Domesticating Finches In the Philippines

Introduction & Scope
The routine capture and domestication of wild birds is a taboo subject that most modern aviculturists agree should stop but that will only happen when domesticated strains are secure. In my homeland, Australia, laws governing the capture and sale of wild-life have prohibited this practice (at least for Australian native birds) since the mid 1980s and as a consequence very few will even talk about the subject for fear of attracting the scrutiny of the authorities. Here in the Philippines there are similar laws but the level of compliance and enforcement is much lower. Fortunately for wildlife, enactment of RA9147 is changing that but the penalty for aviculturist is that the supply of wild-sourced birds (domestic & imported) is drying up. This has both positive and negative consequences for wild-life and aviculture. I’m not going to get into the morality or otherwise of keeping animals as there are plenty other sites that address that, my concern is for aviculturists and their interests. I will also restrict my examination to the domestication of finches as I doubt, at least in the short-term, that Philippine avicultuists have the knowledge or critical mass to maintain captive populations of birds other than the more conventional subjects – finches, poultry (quail, pheasants, chickens & water fowl) parrots and pigeons. Even with the resources and organization available in developed countries some species will always be extremely difficult to maintain and so will remain outside of legitimate aviculture.
My own knowledge of domestication is, like most like that of Australians, out of date. As a child I had access to many wild caught Kimberly finches (and some local ones too!) but I only ever bred from wild-sourced star, zebra and owl finches but I never went out of my way to do this and it wasn’t an interest of my family.
In this post I want to examine what makes a bird suitable for aviculture and how initial stock can best be brought into captivity. To do this outside of the law is of course not an option I’m advocating and of course in situ conservation must be a priority and any capture should not endanger the birds in the wild. Up until the end of the 1990s the Philippines hosted a feral population of the strawberry finch but it was trapped and even exported to extinction because aviculturists and traders exploited the population without any real effort to domesticate these birds – this should not be allowed to happen again. Many people still hold birds registered with DENR from the 2004 registration period and it is imperative that considerable effort be placed into domesticating these birds before they too die off and are remembered only be the trophy collectors.
Legal Considerations
Gaining permission to trap new stock is possible. Provisions under made under RA9147 could allow for birds to be trapped for breeding purposes – see excerpts:

Section 6. Wildlife Information. ­ All activities, as subsequently manifested under this Chapter, shall be authorized by the Secretary upon proper evaluation of best available information or scientific data showing that the activity is, or for a purpose, not detrimental to the survival of the species or subspecies involved and/or their habitat. For this purpose, the Secretary shall regularly update wildlife information through research.

Section 7. Collection of Wildlife. ­ Collection of wildlife may be allowed in accordance with Section 6 of this Act: Provided, That in the collection of wildlife, appropriate and acceptable wildlife collection techniques with least or no detrimental effects to the existing wildlife populations and their habitats shall, likewise, be required: Provided, further, That collection of wildlife by indigenous people may be allowed for traditional use and not primarily for trade: Provided, furthermore, That collection and utilization for said purpose shall not cover threatened species: Provided, finally, That Section 23 of this Act shall govern the collection of threatened species.

Section 23. Collection of Threatened Wildlife, By-products and Derivatives ­ The collection of threatened wildlife, as determined and listed pursuant to this Act, including its by-products and derivatives, shall be allowed only for scientific, or breeding or propagation purposes in accordance with Section 6 of this Act: Provided, That only the accredited individuals, business, research, educational or scientific entities shall be allowed to collect for conservation breeding or propagation purposes.

To obtain approval to capture birds for breeding purposes a research proposal would need to be submitted to the DENR which meets the requirements outlined in section 6, 7 & 23. If the applicant can’t convince the DENR that they are capable of conducting a capture and breeding program by themselves they may require the cooperation of a leading research institution or registered zoo and an agreement to resource their breeding program. Resources needed might mean paying for a bank of suitable aviaries or funding a masters or PhD student in addition to paying the research costs. Where you build the aviary may be negotiable and possession is always nine tenths of the law. If a captive breeding program is successful that doesn’t automatically give you access to the birds as you would then have to approach the DENR with a further request allowing you to keep and trade the species since the sustainability of the captive population would be threatened by restricting the progeny to few local zoos that could support similar breeding programs and since the captive population would be vulnerable to extinction by being held in only a few places and would eventually suffer from inbreeding depression if they were not allowed to be traded between legitimate aviculturists. The oversight of a bird club could also be useful to ensure that sufficient breeding stock is held to ensure its sustainability. Needless to say that once birds are legitimately and more easily bred this will have a detrimental affect on any existing illegal trade.
What Birds and Conditions Facilitate Domestication?
HenryNichols(2009) hypothesizes that the secret of domestication lies purely in selection for tameness but this is an oversimplification.  The capacity with which any wild animals might become domesticated, regardless of the type of animal, is dependant on six qualities according to Jared Diamond (1998). I’ve paraphrased these in relation to finches below:
1 They must not be panicked by people or other animals. Wild-caught finches do not generally accept the presence of people but do get increasingly conditioned to their presence and if aviary bred will soon associate human presence to the provision of food & water.
2 They must have dietary requirements that can be easily met. Finches are mainly granivorous and require a breeding diet high in protein. For some species this may only be accepted in the form of live insect food which makes their culture more difficult if substitutes are no accepted. As examples here; canaries will accept egg-food as an insect substitute but many African wax-bills and parrot-finches will not.
3 Short generation time compared to a human. Finches live 5-10 years and many breed within the year of hatching, laying 3-6 eggs in a clutch and raising three broods in a year. The short breeding life of finches means that the domestication process needs to be just right or the birds will be wasted compared to longer-lived species like parrots.
4 Birds must have a pleasant disposition. While most finches are gentle, a few are pugnacious towards other birds and must be carefully managed to prevent losses. The Australian crimson or Cuban finches are prime examples of birds that need careful management or they will kill their own kind and others if not managed correctly and this often means more costly aviaries have to be constructed.
5 Birds must have the ability to breed when captive. Here again the capacity for aviculturists to maintain not just breeding conditions but there must be sufficient breeding pairs to underpin the genetic diversity that keeps the species viable in captivity. The African brood parasites (whydahs and indigo birds) are a good case in question – they need to be kept in very large enclosures together with 6-8 of pairs of their breeding hosts which must supplied with enough insects to raise their broods. Even in counties with advanced aviculture, like Australia, this difficult because of the investment needed in order to maintain genetic diversity.
6 Birds must be able to be kept in an enclosure or have a modifiable social dominance hierarchy in which a human becomes the leader of the pack. Most finches can be successfully contained in cages or aviaries but it is the stocking density that needs to be carefully controlled. Since finches aren’t like poultry they aren’t likely to be imprinted on a human and be ranched in the open. It’s an interesting idea, especially for finches with obligate insectivore young; if once a clutch hatches in the aviary that the parents could be free to forage outside and return to feed the young and brood at night if their parenting instincts are strong enough.

While the conditions needed for breeding are probably as varied as the species under consideration, if you work from the precept that wild birds breed in the wild then what is needed is to get these birds to breed in captivity is to simulate those conditions. Research has to be undertaken to find what the target species needs in the wild and how others have succeeded in the past with the same or similar species. Comparing the conditions of wild to captive populations there are a number of hurdles that need to be overcome. These factors are listed in Table 1. Finches are generally fairly adaptable however like most animals they become fixated on the conditions under which they grew up. Fleeing large animals like humans has obvious advantages in the wild and part of this behavior is a matter of cultural transmission but it can be overcome through habituation. Birds on the nest are the most sensitive to disturbance and are likely to desert even advanced young so it should be obligatory to provide any nests with cover and don’t be tempted to peak even if the law requires ring the young (which luckily it doesn’t).
Finches have food requirements that can be met with a correct mix of carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins and minerals but the accepted from that these take can be fixed on as a matter of exposure rather than an obligate need. The high protein requirements of nestlings are mostly met by insects in the wild but egg food should perform the same function but convincing a wild bird to feed this to their young is difficult. Be prepared to experiment with food – eg mixing egg-food with termites or meal worms. If insects aren’t readily available aviculturist might try supplemental hand-feeding or fostering.
Estrillid finches are stimulated to breed by the seasonal availability of food but in captivity there are no real natural cycles in the tropics to act as reproductive cues. It is up to the aviculturist to create them. It is tempting to feed a breeding diet continuously but according to Fidler this can have undesirable effects – i, weakening of the birds especially the hen and may result in death of the bird; ii, asynchrony of the breeding pair’s reproductive state leading to loss of capacity to breed.

Table 1. Factors likely to affect reproductive capacity in captive birds
Once a species has been chosen as the subject of the domestication process the highest quality stock must be obtained. This means capture and transport should be done in the least stressful swift method.
Obviously the least stressful method would be to foster eggs under a host like society finches and to provision them with suitable food. This may not always be possible as nests are not easily found and unless the captive host birds are kept on site incubation of the eggs during transport would be problematic. Another difficulty is not knowing the exact age of the clutch since, for best results, the timing of hatching should coincide with the expected hatching date of the host’s own clutch. Fostering has been used to bring difficult species like the West Australian red-eared fire-tailed finch into captivity but this toehold is tenuous because of the narrow genetic base and the aggressive nature of the bird as it can only be kept as pairs. Foster parents need to be treated for any possible disease before the eggs hatch as many birds can harbor sub-clinical infections for worms, mites or pathogenic yeast or bacteria for which the hatchlings will have no resistance. Once raised by their foster parents in captivity the acquired progeny are more likely to be used to enclosed conditions and habituated to humans in close proximity. The fostered birds should be removed from the parents as soon as they are independent (generally 3-4 weeks after fledging) as lessens the chances of the young becoming sexually imprinted on their host species. The fostered youngsters need to be monitored for aggression while they mature and rung. Ringing is essential so that individuals can be distinguish and paired up and for this I recommend colored plastic split rings as fitting them can be done at any time and different colors mean that birds an be distinguished from a distance
Obtaining adult birds is the most likely route to domestication. As previously stated, reducing stress is the key to ensuring survival and from that base, maintenance and breeding can occur. Harman & Vriends (1978) emphasize the need to ensure that newly captured birds don’t become wet or chilled. While temperatures in the Philippines are usually unlikely to be detrimental to new birds every care should be taken to ensure that the birds don’t become wet or exposed to drafts especially in the December-January period.
Disease too is another source of stress that will either kill birds outright or depress their reproductive potential. Wild birds in particular need to be treated for common ailments and as a matter of course should be wormed and treated for coccidiosis when received and 3-4 times a year there after. Many wild birds carry sub-clinical infections which will manifest once caught either because of stress or because the bird was self medicating. Water must be changed daily and fecal matter not allowed to accumulate in feed dishes – a hopper-style feeder will assist with this. Bacteria and avian gastric yeast can be suppressed by the addition of 10mL (2 tsp) of apple cider vinegar per liter of drinking/bathing water. If birds are dying they should be immediately submitted for necroscopy to determine the cause of death if this is not possible the refrigerate or freeze the body until it can be inspected. The veterinary school at UPLB charges only P100 for this service and an additional charge of P100 for each microscope test. Mercurio et.al. (2007) has reported base level hematological values for healthy wild chestnut munia which may assist your veterinarian.
A prerequisite for breeding is of course to have birds of opposite sex. Sex ratios in captive birds are nearly always biased in favor of males and this may be so even in wild birds as evidevced during necroscopic examination of a random sample of 29 chestnut munia at UPLB of which only 11 were female (Mercurio et.al. 2007). In many species, particularly munias and parrotfinches, the sexes are not usually discernable (sexually monomorphic) so obtaining only a single pair is inadequate and would lead to a dangerous genetic bottle-neck if no other stock were introduced at a later date. Finches are generally too small to be surgically sexed but they can be DNA sexed. As far as I know DNA sexing is not available in the Philippines, although I have heard that Birds International may be doing it. Having this done outside the Philippines would probably breach the quarantine requirements or CITIES obligations of the counties which host this technology since feathers, blood or DNA would have to be sent though the post and gaining the correct export and import permits is beyond the capacity of most individuals.  You are welcome to try these DNA sexing companies Molecular Diagnostic Laboratories (South Africa), DNA Solutions (various locations costs AUD$16.90/bird in Australia).  Perhaps this represents a business opportunity for someone? Careful observation of birds in breeding condition is generally a reliable way of sexing birds. Males will often sing, initiate a mating dances while holding grass in their beaks and mount females. Females invariably incubate eggs at night (except in the brood parasites).
Establishing at firm pair bond will give better results than just placing birds together just because they are opposite sex. If there is the possibility of letting the birds choose their own mates this too should give stronger pair-bonds and lead to better breeding success than just placing birds together. For this reason too obtaining more than a single pair is wise. Once pairs have been identified any unpaired birds should be removed as they may be disruptive – especially supernumerary males. In small aviaries it is likely that only the dominant pair will breed.
The way in which birds are trapped too may influence how they adapt to captivity. Shephard (1994) reported that Australian finch trappers believed that by feeding commercial finch mixes at trapping sites, to attract birds, that they were selecting types that preferred the domesticated diet. This may be so, but Franklin et al (1999) indicates that flocking behavior was exploited by commercial trappers who relied on netting whole flocks of non-breeding birds were readily caught as they sought water and feed at the dwindling waterholes during the dry season. The use of captive caller-birds to entice wary flocks into these trap zones was so successful that it was banned (Franklin et al 1999).
In the past some advocated wing clipping as a way of calming birds brought into captivity (Harman & Vriends 1978) and while it may appear to assist with the process of habituating the bird (because it soon realizes that it can’t escape) I don’t condone it. Helplessness doesn’t equate with calmness around people – a study of cortisol levels between wing-clipped and control birds would soon show if this is the case.
Domesticating the Philippine Finches
Table 2 lists the extant native and feral Estrillid finches. There are other Frigillid finches (Erasian tree sparrow, Eurasian siskin, Brambling, Philippine bull-finch, White-cheeked bull-finch, Mountain serin, Luzon cross-bill, Little bunting, Yellow bunting, Yellow-breasted bunting) but I’m not familiar with them and won’t discuss these species. Canary breeders however might think it useful to introgress photoperiod insensitivity from the mountain serin – if this cross is not sterile.
One of the most widely kept finches in the Philippines, if not the world, is a domesticated Lonchura species known as the society / bengalese finch and it Philippine relatives have all been domesticated overseas and are available in Australia, Europe and north America. Looking at the older literature it seems that many were considered difficult to breed when first brought in from the wild but either through habituation to captive conditions or selection these birds are now considered relatively free breeders. Perhaps the most serious threat to their genetic integrity is their capacity to form fertile hybrids so care must be taken to house the species separately and to destroy any hybrid progeny.

Table 2 the Philippine finches and their probability of domestication given all resources. §Score for ease of domestication based on overseas experience and present experience in the Philiippines;***** – Very likely, **** -Good Chance, *** – Possible, ** – Outside chance. * – Unlikely

Of the wild munias found in the Philippines, I have only ever seen domesticated Java sparrows for sale. Captive bred wild-type (grey) birds are less common than the white form in captivity and sell for around P800 a pair compared to P400 for wild caught birds. According to Harman & Vriends (1978) the wild birds are not free breeders and they recommend pairing them up with a white (and therefore domesticated) bird and from this F1 generation a more free-breeding type will be produced. For breeding purposes they recommend a budgerigar-type box and state that the provision of soft-food is usual but unnecessary. Of course if you want pure wild-type the process will be more difficult or involve a series of back-crosses.

Figure 1. Philippine munias (Clocckwise from Top LHS: a, Scaly-breasted munia; b, White-bellied munia; c, Java sparrow & d, Chesnut munia)

 Scaly breasted munias (Spice finches Fig.1a) are highly adaptable birds that have established feral populations in many parts of the world including the USA and Australia. In the Philippines they are commonly associated with rice fields and fallow areas where they feed on rice and other seeding grasses. Harman & Vriends (1978) recommend that breeding birds not be disturbed at all but captive populations in Australian aviaries have overcome this initial shyness (Shephard 1994). It is important to supply a variety of green food, eggfood, and soaked seed according to the Avian Web. Provision of live food is optional but for wild caught birds it would probably be better to err on the side of caution and give it to them. According to Shephard (1994) all munias have similar requirements and prefer to construct their own nests in aviary brush rather than use more exposed boxes.  Cauchi (2008) found that Chensnut munias in Australia accept cane baskets for nest and apart from being difficult to sex are relatively free breeders.

