A.A.Flavidiventris -(incl. pied A.A.Amandava)

[waxbill lover]

Beautiful little birds! Are these a sub-species of strawberry finches?

[Sally]

Most of what you see in the U.S. is Amandava amandava amandava. There used to be some of the A. A. punicea (as Fardad said, referred to as the Chinese Strawberry), but most of what I see now is the nominate species. When you see the photos from some of our members in Indo-China, like Hoang in Viet Nam, I think those are the A. A. punicea--much brighter red than what we see. Our colors tend to be a bit more rusty-red.

I also believe that most of my Strawberries do not have that wonderful color because they are kept strictly indoors, with artificial lighting (and not the really good expensive bird lights). Robert Black wrote an article on the Strawberry finch, in which he said he started putting his birds in outside aviaries for the summer. After three summers of this, he said the color on the males was spectacular. Obviously, the exposure to true sunlight makes a big difference in the color of the males.

I didn't realize that pied existed in the wild in the Berries. I have some birds that have some white, mostly wing or tail feathers, but it is not a pied look. Rather, it is on birds that are old, or it is a result again of not having the best lighting on them. All my males exhibit melanism to some extent. The hens seem to be much less affected by the lack of natural sunlight.

Thanks for those links, Fardad. The A. A. flavidiventris photos show a bit more yellow to the breast than what I see in my birds--made me think of Gold-breasted hybrids at first, or males only partially through molting into their breeding plumage.

[Sally]

...The A. A. flavidiventris photos show a bit more yellow to the breast than what I see in my birds...

Does A.A.Flavidiventris exist in the American aviculture? That ssp does not exist in Canada and I am pretty sure the case is the same in Europe as well.

As far as I know, A.A. Flavidiventris doesn't exist in U.S. aviculture. Even the A.A. Punicea aren't seen very often, mostly the A.A. Amandava, which I call the Indian Strawberry (don't know if that is correct or not).

[waxbill lover]

Fardad,
Do you raise strawberries in Ontario? Would you happen to have any links on where someone might purchase a pair?
I'm very interested in getting a pair but I can't find ANY anywhere.
No one is willing to sell at this time and I can't find anyone to purchase them from via an importer.
Thanks

[Derk]

Sally

Robert Black wrote an article on the Strawberry finch, in which he said he started putting his birds in outside aviaries for the summer. After three summers of this, he said the color on the males was spectacular

Do you have a link or source for this article? I tried to google it but came up empty handed.

[debbie276]

Derk

Not sure which article was quoted but here are links to Robert Blacks articles.
http://northwestbirdclub.org/AUTHORS/robertBlack.htm
http://www.woodlandbird.com/text/Books.html

Here are two articles that were published on the NFSS website
http://nfss.org/education/articles/diet ... mplicated/
http://nfss.org/education/articles/carb ... ad-points/

[Derk]

debbie276
Hi Debbie, I found the articles on nutrition very interesting. There was also an information pamphlet on the Strawberry finch - perhaps the info about his experience with the outdoor aviary is in there?? I will wait a bit longer and give Sally a chance to reply. Thank-you for your help and thanks for those nutrition articles!

[Sally]

The link debbie276 gave for Woodland Bird Supply is a good one for ordering various articles written by Robert Black. I believe I was quoting the article on the Strawberry finch. I'll have to dig around and see if I still have it. Strawberry finches are very prone to melanism when kept indoors.

[Derk]

Sally
Hi Sally - yes I know about the melanism. I am interested in how quickly it clears up when they are outside. Oddly enough, I recently purchased two male strawberries that were very dark/black especially on the head. I have them indoors, but a lot of the black has disappeared??? It has been very warm here - unseasonably so. Because of the way my house is set up I have allowed the top floor to get hotter than I would like because this is where I am keeping the finches. They currently appear to be in their eclipse plumage but with red/rust coloured feathers coming in on their head and upper chest. I am wondering how much the temperature and a better diet (increased protein) may also affect their colouring.

About twenty minutes away from me a friend has three males. They have quite good breeding colour. But interestingly, although they get lots of light, they do not get unfiltered sun. The aviary is more like a small solarium. I need to remember to ask the owner what temperature is maintained.

[Sally]

I don't know how long it takes to clear up once moved outside, since mine have always been inside. What is odd is that each bird will have a different degree of melanism, from very little to a lot. All in the same room, same light, same diet--go figure.

[Derk]

Sally
I am beginning to be more attracted to these birds because of the puzzle and mystery their colour issues represent more so than the breeding and colour itself. I hope one day someone figures out all the factors influencing the breeding plumage and how to reproduce what is in the wild - without genetic engineering.