The Complete Book of Finches and Softbills [antikvár]

i i • I. niroduction Finches and softbills offer tremendous scopc for the bird-kccpcr. Many of these birds arc colorful, and some arc talented songsters. In most eases, they can be housed in suitable indoor settings or in planted aviaries, which can become a focal point of a garden. Few hobbies are as relaxing, fascinating and satisfying. Although the care of softbills—an avicultural term for birds that, unlike finches, do not subsist on seeds as the main part of their diet—is likely to be more demanding, the array of foods now-available means their care is generally quite straightforward. Books written in the past about these particular birds have usually concentratcd on providing a directory of species, with only general guidelines about care. This title, however, aims to give avi-culturists keeping such birds a significantly greater insight into their needs and how they can be met, drawing on the latest advances in the field, such as the applications of DNA studies and the benefits of low iron diets. The Development of Aviculture Bird keeping is an ancient pastime whose origins can be traced back more than 3,000 years to Egvpt, but the roots of modern aviculture lie in the East, notably in China and Japan. Bird keeping and breeding has been a tradition there for thousands of years. China itself has left an indelible mark on modern aviculturc, being the home of the popular Bengalese or Society Finch (Lonchura Jomestica).Today the Bengalese is an entirely domesticated variety that does not occur in the wild. The precise origins of the Bengalese are lost in the mists of time. It was certainly being bred in China about 500 years ago, and may well be even older. Stock reached Japan in the early 1700s, and Bengalese were ultimately sent from there to Europe.The first examjiles to reach Britain arrived at the London Zoo in 1860. They were a pair of pure w hite birds, which were originally identified as a color form of the Spice Finch (L. punctulata). Many of the early breedings of finches and softbills took place on the large estates of Victorian Britain, where the wealthy enthusiasts of that era, with their frequent emphasis on a naturalistic approach, often had aviaries. These people were abie to employ private collectors who traveled widely, sometimes facing considerable dangers, in order to acquire birds for their wcalthv patrons. Their stock had to be brought back by ship, but contemporary accounts suggest that the birds journeyed wcl! in such surroundings, thanks almost certainly to the skills of those employed to care for them. ''I I 1 , } ' h & . ( i ' i