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.

Irish show scraps BIS award for the first time in 98 years

Medieval raptors survived on human food scraps

QUOTE of the WEEK

Also in the news…

The best places to spot a starling murmuration revealed

Injured penguin gets new lease of life

New home for extinct-in-the-wild doves

Jon Ashby's BUDGERIGAR BULLETIN

A new partnership in Cork

WPA'S FIFTIETH

Editor's Letter

Cage & Aviary Birds

Reasons to keep it simple • Overcomplication is the enemy of successful management, says TERRY KELLY, and the way that we perform the basics matters far more than providing lots of ‘extras’

Two colours, abundant potential • Eminent Dutch zebra finch breeder GJ HUISMAN describes a new colour project which he hopes will bear fruit in time for the show season later this year

The nomadic life of the pastor • Friend to grazing flocks, foe to insect pests, the rosy starling is our familiar starling's colourful well-travelled cousin. BILL NAYLOR has the details of its extraordinary life history

The Budgerigar Society: the tale of our century • 2025 is the centenary year of the BS! By turns glorious and turbulent, its story captures the essence of birdkeeping in this country. And nobody could be better qualified to bring us the narrative than Society historian GHALIB AL-NASSER

Let's start at the very beginning • How did the Budgerigar Society come to be founded? Who were the people behind this new Club, and what were its early aims? ROB INNES reviews the momentous events of 1925, which ended with the Club proudly established in the world of exhibition birdkeeping

Q&A: Harry Hockaday • Having stood for the BS General Council for the first time and at once been elected chairman, HARRY HOCKADAY has swiftly made his mark as an effective and passionate leader of the famous Society. Here he recounts his own career in the hobby and shares his hopes for the BS's thriving future. The Society's publicity officer JON ASHBY puts the questions

How to succeed with hawfinches • With a long track record of breeding the ‘king of finches’, DAN TAYLOR is perfectly placed to advise on getting results with a species that has a challenging reputation

IMPORTS AND BANS: a fluctuating history • For many years, wild-bird importation has been legal, then banned, on various occasions and for different reasons. ROSEMARY LOW tells the story as it has affected parrots

Q&A: Javas • This lovely hardbill is fun to keep as a companion bird or in an aviary set-up. With the show option, too, you're spoiled for choice, says CHRIS GREEN in answering a reader query

Canaries Month by Month: JANUARY • With the latter part of the show season having proved very busy for BRIAN KEENAN, and the imminent World Show in Portugal another distraction, he's happy to report that his own Yorkies are on track with their early-stage breeding preparation

Double factor spangle yellow does it for Phil Reaney • Welcome to the club and show pages – the bit that's all about you

Offering from the Scottish Riviera

Club roundup • Show reports, dates, club notices

What's on this week