24 | PET GAZETTE | AVIAN
STRAWBERRY FINCHES
John Courteney-Smith MRSB looks at the striking Strawberry Finch
here are many species
T of bird that have sadly vanished from captive collections in the modern age that were once readily available and affordable . Their abundance and low price served to dissuade many keepers from making special efforts in captive reproduction , the cost of production simply outweighed the monetary value of the bird . This has led to the disappearance of many birds that were not actively reproduced , meaning what was once common is now hard to find and usually quite expensive .
Waxbills , Manakins , Munias and Avadavats all belong to the family Estrildidae , this is a wide family of birds commonly referred to simply as Waxbills in the trade . Estrildidae are named so due to the colour and texture of the beak . These birds are found in the wild natively within Africa , Asia and Australasia , however many species have become established after escape in many other countries including Portugal , Singapore and Hawaii .
In this piece I wish to look at the Red Avadavat , commonly known within the UK as the Strawberry Finch although some may remember it from its common name between the 1950s-1980s as the Tiger Finch .
The Strawberry Finch was always plentiful within the trade and I am glad to say that thanks to efforts from dedicated keepers from all over Europe , they are still available to UK traders and keepers .
The bird has always been sold as only being suitable for keepers with some experience as they have certain needs that must be catered for if they are to do well . Sadly , in times gone by many were lost to poor conditions and a poor level of education regarding these needs . I am happy to say that we as keepers now know far more about their care and are able to cater to their needs more safely and effectively .
The Strawberry Finch is a dimorphic species with a seasonal eclipse phase , this means that the cock and the hen can be sexed visually but the cock will moult out to largely resemble the hen outside of the breeding season . The trained eye can still see the differences between the sexes even within the eclipse phase .
The cock Strawberry Finch , when in his nuptial feathering , is a delightful , highly coloured bird , he wears a hooded cloak of military red that covers his head , breast , shoulders and rump . This cloak of scarlet is broken up with dark brown / black outer wing feathers and a Pollock-like splatter of white dots covering most areas of the body . It is from the dots of white over red that the bird has obtained its strawberry related name . The bill is the typical wax-like red of all Waxbills but with a black stripe on top of the upper mandible and pink legs and feet .
The hen Strawberry Finch maintains the red iris and black eye stripe of the male , she maintains the delicate wax-like red and black
beak as with the cock , this intensifies within the breeding season in both sexes . The hen also has the rounded dark tail and can show some red over the upper rump , which may also feature some white dots . The typical colours of the hen are a gradient from grey over the head and shoulders down into a fawn / cream ( buff ) breast and underside of the rump .
The Strawberry Finch differs from almost all other species of Waxbill as the bird is able to sustain a song , rather than simply project a cobbled together series of notes as is the case with most other Waxbills . The song can be quite sustained and is rather complex , this has led to its popularity as a songbird in its own right , particularly within the home ranges . It is the cock bird that will display the song most often , but there is plenty of evidence and recordings of hens singing quite well too . In my experience as a keeper , the birds sing all year round , and the frequency and complexity does increase within the breeding months . They also use a frequent series of cheeps as standard location communication .
The wild habitat is found within India , Bangladesh , Pakistan , and China . There are four nominate subspecies that have developed in slightly different ways in order to thrive within their own ecosystems . The wild bird lives within the tropical and subtropical grasslands . They are highly adapted and are able to survive in almost every area they have been introduced , as long as they remain warm and have had access to food .
www . petgazette . biz May 2018