Abstract
Because of the current stringent laws on bird importations, the prices of birds have, as you all know, soared sky-high. It could get still worse! Importations may be prohibited altogether!
We all grumble at the current bird prices. However, some good has come out of all this. For one, the dime stores no longer carry large stocks of exotic birds. Most individuals, therefore, who are willing to pay $7 5 ( or whatever) for a pair of Cordon-Bleus will occasionally give some thought to their investment and give their birds the special kindnesses and care they require. Your ordinary parlor-birdkeeper usually finds only Zebra Finches and Parakeets available to him or her so that the rarer species are purchased by more serious individuals - and that is the way it should be! The extravagant prices and fear that bird importation will stop altogether has stimulated zoos and aviculturists to take captive breeding programs more seriously. That too is the way it should be! This distinguishes aviculturists from the ordinary pet-keeper. Aviculture is an art, and aviculturists (hopefully), are that special class of people who keep birds because they enjoy their beauty and companionship. Part of that art is (should be) the skill in propagating birds in captivity. Professional scientists, myself included, who keep captive bird colonies for research purposes have learned much from the patient efforts of aviculturists. But I digress, the purpose of this essay is to share with you my experiences with using Bengalese Finches as foster parents.
I would welcome any comments on my article. I hope, also, that this article will encourage others to relate their experiences using fosterers, e.g. Bourke's Parrots for Neophema species, or Budgerigars for Agapornis Lovebirds, or various Doves, etc. It is imperative that we continue our breeding efforts, build up good stocks of birds, even if it means sometimes using the "less challenging" method of foster parents. I hope I have not been misunderstood: I do not advocate giving up breeding using natural parents altogether, I merely wish to point out that there is absolutely no danger in using foster parents as an auxiliary technique.
Over the past four years I have spoken to a number of bird clubs and have become acquainted with many aviculturists. I was surprised to discover even among some of the more skilled members, a number of misconceptions regarding the use of Bengalese Finches as foster parents to raise the more delicate species, e.g. Gouldian Finches. A number of people have pointed out to me, and correctly, that Gouldian Finches from Japan are often useless as breeding stock. These Gouldians were raised by Society Finches and were irrevocably imprinted on the latter; which is to say that these Gouldians would only seek out Society Finches as companions and mates. Many aviculturists, therefore, refuse to use Society Finches as fosterers. There is actually no danger in using Societies as fosterers provided one bears in mind a few simple rules of ethology (the branch of biology devoted to the study of animal behavior). Indeed the use of fosterers may help you to build up large breeding stocks of the rarer and more delicate finches. Hopefully, the day will come when there will be enough domestic breeding stock of all captive forms (rare and common species alike) so that we will have to rely less on importations to improve our blood lines. Large pools of domestic breeding stock are, of course, an insurance against the prohibition of importations altogether.
Principles of Sexual Imprinting. Professor Klaus Immelmann has published a detailed account of his experiments on sexual imprinting (see Watchbirds, 2(4), 197 5] ; I refer readers to that article if they wish to know more about this fascinating field of research. His work was based mainly on Zebra Finches and Societies which are readily bred in laboratory situations, providing the large sample sizes required for statistical testing. His ideas, however, may be extended to other captive species. Two of the principles he outlined are germaine to a discussion on the use of foster parents: (I) Zebra Finches raised by Societies are irrevocably sexually imprinted on Societies if they are left with Society foster parents for 80 or more days: (2) if Zebra Finches are raised by Societies, but removed from the Society foster parents as soon as weaned (i.e. when they can feed themselves) and are immediately placed with Zebra Finches, the effects of imprinting on the wrong species may be cancelled. The experimental Zebra Finches will thereafter select as mates females of their own species and ignore female Bengalese , It is imperative that the weaned Zebra Finches be placed with other adult Zebra Finches. This step ensures that the fledlings socialize with their own kind. This social interaction will ensure that the Zebra Finches imprint on their own species.