. Purple grenadier waxbill
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- Scientific Name: Uraeginthus ianthinogaster
- Common Name/s:
PURPLE GRENADIER WAXBILL, PURPLE GRENADIER.
- Sub Species in country / area of origin:
2 or 3
- Origin / Distribution:
Eastern Africa
- Habitat In Wild: Hot, dry
tropics.
- Status In Wild: ?
- Status In (Australian) Captivity:
Rare
- Age To Sexual Maturity: ?
- Adult plumage: attained at about
4 - 6
months
- Best breeding years (estimate):
12 months - 5th year
- Lifespan (estimate): About 7
years.
- Sexing: Monomorphic
/ Dimorphic
- Mutations: None
- Availability: Rare. Specialist
breeders only.
- Temperament: May be kept with other finches but with their rarity in Australian
aviaries it would be best to give each pair an aviary of their own.
Cock birds will be aggressive to other cock birds around breeding
time hence only one pair per aviary.
- Cost (Victoria) Per Pair: -
Normal colour (Approx.) $3000
or more
- Description Of Adults:
- Length: Approx. 145 mm (or approx. 6 inches)
- Colour ( "normal" colour ): Refer
photo/s above if available.
- Weight: Approx. 15 - 16 gms (or approx. 1/2 oz)
Aviary Notes:
Read notes
on "Finches - Non Australian" web page
and use in conjunction with details
outlined on this page.
Level Of Knowledge Required:
Beginner / Intermediate / Advanced / Specialist Breeders Only.
Government Regulations &
By-Laws: Refer to "Government Laws"
web page.
Housing Requirements:
Click on "Housing birds"
web page for general details on the housing
of Non Australian Finches or read on for specific details for this finch.
May be kept with other finches but with their rarity in Australian
aviaries it would be best to give each pair an aviary of their own.
Although they can be kept with other
finches, only one pair of Purple Grenadiers should be housed per aviary.
This should minimize the chances of aggression or injury occurring.
They will hybridize with some other waxbills.
Although a planted aviary is preferred, they can be bred in a large
cage.
They spend a lot of time on the floor of the aviary. Low to
medium height shrubs and tall growing grasses are ideal.
As a bird from the dry hot tropics these birds require an aviary that
does not get too cold in the winter months.
Diet / Feeding:
Click on "Feeding birds"
web page for general details on the
nutrition of Non Australian Finches or read on for specific details for this
finch.
Good quality finch mix, seeding grasses
and some fruits (e.g. apple) and vegetables. Live food is essential especially at breeding season.
Small mealworms, small crickets small cockroaches and small locusts can
be offered. Sprouted or soaked seed if available.
Basic seed mix should include Canary
seed, White French Millet, Japanese Millet, and Yellow and Red Panicum.
Nesting:
A basic overview only.
- Roosting nest: Yes / No
- Nesting months: May breed year round if conditions are
suitable but Spring to early Autumn gives the best results.
- Nesting receptacles: Will build a nest in a shrub or dry
brush. The dry brush and the shrubs must be low to the ground to
mimic the nest sites in the wild. Equally it will build a nest in a wide variety of
artificial nests. In a breeding cage they will use a wooden nest
box with the top half of the front removed.
- Nest: Both parents
build a dome shaped nest made from grasses with a side entrance. Nest is lined
with feathers and soft fine grasses. Swamp grass and November
grass are ideal.
- Who incubates the eggs:
Hen / cock / both share.
Parent birds generally reuse the nest
for subsequent clutches. Adequate new nest material must be
available for the birds to refurbish the old nest or build a new nest
for the next clutch.
More details on finch nests
and a selection of finch nest photos
can be located on the "nests", "finch nests"
and "finch nest photos"
web pages. Click on "Up" then "nests" then
"finch nests" and "finch nests photos" in
the navigation bars.
Breeding:
Egg Colour White. Clutch/s
per year .. Eggs per nest 3 - 5. Incubation
approx. 13 days. Fledge approx. 21 days.
Independent approx. another 4 - 5 weeks.
Pair bonding is strong. Can be bred as a single pair in a large canary style cage but results
may not be as good as in an aviary.
Overseas breeders successfully foster the eggs and young under
Cordons or Bengalese finches. Young should be removed from the
foster
birds as soon as they are fully independent so as to avoid possible
imprinting from the foster birds.
In an aviary it is generally safe to leave the young in the same
aviary after they become fully independent but with the rarity of these
birds it is safer to remove the young to another aviary so they will not
be subject to any aggression from a parent bird. Young birds (when
they become fully independent) must be removed when bred in a cage.
Artificial incubation, hand rearing or fostering will not be
covered on this web site. It is too complex and diverse in nature to be
attempted here. Refer "Specific References" as listed below and
"General References" listings.
Health Issues:
Refer "Avian Health Issues"
web page for information and references.
- Worming and parasite control and Quarantine
requirements of new birds or sick birds are considered to
require veterinary advice and therefore not covered on this web
site. Refer above option - "Avian Health Issues"
web page.
- Avian medicine is advancing at a rapid pace. Keep
updating your knowledge and skills.
General References:
Refer to references listed on "Book
References" web page.
Specific References:
- Australian Aviculture
- A/A Vol 13 No 4 Apr 1959 Page 53-55 (Inc colour plate).
- Australian Birdkeeper
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