Lip-stick marked Java

The Java Sparrow or Maya Costa in the Philippines (Padda oryzivora) is the largest of the Estrilidid finches and while not brilliantly colored it is a strikingly elegant bird. Javas are closely allied with the munias (Lonchura spp) and in keeping with that group are sexually monomorphic. These birds are widely kept in Java and overseas – including the Philippines where feral populations have long been established. There are also feral population established on Christmas Island (An Australian territory near Java), Hawaii and in Fiji according to Javas UK .

Timor Sparrow From http://www.sjdjavas.co.uk/news07.htm

There are actually two species within Padda, the other being the lesser known Timor Sparrow ( P. fuscata ) and the two species should never be housed together because of the risk of hybridization. Sadly, while the Java sparrow is relatively common in the Philippines (wild sourced feral birds sell for ~PhP800 a pair at Cartimar) its number have fallen perilously in Indonesia due to hunting for the bird-trade and is now listed as vulnerable under CITES. If you want to read more on in situ Java Sparrow conservation you may enjoy reading about the Prambanan Temple Project.

Java Sparrows In the Philippines
The withdrawal of the markets in the US and EU for wild sourced birds has thankfully saved the wild Java Sparrow here in the Philippines however as recently as 1990 significant numbers of wild birds were being exported – records show some 9000 wild Javas were legally exported (NSCB report). Even now, putatively captive bred birds are still being exported primarily to the middle east according to contacts in the trade at Cartimar. Remembering that the Philippines exported the local Strawberry finch into extinction, aviculturist here shouldn’t be complacent about exports they should breed Javas rather than rely on constantly dipping into the local population and remaining as “keepers” rather than breeders given the Indonesian experience.
 

Breeding

With all the gloom and doom out of the way the good news is that once established in captivity Java Sparrows are considered free breeders and aren’t difficult manage. That said please remember that most of the wild-type birds for sale here in the Philippines are exactly that wild birds and so aren’t easy to breed. If you want something easier go for the mutations (pieds, whites and creams are the most common) or carefully source your birds to ensure they are truly captive bred. Being interested in only normal birds myself, I found out too late about the origin of my birds – none the less I have managed to breed them this year.
As previously stated Javas are sexually monomorphic, a character they share with the other munas. This makes them difficult sex prior to breeding so unless you are very experienced – which I’m not – birds must be left to choose their own mates. In a large flight this is quite easy but if you have breeding cages or cabinets that will only accommodate two birds then serial introductions are the only the only sure option. Experienced breeders can often pick birds by slight differenced in feathering, beak shape and behavior but the methods aren’t fool proof. If you want to read about these please visit the SN Aviaries site  or the Java finch site. It is generally true that cock birds sing but conversely not all non-singers are hens. In my experience even giving individuals distinguishing colored rings and attempting to observe which birds were pairing off in a flight was difficult because my birds panic easily whenever I go near the aviary. To identify which birds were actually occupying nests I used a trick I saw on the internet – I put lipstick around the nest entrance and the birds occupying the nest marked themselves. Once nesting the sex of the birds can be determined as with any Estrilidid finch in that only the hen incubates at night and duties are shared during the day.
Javas don’t usually build a free standing nest but occupy hollows in trees and crevices in buildings. In captivity they will accept a budgie-type box or a large cane basket nest but my birds did nothing until give a ½ open style wooden finch box. I formed the initial nest using dried panicum and tiger-grass heads and let them to finish the nest with more of he same grasses. No soft lining materials were used by my birds despite the fact that feathers were offered. The clutch size for my birds is 4, with incubation taking 14 days and a further 30 days to fledge after hatching. Javas are not generaly worried by nest inspections but I don’t go in daily either.
Although I give my birds a daily ration of green panicum and Echinochloa (& sometimes rice), mashed egg and sprouted grain, Javas can probably raise their young on dry seed and leafy greens alone. Javas don’t usually take live food according to the Java finch site. My birds don’t seem to be affected by the presence of youngsters from the previous brood in the aviary however in cages & cabinets young should be removed as soon as they are independent.

Fledgling Java Sparrow

Young Javas , such as the fledgling shown in the accompaning photo acquire adult plumage at around 3 months but shouldn’t be bred from until they are one year old.
 

Care
The Jarva’s beak is large and powerful so giving them small grains like panicum and canary seeds is wasteful as they won’t ordinarily eat them so unless your birds are part of mixed finch collection including small grains is wasteful. I like to include oats in the mix rather than rice as dried paddy rice (palay) is it just a little too hard but ½ ripe (green) seeds are eagerly taken. My mix is US white millet, red millet, Japanese millet, rape and oats (2:1:1:0.1:0.1). A grit mix and cuttlebone is always on hand.  Clean water for bathing is essential for their well being. It seems they will drink soiled and contaminated water but for bathing it must be clean. As is common for many birds kept in small cages, rather than in aviaries, their toenails quickly become too long and will need regular trimming.

 Mutants and Color Forms
As previously stated I’m not into mutants and since a picture says a thousand words I recommend that readers should have a look at the photos on the Singing wings and the Java Links of SN Aviaries.  Pied birds result in crossing a normal type to a white but this risks contaminating your germ-line forever. In Australia there are probably no pure wild-type Javas left because of the constant crossing that goes on when mixed collections are not carefully managed. Given that wild-type birds are still available here, Philippine aviculturists should ensure that this doesn’t happen to the Java sparrow – as it is happening now to Zebras and Gouldians 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

The Gouldians, Stars and Cut-throats stayed on their nests and I assumed the snake had exited the aviary. Today however, some 8 days later, I know better. The breeding hen cut-throat is missing and the eggs are cold. There is one spot in the aviary I could’t look very well and that was a fern next to the raphis palm in which the Stars nested so I’ve now taken that out. While I found no snake I found the remains of a male Star that had been missing for the last few days.  My guess is that the Star nest will be lost and I still haven’t located the snake.

My next move will be to put a mouse in a cage in the aviary and hope that the snake will go into the mouse’s cage and eat the mouse and get trapped inside.  In almost every case the culpret has been a red-tailed rat-snake  as shown in the accompaning photo taken last year.  If anyone has better idea for trapping this animal I’ll be glad to hear as it is too an expensive a pest to entertain.

I’ll update this post as I discover more but if anyone knows a good way to trap a snake PLEASE tell me.  I think this weekend everything has to come out of the aviary and the whole cage remeshed.

Here is the up date:

March 18 – I found a dead cut-troat in the aviary – was it scared in the night by the reptile and few into something and died? The mouse is fine

March 19 – The hen Owl finch is missing presumed eaten.  The mouse is fine

 Who amongst bird keepers hasn’t at some time seen a bird and been overcome by the desire to own it? Since I only have a very narrow range of avian interest (finches) I don’t get tempted too often by what’s on sale at Cartimar but in early September I noticed a pair of Linnets for sale and although I was tempted I resisted and rhetorically I ask “Why”?  The birds themselves aren’t particularly colourful when not in breeding plumage as you can see from the photo (courtesy of Fortunecity) so I wondered what was their attraction here as supposedly they were locally bred but still cost P3000 for the pair.  In Europe they are considered to be a threatened species and here they are virtually unheard of so I was a little dismayed to see that by September 17 only the male had sold.  I don’t think many would covert the bird for it’s plumage so my guess is that it’s gone as a song-bird either directly or for a canary breeder to hybridize to alter their progeny’s song (listen on Youtube). With so few of these birds around, how can populations be sustained in the Philippines if the major market for rare birds are as trophy specimens or for breeders creating sterile hybrid progeny?  Clearly they can’t so many people must keep birds for reasons that I don’t appreciate or maybe I’m missing something.

Why do people keep birds?

There are many reasons why people keep birds and most societies let the justification belong to the individual keepers but there is a price in terms of the ecological and economic impact of keeping any animals and there is also a direct threat from zoonoses (diseases transmissable to humans).  Managing the biosecurity of our pastime is something that governments regulate which is why we have laws that protect wildlife, regulate trade and impose minimum standards for care (in some countries).   For the individual owner and society there are many human health benefits in pet ownership (see Pet therapy) but that’s not usually the motivation -it’s either business, pleasure or subsistence as shown in table 1.

