Pin tailed whydah

[chris]

Hi all,

i've seen about 30 of these little chaps down prestwood aviaries today going for £30 a pair. i reckon i'll be going back shortly to get a pair as they are nice looking little fellas, and a hell of a challenge to breed so that will be a nice project for the future.

does anyone know what the host species of this whydah is? my thoughts were either fire finches, or st helena waxbills but i'm not too sure where i got this idea from:lol: any help would be appericiated.

also, does anyone breed these in the UK or is this yet another unestablished bird as i suspect

thanks in advance,

Chris:wink:

[laurab]

Hi Chris

I had a pair of these but lost them along with a lot of other birds one fatefull night:mad:

I believe they are close relatives of the Weaver and like the Weavers they like plenty of ladies;-) The Pintails prefer to lay their eggs in the nest belonging to the Red Eared Waxbill, but I do understand them to be a bit of a challenge.........mmm.....now there's a thought! :razz:

[chris]

Hi laura, sorry to hear you lost them on that fatefull night:( . yes i believe they are the same family as our bishops but haven't checked it out. i'm going to find out what prestwood's description of a "pair" is... if it's any old 2 birds of the same species i'll be coming back with a trio of hens and a cock assuming the mother isn't present as she'll kill me for spending £60 on birds...... but then she doesn't know about the £55 i spent on canaries at the start of the year:lol: :lol:

Chris:wink:

[laurab]

Good luck Chris, can't you tell her you have had them for ages but they have only just got their breeding plumage. LOL

[chris]

that one could work but how do i explain them getting into the aviary at the shop:lol: as knowing my luck she'll come with us when i go and get them.

Chris:grin:

[Waxbillman]

hello Chris good luck with the pin-tailed whydah's

they certainly will be a challange i don't know any who have bred them.
in the wild thier host species are the following: - the common waxbill (st helena's), also sometimesbronze mannikin, orange-breasted, and swee waxbills. also red-billed firefinch.

matthew

[chris]

cheers matthew,

at least 3 of the species mentioned are available at the same shop so maybe a few of those to get me going.

thanks, chris:wink:

[PAUL HEARN]

Hi Chris,

If I were you I would go for the first suggestion from Matthew, St Helena Waxbills, but failing that maybe Red Eared Waxbills (due to the similarity in plumage).

If you want a serious crack at breeding Pin-tailed Whydahs, contact David Holmes of Australia (you know how to contact him:wink: ), this Man has bred Pin-tails over many generations.

He would be the best Man to tell you the best cock to hen ratio and the best Waxbill Species to use as the Natural Foster Parents.

Paul.:grin: