to red-orange canaries with the goal of producing a naturally colored AFA Red Siskin Project "red" canary will know that this is an Conservation Breeding Program for a CITES Appendix I impossible task. The ftrst few genera­ tions of hybrid offspring might be a by Kevin M. Gorman, Chairman, deep copper to orange color, but the AFA Conservation Committee color intensity is lost rapidly with Introduction Siskins in was performed each new generation. By the time a For those of you who are familiar in 1981/1982 by Sadie Coats and breeder obtains a perfect show speci­ with the Red Siskin ( cucul­ Antonio Rivero Mendoza. This study men, so many siskin genes will have latus), you know how much this was conducted to assess the popula­ been lost that the breeder may as has given to the colorbred tion size, geographic distribution, well have started with rich colored canary world. For those of you who and natural history of the wild Red red-orange show canaries. Hybridiz­ have never heard ofthe Red Siskin, it Siskins found in northern Venezuela. ing with siskins only diminishes size, is a small, red, South American ftnch This study was co-sponsored by The ruins conformation, and introduces which is now struggling for its very Sociedad Venezolana de Ciencias varigation; all of these are bad traits existance. Naturales (SVCN), The Venezuelan to breed into a show quality red­ The Red Siskin is only about 3.5 Ministerio del Ambiente y de los orange canary strain. inches long (1/3 the size of a domes­ Recursos Naturales Renovables Hybridizing endangered Red Sis­ tic canary). This bird was native to (MARNR), and The Instituto Nacional kins to make"dead end" hybrids can northern Venezuela, northeastern de Hipodromos. do nothing but steal precious genes , and the islands of Trini­ The numbers of wild siskins esti­ from an already small population of dad, Monos, and Gasparee. mated to have remained in 1982 endangered . If hybrids which Its numbers in the wild have were between 600 to 800 birds. look like pure Red Siskins are mistak­ decreased dramatically due to trap­ These Red Siskins were found in enly (or intentionally) bred back into ping and export to foreign countries. small, isolated groups. Several recom­ Red Siskins, then foreign genes will In 1975, the Red Siskin was listed on mendations were given by these be introduced into the Red Siskin CITES Appendix I; in 1976, it was researchers, including "the creation population, ruining any attempts to given endangered status by the U.S. of a Red Siskin reserve in the central maintain a true (pure) Red Siskin government "Endangered Species part ofthe Serrania del Interior ofthe population. Act," and in 1979 it was listed in the Cordillara de la Costa;' training ofran­ Avicultural Practices ICBP red data book. gers to identify these birds to prevent Aimed at Conservation Status in the Wild trapping, and increased public educa­ The American Federation ofAvicul­ The only study on the wild Red tion and awareness: "without public ture (AFA) has spearheaded a breed­ ------., support in the long run, all other ing consortium for the Red Siskin measures will be futile:' called' 'The AFA Red Siskin Project:' This bird was chosen because its HowHas Aviculture decline in the wild is directly related Destroyedthe Siskin? to trapping for the cage bird industry. ~' ~ It was discovered in the early 1900s It seems ironic, but the very group that when the Red Siskin male was who derived such benefits from the mated to a female canary, some of Red Siskin (canary breeders, and avi­ ~ the male offspring were fertile. When culturists as a whole) are the very rea­ fertile' 'F1" hybrids were mated back son why this bird might be com­ LORIIDAE to canaries, the resulting offspring pletely eliminated from the wild in ~ PRODUCTION were orange canaries. These" orange our lifetime. NETWORK canaries" became very popular and, The Red Siskin Project has several offers: as a result, the demand for wild­ goals: caught Red Siskins increased. 1) To maintain a long-term geneti­ Lories Delight Dry Diet - in powder There are currently hundreds of cally diverse, captive-bred popula­ form which is natural to Lories. thousands of red-orange canaries in tion of Red Siskins which will be May be used in three forms: nectar, the world, and many are perfect carefully managed to serve as "seed dry, and hand feeding. show specimens. Many of these red­ stock" in the event that the siskin orange canaries have a rich, deep becomes extinct in the wild. ***** 30 species of Lories available - orange color, and perfect size, con­ 2) To work with contacts in handfed babies and adults. formation and no varigation. No can­ Venezuela and Trinidad to establish ary will ever be as red as a siskin protected habitat for the wild Red ***** unless fed a diet containing canthax­ Siskins. "Lories and Lorikeets In Aviculture" anthin based carotinoids. The com­ 3) To reintroduce the siskin into Book by John Vanderhoof mercial market specialiZing in can­ protected areas in the wild where it Comprehensive information on thaxanthine-based coloring agents has become locally extinct. breeding and maintenance of Lories. has evolved because breeders have 4) To perform scientillc studies to John Vanderhoof never been able to (naturally) repro­ identify song/call note variances, duce the red color of the siskins in genetic variability, and other import­ P.O. Box 575, Woodlake, CA 93286 their canaries. ant research which will give us abet­ (209) 564-3610 Anyone who has ever experi­ ter understanding ofthis species. mented with hybridiZing Red Siskins 5) To act as a pilot program for the 24 December/ January 1992 American Federation of Aviculture. Related Literature Frey, H. 1985. TIle Black-hooded Red Siskin, an This program deals with an endan­ American Cage-Bird MagaZine: 61(7) July, Endangered Species. An Interview with Pat gered species. Many restrictions and 1989. pg. 8. Siskin Sub-Committee Dempko. AFA Watchbird, Volume XII, no. laws are associated with the move­ announcement. 4, pp. 40-42. Coats, S. and Phelps, W.H.,Jr. 1985. TIle Vene­ Galliano, D. 1984. Breeding the Black-hooded ment of endangered species across zuelan Red Siskin: Case History of an Red Siskin. Avicultural MagaZine, Volume the United States, and this program Endangered Species. Neotropical Ornitho­ 90, no. 2, pp. 77-79. will be a learning tool which will logy, AOU Monograph, no. 36, Allen Press, Goonan, K.M. 1990. Breeding the Endangered pave the way for many other AFA­ pp. 977-985. Venezuelan Black-hooded Red Siskin. AFA Coats, S. and Rivero, A.M. 1982. Report on the Watchbird, Dec/Jan, pp. 7-12. sponsored breeding consortiums. Status and Natural History of Spinus Cucul­ Gorman, K.M. 1991. Red Siskin Project ­ Currently, the Red Siskin Project latus in Venezuela. Report submitted to: Con ervation Pilot Program for CITES has apprOXimately 200 birds regis­ Sociedad Venezolana de Ciencias Naturales. Appendix I Birds. AFA Watchbird, April/ tered in the studbook. "Red Siskin pp.25-59. May, pp. 55-59. Project breeders" consist of qualified Coles, D. 1988. Results of the Hooded Siskin Gorman, K.M. 1991. La t Chance for the Red Census. AFA Watchbird, Feb/March, pp. SL kin? American Cage-hird MagaZine. In private aviculturists and zoos, who 42-45. print. are given pairs of ' 'Red Siskin Pro­ Diebold, E.. 1986. Venezuelan Black Hooded Raffaele, H.A. 1983. The Raising of a Ghost ject" siskins to breed. Each member Red Siskin on the Brink, AFA Watchbird pinus Cucullatus in Puerto Rico. Auk, Vol­ is given an individualized contract to Volume XlII, no. 2, pp. 8-11. ume 100, no. 3, pp. 737-739.• sign, depending on their situation, andthensomeoralloftheo~pring~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~- are placed back into the Red Siskin Project to maintain the population. Many dedicated aviculturists from across the United States participate, and all the Red Siskins are treated as if in a single population. Individual breeders (who are not members of the Red Siskin Project) who have siskins are continually encouraged to donate birds to the BECAUSE . .. program. Birds from the project are Not Every Bird also traded with private individuals for unrelated siskins, or are given out Gets Topper Bird as breeder loans. In the breeder loan Ranch Diets case, 50% of the offspring is given ... YETI back to the Red Siskin Project, and the other half is kept by the private breeder. The Red Siskin Project newsletter Siskin News has a circulation of AS EASY AS ••• nearly 130. Siskin News is mailed to interested parties in the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico, Vene­ zuela, Trinidad, England, Australia and Italy. We would like to encourage a dia­ logue between our Red Siskin Project and any other country who would be willing to set up a coordinated breed­ ing program for the conservation of the Red Siskin. Currently, we are in the process of communicating with ~m~ L~fO R the Avicultural Association ofAustra­ es fertinty _ \ncreos lia, who has a sister program called the' 'Hooded Siskin Programme:' For further information on the American Federation of Aviculture's Red Siskin Project contact: Kevin Gorman, AFA Conservation Chair­ man, 204 Conrad Drive, Rochester, NY 14616, phone (716) 865-6414. For further information on Austra­ lia's efforts on saving the Red Siskin, contact: Richard Chilton, Chairman, ASK YOUR LOCAL SUPPLIER Avicultural Federation of Australia's Red Hooded Siskin Conservation Pro­ MADE TOPPER BIRD RANCH EAST TOPPER BIRD RANCH WEST ENTIRELY Route 19. 80x 529 1466 N. Carpenter Rd. gramme, 284 Cross Road, Clarence lexington. NC 27292 Modesto. CA 95351 IN U.S.A. 52~ Park, 5034, South Australia. (704) 352-8100 (209) 2828 afa WATCHBIRD 25