 Table 1. Organisation of motives of the different types of birdkeeping

There is another motivation that I didn’t list and that is pathological bird collecting but I don’t know if I’ve seen it.  There is an allied hobby known as oology, egging or just egg collecting.  It was once considered a legitimate hobby but the drive to posses ever rarer eggs made it a threat to some species and so it publically unpopular so so it became illegal ( although I don’t know about there in the Philippines) .  The few egg collectors I hear of now (see the story in The Guardian) are often obsessive and destructive both to themselves and to the species they crave.  For those involved in egging each egg becomes a prized trophy in their private collection but seeking glory and acceptance by their peers doesn’t seem to be a motivating factor (See a related story on the BBC site). This now illegal hobby of egging is not without it’s positive side, as it was from studying collections through time that the link between the insecticide DDT and thinning egg-shells which were decimating some species was identified.

Intrinsically I find that partisipating in aviculture gives me pleasure so finding the root source of the pleasure can obviously be used to increasing the pleasure but likewise can be examined to curb any undesirable or destructive obsessions. So what gives me pleasure from my  form of aviculture?

1. Novelty – I like to have different types of birds but only to a point.
2. Completeness – I like to have complete themed collections.
3. I want to be able to breed what I keep so that it is sustainable and pays for itself.
4. I enjoy the routine and discipline of keeping birds.
5. I enjoy discovering and implementing the “secrets to successful keeping & breeding”.
6. I enjoy making an environment that is aesthetically pleasing which also functions to give my birds the opportunity to experience as full a range of natural behaviours as my budget allows.
7. I want to see that my birds are healthy, freed from stress and protected from danger.
8. I enjoy exchanging information about my hobby in order to increase my own success and those of others and to increase general public acceptance of aviculture.

There are other aspects in Aviculture that others may enjoy which, when I list them, aren’t important to me, go completely against my philosophy or they are just a fact of life: 

1. Showing – I think it’s too stressful to catch the birds both on me and the birds and yet I enjoy going to shows.  This is much less of a problem for caged rather than aviary housed birds.
2. Song – bird song doesn’t do it for me and I hate going into loud and over crowded bird-rooms and shops full of screeching parrots and deafening canaries.
3. Intensive farming of birds with it’s attendant practices- especially:
   • Interspecific fostering as a way of life
   • Small and/or overcrowded cages
4. Keeping for the sake of owning (I call it trophy keeping)
   • Keeping when the birds are beyond the ability of the owner to provide the correct conditions for the birds to thrive
   • Producing mutants or hybrids
   • Inbreeding – sometimes you just don’t have a choice but it’s best avoided
   • Keeping without regard to the origin of the birds especially the impact that taking wild-birds has on the sustainability of wild populations.
5. Keeping when only motivation is profit, especially commercial production without regard for welfare of the birds either individually or as a species

I would hate to see aviculture go the same was oology so it is important that as keepers we are aware that we must protect the interests of the birds we desire or we may find ourselves in the same category as the oologists.  That day may be a long way off but general aviculture doesn’t have much a positive public profile anywhere.  Even in the Philippines I’ve read more in the newspapers about opposition to captive animal keeping by animal rights groups like PETA than about about general aviculture and I won’t even touch on cock-fighting.  If I get the time and inclination there’s a lot more I could right on animal welfare and animal rights but that’s sure to get blood boiling so I’ll leave that for another time.

When I read what I put my profile (written 12 months ago) I aspired to place myself on a more commercial basis than I find myself in.  I was advised not to keep anything that didn’t pay for itself but I haven’t been able to live up to the ideal as I find that I have lots of unproductive birds – so why do I keep them? They obviously give me pleasure or I would have gotten rid of them even though they cost me money because of their direct costs (the food they consume) and the opportunity cost of maintaining birds that decrease the productivity of existing productive birds and take up space that could be used by more productive birds. When I look at these unproductive birds they are all monomorphic species (sexes appear the same) – shaft-tails, owls and munia’s.  To breed these in aviaries you need to have more than one or two pairs to choose from or you may not have a pair at all but I’m constrained by the price of these birds and by not wanting to deplete wild birds.

