Firetails - unseen species by me

[dave85]

hi all,

i was looking an australian bird guide today and came across 2 birds ive never seen before in the uk or heard of before.

any know if they are available in aviculture and if so what details can you give me about them?

these are the 2 -

- beautiful firetail
- & the red-eared firetail

both are very attractive red and black with white spots, so any info would be appreciated.

Thanks
Dave

[PAUL HEARN]

Hello Dave,

As far as I know these two Firetail Species are unknown in UK Aviculture, but even if they were available I would expect their selling price to be upward of £300 pr.

They may be present in Continental collections, but again I doubt very much if they would be any cheaper to buy than the price I have quoted mate?

You are far more likely to find one of your Birds laying a Golden Egg, than finding a pair of either of the Firetails you have mentioned in the UK at an affordable price.:sad:

Paul.

[kenny]

hi paul/dave
they are as rare as rocking horse pooh ,you could always get a pair of twinspots and pretend:shock:
ken

[PAUL HEARN]

:lol: Good one Ken,

I think this is Daves best bet mate.

Paul.:-D

[dave85]

hi paul/ken,

just thought id ask since ive never seen them in the flesh or for sale before.

they are nice though dont you think?

they are about as rare as green advacats then?

ill make do with out for now then.

thanks
Dave

[PAUL HEARN]

Hi Dave,

Yes mate they are very nice Birds, to look at in a photo or a field guide at least.:roll:

But as for their rarity in UK Aviculture, I would say they are even rarer than Green Avadavats because I have never heard of them being available in the UK in my time in keeping Birds and I seriously doubt they ever will.

I can offer another choice to Kens alternative, and that is to breed some Cherry Finch X Diamond Firetail Hybrids.:lol:

Paul.;)

[kenny]

hi paul
does my memory serve me correctly when i say that the firetail finch is parasitized by the vidua family

ken

[PAUL HEARN]

Hi Ken,

They wont do so in the wild mate, because they are from different Continents, the Firetails coming from Australia and the Vidua (Whydah) Family being from Africa.

You might be thinking of the Firefinch Family though? Birds from this Family are known to be victims of Parasitic Whydah Species.;)

Paul.;)

[kenny]

hi paul
sorry mate of course you are right ,it is the fire finch not the firetail i knew it was something with fire in it that was parasitic to whydahs i think it is to late in the day.and i have a thousand things on my mind at the moment

ken

[Strawblady2000]

Hiya!

Here's some info from a couple of sites I've bookmarked...

http://www.singing-wings-aviary.com/Diamond%20Firetails.htm

$320 a pair

http://www.finchworld.com/Birds/Finch/painted/

more general info.

I only wish green avadavats were $320 a pair, lol...I'll alaways keep my eyes open, but it is surely a pipe dream!

Going to a HUGE bird mart in a few weeks, though...so who knows what will be there...with the exception of the green avadavats, lol...

[PAUL HEARN]

Hi Ken and Nikki,

Ken,

No worries mate, a simple slip of the tongue, or in this case a slip of the fingers.;-)

Nikki,

That price list from the first link, some of those prices you have to pay for Birds in the US are similar to the increase we now have to pay for various Asian Species, but other prices are huge in comparison to what we pay over here.:shock:

I'm more surprised by the prices of South American Birds in the US because they are very similar to the prices we expect to pay in the UK, yet they have a far shorter journey and surely they also pass through less peoples hands which should mean a lower price by the time they arrive in a retail outlet?

Nikki are you telling us that you would be willing to pay $320 for a pair of Green Avadavats? Now there is a serious Aviculturist.:-D

Can you please tell me if the Hawaiian Java Sparrows are pure Normals?
If this is the case, then surely they will prove to be the most valuable source of Birds for re-introduction into their native habitat.

Paul.;)

[kenny]

hi nikki
2 good sites there .i like the pictures but not the prices:D

ken

[Strawblady2000]

Hello Kenny and Paul!

First and foremost...YES, I would pay $320 for a pair of green avadavats! I've seen blue goulds go for $350 EACH...and to me, green avadavats would be much more of a treasure, as I cant find a single site or place to get them, whereas, the blue goulds can be found with little effort (well, aside from the $125 plane ticket for the birds to be shipped, lol) or nearly $3.00 for a gallon of gas to drive.

Yes, my friends, we are a nation BIG on capitalism, lol...if someone knows you want it, they make sure to reflect it in the prices. Interesting how georgraphical location can mean so little when it comes to pricing...regardless of availability, huh? I can understand the increase in Asian birds, but some are ridiculous. Also, I think the US has its own list of birds that are considered endangered and illegal to import from other places. Then again, there are gouldians, which are considered endangered in the wild, but are abundant in captivity.

Regarding Sounth America...yep...you would think this is the case. Something I've noticed about pricing, etc., with some of the local bird places...each time the bird changes hands, the price doubles. 100% markup in many cases. I guess it just depends on who you know. I go one place, I can buy a gould for $60...I go another place and the same bird is $140. But, both of these places have many sales. So...I guess it depends on how desperate one is. IMO, it is much easier to import things from Europe and Asia than it is from South America. Then there's Central America, but the only thing we seem to import from there are Mexicans who illegally cross the border, lol.

Also, becuase the US has Atlantic AND pacific access, prices also depend on where in the US one lives. Amazing what difference there can be.

You know, I dont know about the java sparrows. I could ask them. I usually get my split bands from them. They are about half a days drive...so I've been SOOOO tempted to go, but with 3 small kids ages 6 and under...I'd have to be smoking my socks to even attempt such a thing. Also, feel free to email them as well.

Sounds like they have a great setup, though. I've seen some pics. Nice place. Also, they have MANY different species! The whydahs look beautiful. Nice people too.

Man, I really need to get out more...I ramble too much!



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[kenny]

hi nikki
thats the whole point of this website,it doesn`t matter how long or short your posts are,the main thing is that you post and thats the point of the site to air your views and tell us about your part of the world that we would not normally know about so post away

ken

[PAUL HEARN]

Hi Nikki,

I'll second what Ken has said, it is great to hear how Birdkeeping in the US can differ, or be exactly the same to the same hobby here in the UK.;)

Paul.:grin: