PUBLISHED FOR BIRD LOVERS BY BIRD LOVERS life Aviarywww.aviarylife.com.au Issue 04/2015 $12.45 Incl. GST Australia The Red Strawberry Finch Crimson Finch Black-capped Lory One Week in Brazil The Red-breasted Goose ISSN 1832-3405 White-browed Woodswallow The Crimson Finch A Striking Little Aussie! Text by Glenn Johnson Photos by Julian Robinson www.flickr.com/photos/ozjulian/ Barbara Harris www.flickr.com/photos/12539790@N00/ Jon Irvine www.flickr.com/photos/33820263@N07/ and Aviarylife. Introduction he Crimson Finch Neochmia phaeton has Talways been one of the rarer Australian finches in captivity, and even more so since the white- the mid-late 1980’s, when the previously legal bellied. The trapping of wild finches in Australia was crown is dark prohibited across all states. They unfortunately brown, the back and have a bad reputation for being aggressive, wings are paler brown washed with red, the tail and this together with the fact that they is long, scarlet on top and black underneath. are reasonably expensive in comparison to The cheeks along with the entire under parts are many other finches, could well be a couple deep crimson, the flanks are spotted white, and of the main reasons as to why they are not so the centre of the belly is black in the nominate commonly kept. race and white for N. p. evangelinae, and the Description beak is red. Hens are duller, with black beaks. They are an elegant bird, generally standing There are two types of Crimson Finches, the very upright on the perch, and range from 120- black-bellied, which is the nominate form and 140mm in length. the much less common white-bellied subspecies N. p. evangelinae. In captivity, as is also the case Distribution in the wild, the black-bellied race is far more The black-bellied Crimson Finch is found along common and subsequently less expensive than the coastal areas of the tropical north from north-western Queensland, through the top of the Northern Territory and into the north of Western Australia, their range also stretches inland in some areas. The white-bellied race Jon Irvine Jon is found in north-east Queensland, from Rockhampton to the Cape York Peninsular and southern New Guinea. Within their natural range, Crimsons can be found living amongst long grasses growing along watercourses; they also frequent sugar cane fields in areas where it is grown. They are also commonly found in Pandanus country, where they will often build their nests amongst the long, strap like leaves that form the crown of these trees. Wild adult male Crimson Finch Housing Crimson Finches, like Gouldians can suffer 8 No. 4 2015 Julian Robinson Julian Robinson Julian Wild adult male Wild adult female Crimson Finch in moult Crimson Finch Julian Robinson Julian Robinson Julian Wild adult female Wild adult male Crimson Finch in moult Crimson Finch No. 4 2015 9 Suitable aviaries for housing Crimsons badly in inclement weather, keeping this in mind however this is certainly not true for every pair, an aviary suitable for Crimsons should afford and many will coexist very well in a mixed finch them a reasonable amount of protection from collection. As with the mixing of any species, the elements. Whilst they will live and breed in a close observation is the key. basic small unplanted box style aviary, they look and do much better in a well planted flight aviary Diet that offers them suitable facilities to bathe in, The base diet is a standard finch mix, as they love nothing better than taking a dip comprising of mixed millets and canary seed. during warmer weather. The aviary can be fully They love green food, such as unripe millet roofed, which is certainly a great way to keep heads, milkthistle, chickweed, and summer the floor dry in wet weather, or can incorporate grass seed heads etc. When feeding green food a roofed shelter section attached to an open it is best offered hung up off the ground, where flight, so long as it provides adequate cover during cold, stormy weather as well as when they will spend a great deal of time picking it is very hot. Another thing to bare in mind it over. The provision of live food is essential if there is to be an open flight is to ensure that if you wish to gain the best breeding results there is good drainage, as damp floors brought with Crimsons; to this end mealworms, white about by inadequate drainage can lead to all ants, fly larvae and fruit fly will all be taken. sorts of health problems not only for finches, In addition to the live food, sprouted seed, but birds in general. The walls of the shelter madeira and insectivore cake along with egg section should be lined with tea tree branches and biscuit mix are all excellent supplementary or similar to