So in conclusion the Linnets did tempt me but the pleasure they might give me through novelty wasn’t enougt to out-weigh my reluctance to reduce the limited capacity of my aviaries for birds that I might value more. I know how my birds are sold at Carimar so I’m almost certain that they would have been siblings so inbreeding would have been the only option and I don’t go for song or non-Estrillids.  If suddenly a source of new types of Australian finch, African wax-bills or parrot-finches appeared on the market here then I’d be in trouble so I’d better build that new aviary just in case.

Recently I’ve been contemplating the origin, practices and future of aviculture in the Philippines. I hope that my philosophy isn’t at odds with the local authorities. I can’t speak as an avicultural or regulatory professional – just as an interested party looking at the information available on the internet and just talking to local bird keepers – about where the hobby is or should go. In this piece I’m restricting my thought to Estrilidid finches but there are other mayas like tree-sparrows which someone else may like to comment on. I have included an occasional reference to canaries this time because I know it interests a lot of locals and the prices here astound me.

Filipinos have long enjoyed birds, often for more practical than aesthetic reasons but times are changing. Early last century McGregor & Garder (1930) found five native finch species for sale in the markets of Manila(Strawberry Finch, Java Sparrow, White Bellied Munia, Scaly Breasted Munia). Even today many of the same species are still offered but are almost never from legally registered stock.

Aviculturists have a responsibility to protect and nurture each species in perpetuity, not only for our own enjoyment but to propagate for them for the next generation to enjoy and to have captive stock as an insurance against extinctions in the wild and has been shown by the Save the Gouldian Foundation a large viable captive population allows researchers to conduct research that while aimed at preserving a rare species is too riky to actully conduct on the last remaining populations. Habitat loss rather than trapping and trade is the single biggest factor in the loss of bird species.

It is here that Government policies have failed but clamping down on aviculture is seen by governments as an easy and public gesture to show they care. While the public might condemn the sale of wild birds they have little thought what their organic steak costs in terms of environmental impact or just how much wildlife their beloved cat actully consumes every year. My birds are safe from our cats but I have noted that inspite of claw removal, bells on the collar and more than adequate feeding they have killed colasisi and guaiaberos parrots, button quail, shrikes and sparrows, numerous snakes and lizards and a number of shrews.  Had I rescued these animals in time and kept them, DENR would be happy to prosecute me but since the cat killed them it doesn’t matter!!??  The public and government agencies alike prefer to burry their heads in the sand over such inconsistencies.

Philippine Finches

Only two great clades (branches) of Estrilids are now represented in the Philippines: the parrot-finches (Erythura spp – close relatives of the revered Gouldian) and five munia or manikins (Lonchura spp). Table 1 lists all species currently recognised as being wild Philippine finches. The origin of some of some wild Estrilidid finches populations are almost certainly avicultural escapes. The Java sparrow and strawberry finch are in this class but the other species too are widespread within Asia with only the green-faced and red-eared parrot-finches being truly endemic.

The strawberry finch was once listed as a wild species in the Philippines but it does seem to have become locally extinct but I have spoken to people that remember it for sale as late as 2004. The government issued export permits for up to 450 strawberries in 1990 (Table 1) which in hindsight seems irresponsible but it probably only hastened the inevitable. The strawberry is still common on mainland Asia and is established in Australian, European and American aviculture so perhaps it can be brought back. Even better would be if locals holding remnant birds got together, formed a rescue plan and bred them up again. Since finches only live 6-8 years at most such action are needed urgently for this species.

The Philippine islands are home to four forest dwelling parrot finches (Erythura viridifacies – Green faced; Erythura coloria – Red eared; Erythura hypothura – Bamboo and Erythura prasina – Pin-tailed). All are endangered but are established in aviculture overseas but unfortunately not in their homeland. Populations of the pin-tailed parrot finch were only discovered on Palawan in the last couple of years as its stronghold is on Borneo and mainland Asia. The green-faced parrot-finch appears especially threatened and past exports of this bird and anecdotal reports of it in the domestic bird-trade would indicate that it wasn’t nearly so rare. Although the government still issued export permits for 90 greenfaced parrot finches in 1990 (NSCB) it listed their status as threatened by the following year (http://www.tanggol.org/environmental_laws/DAO_48.html).

