FEATURE


into captivity. Red-billed Fire Finches are seldom troublesome when confined with other species. Because of its high numbers in Australia and subsequent low monetary value, it is unlikely that fresh stock has been brought into the country illegally over the past 56 years. Why then


Red-billed Fire Finches are seldom troublesome when confined with other species. Because of its high numbers in Australia and subsequent low monetary value, it is unlikely that fresh stock has been brought into the country illegally over the past 56 years.


do Red-billed Fire Finches continue to flourish while many other species have fallen by the wayside due to the lack of fresh genetic stock? I believe the reason is two fold. Firstly, prior to the cessation of live imports into Australia in 1956, there were a number of various Fire Finch species imported. All have disappeared with some, no doubt, being cross-bred with Red-Billed Fire Finches. Such “hybrid vigour” would ensure their longevity well past the time when one would expect pure strains to survive. Through continual breeding back to the Red-billed Fire finches, the resulting birds that we have today resemble Red-billed Fire Finches with the following variations: (a) the intensity and hue of the red in individual


Red-billed Fire Finch photographed in Uganda. Photo supplied by Russell Kingston OAM. BIRD SCENE 09


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