give the birds both places to roost foods for when chicks are being reared. Grit and nest. When it comes to housing Crimsons in the form of shell grit, baked fowl eggshells with other finches it must be said that they have and charcoal should always be available to a rather bad reputation for being aggressive, them, as should fresh water provided in clean 10 No. 4 2015 Julian Robinson Julian Wild immature Crimson Finch Juvenile wild Crimson feeding on the ground at the campground at Bell Gorge WA Crimson Finch pair sharing an aviary with Cuban Finches receptacles, which is really just common sense. Julian Robinson Julian Breeding Crimsons will usually attempt to breed in the Wild immature Crimson warmer months and generally prefer to build Finch their own bulky dome shaped nest, constructed from coarse grasses, and lined with coconut Irvine Jon fibre and feathers, in this regard a preference for mostly white feathers is shown. They usually build their nest high up in the tea tree branches that line the shelter walls or in natural growing shrubs in the flight. On the odd occasion they have been known to use nest boxes, cane nests and hollow logs, but certainly more often they prefer to construct their own. Once the nest is constructed egg laying will commence. The usual clutch size is five to seven eggs, and fertility is generally good. Incubation lasts around 14 days. It is very common for the No. 4 2015 11 Barbara Harris Wild adult female Crimson Finch parents to nest again soon after the young Adult male fledge. They show a great dislike for nest Crimson inspections, so as tempting as it may be to take a look, it is best to avoid doing so if breeding success is to be achieved. To avoid any potential aggression from cock bird, the young from each clutch are best removed from the breeding aviary once independence is reached. Conclusion Crimsons are strikingly beautiful, reasonably hardy and given the right conditions, diet and facilities, not all that difficult to breed. With Crimsons becoming harder to acquire these days, it is up to present day aviculturists to breed them to assure their availability for future breeders in years to come.• 12 No. 4 2015 One Week in Brazil Far too Short but memories that will last a lifetime! A follow on from the article, Blue Macaw Week, issue 02/15 By Simon Degenhard fter the main events, the how strong the relationship Other species found at the zoo Spix’s Macaw Cyanopsitta between ACTP and the Brazilian include the Illiger’s Macaw Aspixii handover and subsequent Authorities really is and further Primolius maracana, King World Wildlife Day 2015 cements the partnership. Vulture Sarcoramphus papa, formalities were over, it was Southern Tamandua Tamandua time to see a little bit more of For Martin and I, it was also tetradactyla aka Collared what Brazil had to offer. And so time to bid Brasilia farewell Anteater, Jaguar Panthera onca it was that on Wednesday the and take a flight to our next and ocelot Leopardus pardalis 4th of March we commenced destination - Foz Iguazu. We plus many other species too our short, but sweet tour of a were headed there for a meeting, numerous to list here. few of the most amazing parts scheduled for Friday morning, of this beautiful country with with the management team of At this point I’d like to extend a a visit to the national park that the government run facility, huge thank you to team at Itaipu sits just outside of the city limits Itaipu Zoo, which is a breeding, Zoo for taking precious time out of Brasilia, Parque Nacional de research and education centre of their busy schedules in order Brasília, which we all found very that is home to an array of animal to show us around. interesting indeed. It was there species, including the incredible that Martin Guth had a close Harpy Eagle Harpia harpyja. Friday afternoon saw us take a encounter with a camera shy They have been successfully boat ride to the amazing Iguazu monkey; I’m quite certain that I breeding this beautiful bird of Falls, a series of heard it shouting “no photo, no prey since 2007 and to date have photo” as it lunged forward, teeth produced 17 chicks, including bared, in an attempt to get a taste a cute little bundle of joy that of ACTP’s El Presidente! happened to time it’s arrival into the world perfectly with our visit. Thursday began with Tim Jn Baptiste leaving us to fly back to We were afforded a guided tour São Paulo at the crack of dawn, of the facility, including both with his mission being to collect the behind the scenes veterinary another Spix’s Macaw, an eleven clinic and breeding centre year old female, Turquesa, that and the public area, which we the Brazilian Government had thoroughly enjoyed.