Wild parrot-finches are often reliant on bamboo seeds (Allen 1999) so the fact that each species flowers simultaneously at intervals sometimes reaching 50 years or more may mean that it’s a feast or famine for the birds and the numbers plummet and explode accordingly. On mainland Asia numbers of pin-tailed parrot finches have fallen dramatically over the last 30 years. These birds were previously listed as rice pests and the fact that insecticide use for this crop has risen dramatically over the same period is probably not unrelated to it’s decline; either directly poisoning the birds, disrupting reproduction or depleting insect fare necessary to raise young.

The Java sparrow or maya costa as it is known locally is a moderately common bird often found in mixed flocks with sparrow in the roof trusses of large buildings or in the rice fields and as the scientific name (Lonchura oryzivora) hints it eats paddy rice. The typical grey wild-type bird is seldom bred here in the Philippines but is often kept. White and pied birds are of domestic origin and overseas other mutations exist. It is considered a beginners bird like the zebra finch. It’s large size makes it unsuitable to house with other finches but can be kept with budgies and other small parrots (not love birds). Although it is common in aviculture and introduced to the Philippines it is still listed as CITIES category 2 species because it is declining in its homeland in Indonesia possibly because of the irresponsible use of insecticides in rice crops.

The other Philippine Lonchura species are subspecies of those found throughout South East Asia. The nutmeg manikin (scaly breasted munia) is found as far east as Australia but here there is some debate as to wether it is native or introduced. All Lonchura spp are monomorphic (males and females look the same) and aren’t usually free breeders but there are exceptions like the society finch. All the Philippine Lonchura species are fairly cheap when offered (<P200/pr) and so are of little interest to all but enthusiasts in the Philippines. During festivals it is quite common to find green and red dyed spice finches for sale (~P30) but from a welfare point of view I can’t condone the practice. Nearly all the birds offered for sale in the Philippines are wild caught and the manikins formed the majority of wild exports until Europe and the US banned the importation of wild caught birds.

Common name	Scientific Name	1990 Export Quota	CITIES Category
Chestnut manikin	Lonchura malacca	36000	3
Dusky manikin	L. fuscans	225	3
White-bellied manikin	L. leucogastra	2700	3
Nutmeg-manikin	L. punctulata	630	3
Java sparrow	L. oryzivora	9000	2
Green-faced parrot finch	Erythrura virifacies	90	1
Bamboo parrot finch	E. hyperythra	22	2
Pin-tailed Parrot-finch	E. prasina	0	2
Red Eared Parot Finch	E. coloria	0	2
Strawberry finch	Amandava amandava	450	3

Table 1 Wild Finches of the Philippines (Export data from NSCB)

Erythura prasina – A young pin-tailed parrot finch netted on Mt Mantalingahan, Palawan. Note the visible feeding spots simlar to the Gouldian.  Source: Samu’t Saring Buhay.

Erythura coloria – Red-eared parrot finch netted on Mt Katanglad, Mindanao. Source: Orientalbirdimages

Bamboo parrotfinch (Erythura hyperthura) from Hofmann Photography.  Green faced parrotfinch (Erythrura viridifacies) from Oriental Bird Images.

Exotic Finches in the Philippines

Of recent years the number of exotic finch species on offer has been declining as there are few breeders with the resources or knowledge to maintain them and a greater deal of difficulty in importing them since the advent of a feared bird-flu epidemic. Legislation enacted in 2004 requiring bird owners to register their birds and log all transactions with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources every few months should in theory provide a comprehensive list of what is available however compliance is low because of tedious reporting procedure, the onerous penalties for breaches, the general culture and the lack of resources to regulate these fauna laws. In spite this many did comply with the laws and have been listed on a publicly accessible website for their efforts so that if you want to see what people have and how many you can examine the document from the  DENR site – it seems that there are no privacy laws in the Philippines. It does however make interesting reading so see just who in the Philippines owns cassowaries, tigers, crocodiles and of course finches (which are presented in Table 2)

