CAGE BIRDS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 22949, 29 January 1938, Page 7 (Supplement)

CAGE BIRDS

THE food of the Virginian Cardinal is comparatively simple —just a mixture of seeds such as you would give parrakeets, and also a proportion of seeds suitable for budgerigars. To maintain their vivid plumage feed seedless raisins which have been soaked over-night in water, about half a dozen per bird per day. The iron in the fruit will greatly assist in colouring the feathers. Green peas, cut-up grapes and apple are also appreciated. A little soft fruit in season, such as pear, never conies amiss, while an occasional mealworm is always of assistance in taming the bird. A small portion of insect food as fed to soft-billed birds will always be oaten, to a greater or lesse, degree according to the season. They are not particularly fond of seeding grasses, preferring fruits and green peas as a source of natural food. As for cover, they must havo some from this hot sun, for they aro not tropical birds in spite of their high colouring. They spend some of their time in U.S.A., and part of their time in the snow-covered, wet, cold swamps with little protection from the blustering elements. In short, the Virginian Cardinal is a handsome addition to any collection of birds, and in spite of his red coat he is not a blackguard or a bully. His partner, who is reddishbrown instead of scarlet, is usually very industrious in her domestic duties and, provided she is given ample supplies of those foods which she knows are the right ones, will generally rear two or three youngsters each year. Attractive Pair

Tho nest is a rather flimsy affair, but withal, fairly strong. Bushy forks, with some protection from the sun overhead, are chosen as a foundation, and then fine twigs of tea-tree or some similar shrub, are used for the bottom of the nest. The hen prefers to break off her own twigs, although occasionally she condescends to accept a bunch already broken for hor. The foundation of the nest finished, she then raises it about two inches in height, still using twigs of various degrees of thickness, and linos tho inside with very fine twigs. She does not mind your looking at her when she is sitting, provided you keep a rospoctablo disance and move slowly and quietly, but rest assured her bright, beady, black eyes follow your every movement, and site is ready to vanish to other cover should you alarm her. Even then, she is not so fastidious as some hen birds, for she will not refuse to como back to the nest, even if it has been contaminated by your looking at it. Do not try her patience too far, however, for she might not give you a second chance.

The first two or three youngsters almost successfully reared, she will then pass them over to the cock bird to complete, and herself set about reconditioning the nest in preference to building another one, and lay a further clutch of eggs.

ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS D.S.M.. Ellerslie.—British Finches, Canary: Your greenfinch is upparontly a hen, from its attitude. Boldness of head and intensity of colour are definite signs of sex. You ought to be able to obtain young goldfinches now which, moulted in captivity, will be gcod for breeding next season. Any bird dealor sl.ould bo able to supply theso. Feed urn; i(> niger seed and crushed hemp when y< u git tho bird, and there is then very little chance of loss. I am unable to state whether a whitish ring at the base of tho beak in a young bird is a mark of sox. Personally, I thinknot. The beak of the hen goldfinch changes colour almost, to tho same extent us does that of the cock bird. Asthma or aspergillo.ssis, a mould disease caught from damp straw or hay. or even from damp seeds, would almost certainly bo the cause of the death of your rock canary. Asthma can be cured, but aspergillossis cannot, hut can be avoided by preventing Urn mould growth on any material such as straw. "Beginner," Taumarunui.—Mules: Thnnks for details of mules bred. It appears from the parentage of your birds that tho hen

By TAILFEATHERS

Letters requesting information regarding the care of cage bird# will bo answered in this column eacb-.week. Readers are "JVitea to write to Tailfeathera, New Zealand Herald Office, Auckland.

