Abstract
I would guess that a good percentage of us got our avicultural start with "cheap" finches, mostly African in origin. "They're so pretty but, of course, everyone knows you can't breed them." So we stick about a dozen of them in some sort of cage that's too small and they pick on each other and, of course, they don't breed and we say, ''Told you so'.' Having acquired some experience though and having caught the bug, we generally invest in some Australian finches, which we know will breed because they are all captive bred, since the Australian ban in 1959, in contrast to those difficult, imported Africans. Or maybe we move on to those "real" birds: the parrots.
Well, folks, the times may be achanging. How long have we been told the supply of these cheap imports is not unlimited and we need to establish some breeding populations of finches that have been taken for granted for so long. From West Africa comes the latest and maybe strongest wind of change affecting some of our most common species like the Orangecheek Waxbill, as well as Lavenders, Goldbreasts, Red Ears, Senegalese Fires, Cutthroats, Cordon Bleus, Melbas, Silverbills and Bronzewing Mannakins. These are all names with which we are familiar and take for granted. There are other names which are not as familiar, such as Yellow Wing Pytilias, Dybowski Twinspots, Schlegal's Twinspots, Crimson Seedcrackers, Bluebill Fires, and Quail Finches that are also from western Africa that many aviculturists have never seen and most may never see if we do not get off our collective rear ends! Now comes the punchline. These birds can be bred, are being bred, and you can do it. Forget what you've heard and give it a shot. If I can do it you can do it. Don't try them all at one time but pick out two or three species that appeal to you. If nothing else, let's look at it as reverse snobbery. After all, everybody knows you can breed African Greys, cockatoos, and macaws. But when was the last time you saw domestic bred White Chinned Quail Finches offered for sale?
On the other hand, if the supply does dry up, the African finch breeder might not be so bad off. What do you suppose a pair of plain old Senegal Fires would be worth if no imports were available for a few years? Several years ago I saw an Australian finch club price list with Blue Cap Cordon Bleus listed at $700 a pair. I did some quick figuring and came up with about $6,000 worth of Blue Caps I had at the time. I would have figured out what my entire collection was worth at those prices. Only problem I found after some correspondence with an Australian gentleman was that about 75% of my collection was unavailable there. Guess why?