. From that day members please add $5 to cover post­ whole day, and while only one baby on she was always the first in line for age (U.S. funds only). surVived, I wasn't about to let the nectar, and she would actually fly out other one go," he said. He spent the of the greenhouse and into the back 30 December / January 1993 room where I prepared the food to greet me. It got to the point where she would even feed out of my girl­ friend's mouth," Petrella said. Ini­ Birds live best on live foods. tially we thought it was because she was wearing red lipstick the same color as the feeder tips, but she did it Birds enjoy and benefit most from live food. all the time," he said. Grubco live foods provide large amoill1ts of high-quality protein and other vital Petrella feeds his birds nectar solu­ nutrients, as well as important moisture. tion (Nekton) which is imported from Germany. He mixes the solu­ Wax worms, mealworms, fly larvae and crickets - from Gmbco to your bird tion with purified water and changes with love. feeders at least once a day. The birds Gmbco is ready to take your order. Please call us toll-free. also have a variety of flowers to feed on in the greenhouse, but Petrella Call or write for your free brochure: 800-222-3563 says the birds only use them when You also can order by FAX: 513-874-5878, 24-hours a day, every day of the year. they are new to the house. "When the birds realize the nectar is there for them and that it's fresh Live Food each morning, they get used to it and Mealworms • Wax Worms ignore the flowers," Petrella said. 100% Customer Satisfaction. Fly Larvae • Crickets Live Delivery. Although Freddie was friendly with Overcounts. Petrella and those who he brought All Foods Available All Year. • into the greenhouse with him, she Independent Laboratory Nutritional Analysis (Upon Request). Qrubce wasn't as adventurous with stran­ KNOWN FOR QUALITY AND SERVICE. gers. He said he was actually happy Box 15001 • Hamilton, OH 45015 U.S.A. that this was the case, because he was afraid something could happen to her. Given the lay-out of the green­ Planto attend the 19thAnnual house, there are few areas that are remote and removed from the hustle AFA CONVENTION and bustle of the more than 600,000 Salt Lake City, Utah • August 3 - 8, 1993 people who visit the greenhouse each year. Petrella said this was a major concern to him when Freddie Pure, natural, and cleaned ... was attempting to build her nest finest cuttlebone available! because the tourists and the staff small 6"-7" • medium 7"-10". jumbo 10"-13". mixed sizes qUickly became aware of the location ofthe nest. "She initially chose to build a nest in a hanging ivy plant located in the center of the greenhouse. The nest 5lbs. at S3.90 per lb. =S19.50 was right outside the feeding area 10 Ibs. at S3.00 per lb. = S30.00 (Minimum where I came in each morning, but All orders prepaid and shipped freight collect order Sibs.) people could walk right below the nest and often stood there to watch her. They were not more than a We also feature AUleaI.,.,., meter away from her. I think she lory and Softbill Diets ' became a little frustrated because she would fly out of the nest and perform & KAYT~~ ct as though she were trying to distract their attention and keep them away ~~UTRITION NO MESS 'M. from the nest." Freddie eventually abandoned the LORY LIFE LORY LIFE NECTAR nest and her second one was built in 3lbs. $13.90. 6lbs. $25,50 3lbs. $35.00 • 6lbs. $67,50 Dealer also other softbill diets available. another part of the house in the very With addition of fresh fruits, these are complete diets. corner, high on top of a Florida Pine and Tree branch. Breeder' SPRAY MILLET 5lbs. - $15.00 (includesfreighl in USA) Prices "It was certainly a lot more incon­ SOAK &COOK for parrots spicuous than the first nest. I only Available noticed it when I saw her picking up CUTTLEBONE PLUS blades of grass and strands of hair, P.O. Box 305, Dept. A, Fallbrook, CA 92028 and I figured she must be trying to (619) 731-2242 • build again. I followed her and, sure Dick Schroeder. breeder of softbills. rare lories, and pet parrots enough, there was another nest." Orders Only (800) 747-9878 • FAX (619) 731-0403 When Freddie began building her afa WATCHBIRD 31 second nest, Petrella hung a bunch of white aquarium filter-floss, and gerbil nesting materials from the ceiling in the vicinity where she was building. At this time, she was already halfway through constructing her nest which she made out of grass blades, moss, stray pieces of hair, spider webs and plant leaves. The next day when he returned to the greenhouse, "she had completed the nest using the materials I provided." "I knew she knew I wanted to help and it seemed she had become really dependent on me," Petrella said. And the proof of the bird's trust in her owner and her dependency