![]() ![]() The Bronze or bronze winged manikin (Lonchura cucullata) is found across large parts of Saharan Africa where it lives in open areas near water. Otherwise the birds are easy to keep and enjoy live food as well as other types of food. Part of this may be due to them taking other birds’ nests and redesigning it for their own use.įrequent bathing is important to maintain the shine of their feathers. Some keepers note a murderous streak including killing fledglings of other species but this isn’t a frequent event. However, they can be aggressive and use the raised wing technique to make themselves appear more impressive. These birds are normally quiet and sociable, managing well in a colony system. Bernard DUPONT from FRANCE, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons Their natural look is a bottle blue and black colour with white contrasting areas and make for a striking appearance. Part of the problem is the number of subspecies and hybrids between these and other species leading to less impressive birds. The black and white mannikin (Lonchura bicolor) is now rarely seen in aviculture in the UK. The two species that will be omitted and featured elsewhere will be the Java and the Timor Sparrow. So here we are going to glimpse the most popular species that bird keepers are mostly likely to get the chance to own. These birds are popular in captivity around the world but not all the species have been kept in the UK or are kept any longer. These birds are generally small seed eaters that live in a variety of habitats but most often with reeds and grasses on which they perch. The name for the group of species is Lonchura and are spread across Africa to South Asia including India, Sri Lanka, Philippines and Indonesia. ![]() And while these birds aren’t the fanciest to look at they are certainly interesting, attractive and a great addition to any bird room. Known as the mannikins, munias or even nuns, this is a group of thirty-some different species, including the wild forerunner of the Bengalese. But how many of us know the rest of the family? Few bird keepers won’t have encountered the Bengalese or Society finch, those ever friendly and reliable little birds that are the basis of many an aviary alongside the Zebra Finch. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |