Cage & Aviary Birds

Cage & Aviary Birds is written by bird experts for bird fanciers and is packed with club, show and bird related news, advice, birds for sale and comment. Established in 1902, Cage & Aviary Birds provides a wealth of practical advice and tips from the top names in the bird world, plus opinion, controversy, species and hobbyist profiles and nostalgia.

Record-breaking breeding season for kakapo in NZ

Ringed plover: exclusion zone set up on Isle of Man

QUOTE of the WEEK

Also in the news…

WWT secures big funding to expand Welsh wetlands

Farmers and conservationists unite to reverse owl decline

LATEST UPDATE

Al project identifies rare bird species through song

THE CANARY COLUMN

Exzolt: these charges are mitey steep

REWILDING: IT ISN'T ALL ROSY

Editor's Letter

Cage & Aviary Birds

Strategy for breeding: Part 5 • When is it safe to cross the line… that is, from linebreeding to inbreeding? Only in certain circumstances, and under strict controls, counsels Fife legend TERRY KELLY

Give your birds a head start • An important element of our hobby is getting birds out to represent us on the show bench. Yet, too often, fanciers simply catch a few birds the day before the show and hope for the best. They then wonder why those birds don't perform. Proper preparation doesn't begin the night before, says respected champion RICK WATTS — it starts weeks or even months earlier

A contingency plan for your sale or show • Part of the licence requirements for all bird gatherings in England is a contingency plan to deal with disease outbreaks. This is not complicated document to produce and should easily fit on to one A4 sheet. Experienced sale organiser PHIL MUMFORD guides us through the process

I'm all paired up and raring to go • There's action from near and far GARY BRALSFORD, as he moves into the early breeding phase with his own softbills and foreign hardbills too — and also revels in the reports of legendary species that a softbill friend is enjoying in faraway South America

Be charmed by the tiniest gamebird • For a such a titchy species, the Chinese painted quail has been weighted down with multiple names during its careet, yet this doesn't affect its power to enchant its owner. BILL NAYLOR introduces a pint-sized and popular aviary bird, with tips on its management

Travelling to learn • Want to know the best way to pick up the most valuable birdkeeping tips? Get out and visit some birdrooms, says BRIAN KEENAN – and if that involves a real trip, make the most of it

The cryptic star of the Cotswolds • Camouflage is the key word for the tawny frogmouth, as SUSIE KEARLEY discovered on a visit to Cotswold Wildlife Park. But there's no disguising the fact that the frogmouth breeding programme is going well there, with the first parent-reared youngster providing the evidence

Spring in full swing • ‘Even experienced breeders find that each season brings its own challenges and lessons,’ observes STUART MASON. And that applies supremely as breeding picks up this month

My varieties and why I keep them • Respected breeder, exhibitor and CCBA judge DAVID McCOOL explains the different attraction of the birds that shape his daily routine

READERS’ GALLERY

Club News • Welcome to the club and show pages – the bit that's all about you

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Club roundup • Show reports, dates, club notices

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