on him was confirmed when Petrella told one story of a friend he brought to visit Freddie. "It was soon after she started build­ ing her first nest, and Freddie was searching the area for nesting materi­ One week after birth, a pairofSparkling Violet-ear babies reachforfoodfrom their mother. als. I provided gauze and she was Thefemale Violet-ear wouldhover over the nest, andfeed the babies nectarandfruitflies with her beak. The nest is made ofspider webs, moss, plantleaves andgerbil nesting material. Only using it to complete the nest. Around one ofthe babiessurvived. Clear says several people in Europe have managed to breed humming­ birds, possibly because "they have been at it for a lot longer than North Americans." Clear suggests that the embargo which restricted the importation of hummingbirds into North America hampered breeding. When the gov­ ernment lifted the restriction about eight years ago, he began importing the rare birds. "I traveled to Europe and stayed with a man, Karl Schuch­ mann who has bred hummming­ birds. I wanted to find out what I didn't know about raising the birds. I brought back all of his secrets, but it still didn't work," he said. The hummingbird enthusiast fol­ lowed the advice of the German breeder, and kept the male and female hummingbirds together for Thefirst tropical hummingbirdborn in captivity in North America rests contentedin its nest, one hour each day in the morning. three weeks after birth. Its mother madefrequent visits to the nesteveryft.ve to ten minutes, He fed them fruit flies in addition to bringing nectarandfruitflies which shefed to the baby with herbeak. nectar and kept them in large cages outdoors. Even after all this, his that time I brought a friend of mine Val Clear, a hummingbird specialist efforts were unsuccessful. He says it to visit and see the nest. Freddie from Anderson, Indiana has a vested is remarkable that this particular bird immediately flew up to us and started interest in hummingbirds and has was reared. picking at my face and to my surprise gone to extreme lengths in order to Petrella himself still thinks the she did the sam~ to my friend who get them to reproduce. Yet, he says event was remarkable and something was an older gentleman with gray he's"never heard ofany South Amer­ which he prides himself on. Yet he hair. She started to pick at his hair ican hummingbirds being reared in says he's not exactly sure what the and pull strands from his head and North America, and I have been real recipe for success was. He is cer­ then flew back to her nest with working with birds for 30 years." tain, however, that his success with them. I realized he was standing While he hasn't had any success Freddie had largely to do with the close to the gauze and maybe she just getting tropical birds to reproduce in friendliness of the bird herself. thought I was providing some more captivity, he has had several birds Petrella says Freddie is not as friendly real, live nesting materials," he build nests and lay eggs, but none of as she used to be and she is laughed. them have ever hatched. extremely protective ofher baby, but 32 December/ January 1993 Thisfemale Sparkling Violet-ear was the mother to thefirst tropical hummingbirdborn in North Amer­ ica. The baby was botn in a greenhouse in Niagara Falls, Ontario, a heavy touristattraction which The female Sparkling Violet-ear brings nectarto the mouth ofherbaby while inflight. draws more than 600,000spectatorsperyear. The baby, thefirst tropical hun'lmingbirdborn in captivity in North America, wasfed by its motherfor sixandone-halfweeks before it ventured outon its own. he says the mother must have taught the baby something, "because she seems to be following right in her footsteps. Who knows," he laughs, "maybe this whole thing will go full circle and the baby will be the next in line. Now, that really would be a miracle," he said. Editor's Note: Ifany person has knowledge of any of South American hummingbird being successfully parent reared in captive conditions in North America, we would wel­ come this infonnation. Please write to Watch­ bird Editors, c/o The AFA Home Office in Pho­ enix, Arizona, and we will pass it on to the author ofthe above article. •

Afemale Sparkling Violet-ear tastes nectaron the lips ofone ofher caretakers, Lori Bieda. The birdwas initially drawn to her mouth Five weeks after birth, the baby Sparkling Violet-ear ventures outon its because ofthe brightredlipstick, butsoon realizedthe touch ofnec­ own into the greenhouse. The babystayedclose to the nestandto its tarplacedon the lips was therefor hertasting. The trick became a mother. Herflights were shortin distance andincreasedas herwings daily ritualandthe birdwouldfly to hermouth before even check­ became strongerandshe gainedgreater control. ing thefeedersforfresh nectar.

afa WATCI-IBIRD 33