Table 2 Finches held in the Philippines as listed by DENR 2006

The presence of significant numbers of green-faced parrot finches by one holder is a real surprise and it gives me hope that a domestic source for these birds can be found. From what I understand the exotic finches are all legally imported. Sadly, except for the Australian birds, society finches and Canaries, the rest look like the remnants of randomly imported trophy specimens. For instance whydahs are nest parasites of other African finches and the numbers of these birds don’t show any commitment to breeding either the host or the parasite. Since this time the number of birds available has tightened up considerably because of restrictions on the importation of birds that may be infected with H5N1 bird flu. Of the exotic birds there are now a couple more of the Australian species available but fewer of the African and Asian species. For the beginners the addition of the cut-throat finch is a welcome addition as it is a free breeder but does interfere a little too much in mixed collections.

Table 3 Finches offered in the Manila Markets 2007-08

The Future of Finch Aviculture in the Philippines

The future prospects for finch aviculture in the Philippines are good as the country is still able to import birds and with increasing disposable income more people can become involved and so the nation can support viable populations. The future for indigenous finches in aviculture is perhaps not so good if they are not valued and for the parrot-finches if they can not be bred in cages. It is this latter point that is perhaps the biggest obstacle for establishing more species here as many species just don’t perform in cages and need what would be considered here in the Philippines a large aviary. Few have the land or the money to devote to such a venture. Table 4 presents my wish-list of beginner to intermediate birds that could be introduced and established here if an importer searched around and it may be worth lobbying as a group to do this. In Australia all of these birds retail for the equivalent of P1500-3800 a pair and since no new stock of the non-Australian birds have been imported since the 1938 they are relatively easy to breed.

Table 4 Wish-list of best bet finches for the Philippines based on ease of keeping and breeding.

Many keepers here will have a wish-lists too but you have to walk before you can run and I think the birds listed in Table 4 represent a better way to go than importing trophy specimen that are destined never to establish breeding populations. As readers of Finchme know there are lots of people that love keeping and breeding finches and as we all eventually discover you can’t have everything and you can’t get it all at once.

References

Allen, D. (1999) Green-faced Parrotfinch Erythrura viridifacies in northern Luzon, Philippines. ForkTail 15:103.http://www.orientalbirdclub.org/publications/forktail/15pdfs/Allen-Parrotfinch.pdf

McGregor;R.C; Gardener, L.L. (1930) Philippine Bird Traps. The Condor XXXII:89-100. http://elibrary.unm.edu/sora/Condor/files/issues/v032n02/p0089-p0100.pdf

http://samutsaringbuhay.wordpress.com/2007/09/16/spectacular-wildlife-finds-in-mt-mantalingahan-palawan/

Ben Gates:

…one step short of crazy, what do you get?

Riley Poole:

Obsessed?

Ben Gates:

Passionate.

from National Treasure

 For starters, you can read a short write-up I did on Melissa Etheridge’s “I Need To Wake Up” music video, the soundtrack used for Al Gore’s documentary film “An Inconvenient Truth,” here in the guitartutee.com website.  If you’ve watched the DVD then that’s great because you already know the premise of this article.

Believe it or not, scientists around the world are already studying the effects of global warming on birds. 

• Roger Segelken of the Cornell Chronicle reports that 5-8 day old bird nestlings tend to die in colder weather and are abandoned by their parents due to lack of food(global warming has also affected the number and concentarion of insects, which birds eat).
• with climate changes, “natural communities of birds could be torn apart” due to higher/lower temperature and the greater distances that birds have to cross to migrate, according to USGCRP (US Global Change Research Program). 
• ScienceDaily.com asserts that due to global warming, birds in the wild now tend to lay their eggs a week earlier compared to scientific data a decade ago.  In the next few years, this phenomenon could prove fatal to some bird species because their usual food source (like grass seeds and insects) might not be available when the their eggs hatch and they have nestlings to feed– a difference in time frame.
• About.com reports that 12 US National Parks are now in the endangered list.  As such endangered species housed by these parks are exposed into even more danger with climate changes than direct human activity like poaching and trophy hunting.

Wild gouldians inhabiting the northern part of Australia can be virtually wiped out with erratic weather changes(not to mention major hurricanes and forest fires, all brought about by global warming.)  Imagine losing these birds in their natural habitat. 

