Cage & Aviary Birds

Cage & Aviary Birds is written by bird experts for bird fanciers and is packed with club, show and bird related news, advice, birds for sale and comment. Established in 1902, Cage & Aviary Birds provides a wealth of practical advice and tips from the top names in the bird world, plus opinion, controversy, species and hobbyist profiles and nostalgia.

Bewick's swans arrive late in the UK for the second year running

BIRDKEEPER AT LARGE

QUOTE of the WEEK

Also in the news…

REVIEW OF THE YEAR • Our roundup of the top news stories in the first half of 2023

Obituary: Sid Goacher, Yorkshire canary legend

BEST DAFT PRESS RELEASES OF THE YEAR: A SELECTION • Is that seasonal snow falling? No, it's a blizzard of random PRs settling in my Inbox. Some are too silly not to share, Happy Christmas! – Rob

Editor's Letter

Cage & Aviary Birds

A first appraisal of the 2023 vintage • With several species of finch in his stud, MARK JONES has an agreeably varied task as he begins to assess this year's youngsters – and his young linnets are the early pacesetters

Q&A: birdroom bases • Little is so fulfilling as to build a birdroom from scratch – just so long as it sits on a level foundation. In response to a reader's enquiry, DAVE BROWN explains the basics of bases

Two into one will go • More flexible car-sharing can mean more birds (and people) at our shows, says DAVID ALLEN

Peter Bennett: high-flying novice • DAVID SHELBOURNE meets a fancier whose Fife hobby has progressed swiftly and whose ability and judgement have already brought impressive rewards on the show bench

Canaries Month by Month DECEMBER • For Brian, the judging circuit is an immensely enjoyable part of the hobby. Now the YCC is launching a training programme to impart those skills and that enjoyment to a new generation

A rhapsody in turquoise • Once you have seen a European roller on the wing you're bound to picture it as a star in your dream aviary – but be aware, says BILL NAYLOR, that rollers do need room to roll

Enjoy the good years, learn from the bad • All-time great budgie breeder ALAN MARCHANT looks back to some of the seasons in his career when he learned the most – by meeting and overcoming unfamiliar challenges

The threats of splayed legs and FM • Having spoken to many breeders during the course of the show season, KEITH LEEDHAM feels there appear to have been two main problems experienced this year: chicks having splayed legs and that old menace, French Moult. Here he discusses these two conditions, which he feels are the most debilitating problems budgerigar breeders can experience

SHOW TRAINING: the decline and fall (And why it means an opportunity for you) • What's the most obvious competitive advantage for a budgie exhibitor? Show training. It's a neglected art, says FRED WRIGHT, but if you master it you can boost your chances of winning

A colourful year – with more to come! • Firmly committed to the ‘smaller edition’ of the budgerigar, SAM WILDES has had a good year with his colour budgies on the show bench and in the breeding room. And for 2024 he has plans that will interest every breeder of these birds

A Cornish birdroom that's full of colour • As Sam Wildes describes above, GRENVILLE and ANITA ALLEN have provided him with some quality stock to improve his colour budgerigars. And their own show-bench career is blossoming, too, finds FRED WRIGHT

More colour budgies from Sam and Fred • Whereas SAM WILDES has bred them for years, FRED WRIGHT has tried these birds out himself only briefly – and he found it an interesting experience!

Colour-breeding basics, pre-War style • Reader SANDY HAY found this fascinating article on breeding show budgies in The...