FINCHforum

I've been told that almost all of the Blue-Caps for sale are wild caught. If that is so, is it because the Blue-Caps are so difficult to breed? Do any of you on this forum have success with breeding them?
I have a lot to learn.

Thanks,

Sue

Sue Fourmet

Sue, I can't speak for the West Coast, but in this area (Texas), most of the Blue-caps for sale are domestic. I am working with them, as are many others in NFSS (National Finch and Softbill Society). For a while, lots of CBs were coming in from Africa, but that source has slowed way down.

The biggest problem is that if the birds aren't closed-banded, there is no way to tell if a bird is domestic or wild-caught or how old it is. I don't understand why breeders don't closed-band, they should take pride in their babies and the fact that they are producing domestic birds. All my babies carry the NFSS closed band, and sometimes I think I should charge more for them for that fact, but people won't pay the difference between a banded bird and an unbanded one. They just don't realize that when they buy a bird from me that has a 2010 band on it, it is for sure one year old, but when they buy an unbanded bird from someone else, who says the bird is one year old, they have to trust that the seller is being honest. Also, some sellers will pass off wild-caughts as domestic--no band, no way to tell. And plastic split bands don't mean squat!

Thanks, Sally. I think I'll try to hold out for a captive-bred pair.

Sue