Gouldians with Different Face Colors. Photo copyright Sarah Pryke.

Gloster Canary Finch

Al Gore’s documentary summons us to reduce our CO2 emissions in order to lessen the onslaught of global warming.  For the average Filipino, this means the following: taking mass transit like the bus or the MRT/LRT to go to work, walking or biking instead of using the car, and using energy efficient appliances like low-wattage bulbs and environment-friendly refrigerators.  This sounds like Elementary Science to the current generation (I’m already a bit old considering we had global warming in High School) but I think most breeders who are a bit older (pardon the language here) are probably not THAT aware of it.  This makes me think how a global phenomenon such as global warming can affect our hobby of keeping birds.

Here’s my to-do list:

• design an outside aviary which can simulate the wild, thereby eliminating the need for energy to power fluorescent lamps, light bulbs and for some, air-cons.  The aviary must be able to protect the birds from harsh weather though and diseases brought about by wild species.
• if an outside aviary is impossible, then maybe we can use clock timers for our lights. Not only does this ensure an accurate and controlled lighting for our birds, but also it saves energy and money as well.
• manually mash eggs in preparing food, and not rely on a blender.  
• use MRT and LRT when going to Cartimar.  I bet a taxi would be necessary for the way home though with you lugging those enormous cages and those finches around.  
• put up more articles like this that will emphasize on saving the environment.

These are very small things that can really help alleviate the effects of global warming especially when we do them with consistency and when more breeders are aware of it.  How about you?  What changes or proposals can you make that will integrate our practices of keeping birds with the collective goal of saving the environment?     

Technorati Tags: effects of global warming on birds, solutions to global warming, zebra finch, gouldian finch, canary, coal mine canary, Philippines

Commercial Wildlife Farm Permits were issued back in 2004 at a cost of P2500 for commercial business transacting >P1500000 or more per year even if the birds were illegally obtained up to that time. Permits to register as a Wildlife Farm are required from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (http://www.denr.gov.ph/article/view/2049/) and support the regulation of traded birds pursuant to Executive Order 192 (June 10, 1987) and sections 17, & 20 of the Republic Act (June 30, 2001). In theory, all birds for sale since 2004 are these birds or their descendants as recorded in quarterly reports that must be submitted to DENR listing all birds held and any subsequent births or deaths or acquisitions along with a stated origin. Unfortunately even if you only have a single budgie these reports are required.

Wildlife farm permit holders must also institute a banding or micro-chipping system. Birds can be disposed of legally through sale, exchange or donation and approval for export may be grated for CITES listed species upon proof of legal ownership. Bird owners must maintain housing deemed suitable for housing and quarantine and be responsible for all coasts arising from any disease or escape arising from the registered facility. Bio-prospecting from the listed fauna is not permitted on the Wildlife Farm Permit. The permit holder must also undertake sole or collective responsibility to “pursue an Environmental Conservation Program”. Registration is valid for 5 years and the facility may be subject to search by officers of the DENR. Birds must be registered regardless of whether they are native or not. Endangered native species are subject to more stringent protection. The conservation status of endangered birds is available on the government web site http://www.tanggol.org/environmental_laws/DAO_48.html.

It is the responsibility of all registered owners to obtain veterinary confirmation of the cause of death of any bird. Even more onerously bird owners are legally liable for any actions or costs traceable to their birds so in theory if your zebra finches escaped and established a feral population you have to pay for their eradication, any crop losses attributed to the new exotic pest and who knows what would happen if your birds were found to be H5N1 vectors responsible for human death.

FinchMe’s Member Proposal

One of the values I intend to uphold while keeping this site is INTEGRITY. I’d be personally interviewing member applicants, especially those who would like to sell their birds using this website. This would mean that buyers will only get quality finches from quality breeders.

Kindly send the application to finchme.now at gmail dot com, especially those who have already registered. If you have any inquiries, e-mail me as well, or better yet, leave a comment below this post. I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.  In the meantime, for soon-to-be FM breeders and for FinchMe guests who are interested in buying their first finch pair, you can participate in the discussions by using the Leave a Reply box in every article.

Thanks everyone for supporting FinchMe!