Figure 2. Philippine Parrotfinches, Clocwise fron top LHS: a, Greenfaced; b, Red-eared; c, Pin-tailed; d, Bamboo)

Parrotfinches are amongst the most colorful and desirable of the finches and the Philippine representatives are no exception. The exotic Gouldian belongs to this group and is one of the most commonly kept finches in the Philippines. The Gouldian however is not representative of the group in that it is adapted to dry conditions and doesn’t require live food or fruit in order to thrive. Harman and Vriends (1978) mention that wild-caught Gouldians sold in the UK before the Australian export ban were considered delicate birds which needed to be housed at around 30oC. Domestication has transformed this bird in to a hardy bird that can withstand temperatures less than 5oC in outside aviaries but is still prone sickness compared to other finches particularly air-sac mites and it is reasonable to assume that other parrotfinches are likewise susceptible. Most parrot-finches are forest or forest-edge dwelling and their populations periodically explode when supplies of bamboo seed is available. Good parrotfinch information can be found on Carlos Mendigutia’s site (http://www.theparrotfinches.com/ ) and the Erythrura site. In Australia it is considered important to give parrotfinches access to fruit, especially slices of cucumber and fresh water for bathing. Parrot finches have a preference for nesting in boxes similar to those used for Gouldians, however for wild sourced birds these should be shielded from prying eyes with brush.
The pin-tailed parrotfinch’s only known toehold in the Philippines is on the slopes of Mt. Mantalingahan, Palawan (Fig 2d) but it is more common on Borneo and mainland Asia. Like the Gouldian, wild caught pin-tailed parrot finches are considered to be delicate birds and unlikely to breed using the systems employed in the 1970s (Harman & Vriends 1978). In Europe,  Crosbie (2002) have hatched many broods from wild sourced birds and from what I can glean the secret appears to be house the birds in an aviary with plenty of cover, feed from an elevated platform, supply fortified egg-food and sprouted seed. It appears that this species can not be readily parent reared without green-seed and live food as is mentioned on the Erythrura site. The latter site recommends that temperatures remain at 25oC or above. The pin-tailed parrotfinch is very rare in Australian aviaries so I assume that this species is not readily brought into aviculture and rarely breeds in cages according to Rindom (2008) and Birdcare.
Bamboo parrotfinches are found throughout South East Asia in montaine bamboo thickets where temperatures can go down to 0oC according to the Erythrura site. In the Philippines it is found on Palawan, Mindanao and southern Luzon. In Australia stocks of this species are at critically low levels but considering that no imports have been possible since 1945 it appears that the species is barely amenable to sustainable aviculture without in injection of fresh blood-lines. This species needs cover in the aviary, soaked or sprouted seed, egg and live food according to the Erythrura site.
The green-faced parrotfinch is another bird of the forest edge and bamboo forests in Luzon and Negros (DENR ). The Philippine government issued export permits for 90 green-faced parrotfinches in 1990 (NSCB) but listed its status as threatened in the following year (TANGGOL). The bird was first introduced into Europe in 1966 but has never been a free breeder and with the cessation of exports of this bird from Luzon in the early 1990s small populations has been maintained but there is little first-hand information I can track which suggest that this bird is very difficult to establish in captivity. When bamboo is flowering it can be found in large numbers according to the Wild Bird Club.
The red-eared parrotfinch comes from the forested slopes of Mt. Katinglad on Mindanao is more common than once thought but is listed as near threatened (Birdwatch). In captivity it will breed in colonies or in single pairs and unlike the other Philippine parrotfinches is spends much of it’s time foraging on the ground for seed. While not common in Europe it appears to have become established in captivity according to the Erythura site. Luc Wolfs of Bird-Exports.com regularly offers this bird and so it could be re-imported from Belgium.  Rindom (2008) notes that in captivity red-ears spend a lot of time on the floor forraging so hygiene must be a priority the birds are bred in half open nest boxes.
Nests and Nesting Materials
As previously mentioned munias prefer to construct their own nests in aviary brush, although Java sparrows prefer a budgie or half open box. Not surprisingly, parrotfinches require a Gouldian type box.. As a general rule twice as many boxes as pair of birds should be provided and these should be at various heights throughout the aviary. Brush-wood is not easy to come by in the Philippines the best I can come up with is Callistemon viminalis (bottle-brush Fig 3) branches as they retain their leaf for longer than most plants when dried.