was a pure canary, for the green bird rather round in shape would be a kind of Norwich canary and the other one would be a Yorkshire type. Some canaries are green and you cannot say that they are finches on account of the colour only. If I have misread your letter aud you can definitely prove that the two green birds were finches or mules, and not canaries, the scientific interest in your case remains. 1 would like verification of this, when full details of breeding and management will be repeated for the benefit of very many interested readers. It is too late to try and get a further nest of mules now. They would not havo a chunco of developing sufficiently beforo the cold weather comes. M.C., Mount Albert.—Budgerigar: Your letter is so interesting that 1 am going to publish it in full:—"I have a beautiful green budgie, the smartest little lad 1 have ever seen or heard. He has learned every word I have wanted him to say. It is no trouble at all for him to learn. He started to talk when about four months old, and he is now about thirteen months of nge. lie says 'Good morning, Miuna, wherc's Allief' "Come on, Mania wants a cup of tea. Como on, make it snappy.' 'Where's Allie, she's away to the talkies.' 'Good afternoon, ladies, how are you to-day f 'Hullo, honey, kiss Joey.' 'Joey Cooper's a clever boy—oh, he's a lovely boy.' I could fill pages with his sayings. I suppose you will faugh when I tell you ho tries to sing. When my radio is going, he sings 're-re-re.' We all laugh and ho loves to bo taken notice of, and shows off when any visitors are present. But (and this is why I am writing) he will not tiike a bath. Now, this hot weather 1 really think it would do bis feather good, but 1 cimnot tempt him, so the last week I got a bottle with a shaker on it, got hold of him and sprinkled him well. lie squeaked all the time and does not seem to appreciate the bath, but immediately he is back in his cage, he is all right. He starts to shako himself, ruffles his feathers and talks. I do not think he is any the worse for his enforced bath. His feathers-are tighter and shining. He says all our names, and, of course, tliero is not another like liini. .At the moment, he is saying 'Hullo, funny fare,' 'Joey's a clever kid,' and running after the ball on tho table, putting his foot on it and pushing it. We get such a lot of pleasure watching him and teaching him. I recommend anyone who is lonely and wants a pet to get a budgerigar—the best pet of all." Keep on sprinkling tho bird as you have been doing, or better still, use a perfume spray aud dampon him with a fine mist from it.

"Budgie," Epsom.—Budgerigar: Tho bird died from concussion, having flown against something hard and cracked the skull. It is suggested that cats or moreporks on the aviary or cage at night have terrified the birds, and in their fright, they have flown ngainst some projection or possibly tho netting enclosure. "Larks," Hamilton. —Larks: An article on feeding, rearing and keeping larks in captivity will be published in the near futtire. They require a pieco of turf on which to rest, as they are not accustomed to walking on a hard surface. They wr.nt a dust buth, A proprietary lurk food is manufactured by soveral makers, and can bo obtained from most bird shops. They will live satisfactorily on a mixture of chopped-up, boiled egg and nnts' eggs mixed with toasted broad crumbs or powdered biscuit, They require gentles or mealworms, srasshoppers and crickets. A little hemp seed is appreciated. "Chicks," New Plymouth.—Goldfinch: I havo had no experience of the use of Taranaki black iron sand as grit for birds, but I am of the opinion that excessive quanta ties would be dangerous. The iron in the sand bus to ho dissolved by tho gastric juices of tho bird, and I am of the opinion that you can very easily overdo the dosage of iron and cause other complications. Iron is usually given after it has been exposed to the air or dissolvorl ns in chemical food. Personally, I would like to hear tho experiences of Taranaki bird fanciers, and tho quantities of black iron sand used, beforo forming a definite opinion, Your bird has a slipped claw. If you gontly forco it back into position at the back of tho leg and tie with a fine elastic band, it might heal. It is probable, however, that before long tho claw will start to atrophy, as it is not boing used properly nnd tho blood will not circulate. If the hind claw on the other foot js a really good one, it is suggested that you snip off tho deformed nnd probably injured claw to onublo tho bird to perch properly on the ball of the foot. Its only inconvcnionco would he in grasping tho back of the perch on alighting. Infection at soma previous time is a possible cause, but not likely. Occasionally, birds in captivity have trouble with their claws owing to single strands of wool hecoming wrapped ufjund aud stopping circulation.