Figure 3 Callistemon viminalis a common myrtaceous shrub

Figure 4 Bottle palm

The dried inflorescences of the bottle palms (Mascarena lagenicaulis, Fig 4), tied together or placed into a basket of reinforcing mesh also works quite well. In the wild, birds utilize a range of nesting materials and for at least the first generation as wide as possible range should be experimented with until you are sure what is needed. A good range would include:

Figure 5 Tiger grass brooms

• Fresh & dried Panicum seed heads (remains of the green seed fed) and leaves
• Tiger grass broom cut into loose pieces
• Coir (coconut fiber)
• Oven dried Imperata cylindricata heads (must be oven dried or will go moldy)
• Kapok
• White chicken feathers (I get mine from feather pillows)

Summary of Domestication
Breeding any bird requires the application of species specific knowledge – especially of it’s behavior and ecology within it’s home range. The general principals outlined below should therefore be seen as a guide rather than a definitive answer.
• Obtain birds legally – preferably ones already habituated to captive conditions
• Share the burden and the chances of success by acting cooperatively with fellow aviculturists
• Prophylactically treat birds for worms, parasites and diseases before attempting to breed.
• Provide the birds with as spacious an aviary as possible, preferably by themselves and away from high traffic areas.
• Provide lots of cover within the aviary so that the birds are able to retreat into it when approached. If possible the flight should be planted and completely roofed with polycarbonate sheeting.
• Disturb the birds as little as possible by using hopper-style feeders and a feeding station attached to an outside wall so as to avoid entering the aviary.
• Provide a varied diet and experiment with new food and supplements, keeping only those that are accepted.
• Always give live-food unless it’s demonstrated that they don’t utilize it.
• Provide a range of nesting receptacles and nesting materials.
• Keep stocking density low, preferably in single species enclosures and remove young as soon as they are independent.
• Do not include congeneric or other species likely to hybridize with the target species in the same enclosure
• Pairs consisting of a wild sourced bird with a captive bred bird are an easier way to introduce new blood-lines that using only wild birds.
• Fostering is an option if you have immediate access to wild sourced eggs or you wish to get the parent birds to lay a second clutch sooner or change any food fixation that will make management easier.
• Try to provide as many natural foods as possible so as to create a natural breeding cycle
• Don’t breed continuously as it weakens birds – generally 3 clutches per year
• Don’t inbreed or your domestic line will be weakened since deleterious gene combinations will show up more often requiring culling of valuable stock.
• Work as a cooperative group to increase the chances of success: increase the genetic base is captive stock, try out different conditions, share the cost of large aviaries.
• If your birds do breed don’t be tempted to inspect nests until after the young have fledged
• Provide suitable nesting materials and sites in excess to the birds requirements

References

Cauchi, R (2008) The black-headed nuns of Asia. Australain Aviary Life May-June 2008: 16-17.

Diamond, J (1998) The evolution of guns and germs in Fabian, A. C. Evolution: society, science, and the universe. Volume 9 of  The Darwin College lectures. Quarterly Review of Biology, 73:46-63.

Franklin, D.C; Burbidge. A.H; Destine, P. L. (1999) The harvest of wild birds for aviculture: an historical perspective on finch trapping in the Kimberley with special emphasis on the Gouldian Finch. Australian Zoologist 31: 92-109. http://www.rzsnsw.org.au/publications/AZ31-1/AZ_31-1_Franklin_etal_92-109.pdf

Harman, I; Vriends, M.M. (1978) All about Finches and Related Seed Eating Birds. T.F.H Publications Inc, Hong Kong.

Mercurio, DDG; Marte1, BRG; Cruzana, BC. (2007) Hematological Values of Chestnut Mannikin (Lonchura malacca) Caught in Laguna.  Philipp. J. Vet. Med. 45: 63-66. http://journals.uplb.edu.ph/index.php/PJVM/article/viewFile/92/90

Rindom, P (2008) Parrot Finches Pt 2 – Their Breeding. Just Finches and Softbills 17:30-34.

Shephard, M. (1994) Aviculture in Australia: Keeping and Breeding Aviary Birds.  Reed New Holland, Sydney.

Off line – http://homepage.ntlworld.com/lonchura/page37.html