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.

Sea Life holds talks on future of its penguins

New species status for Southern spectacled owl

QUOTE of the WEEK

Also in the news…

Every paw and claw accounted for

Gamekeeper fined £1,000 for illegally killing buzzard

COLOUR BUDGERIGARS

DEFRA licence changes: the letter I sent my MP • Last week, DONALD SKINNER-REID offered a damning commentary on DEFRA's unworkable new licenses for bird gatherings. Below is the letter he sent to his Member of the Scottish Parliament, worded so that readers can adapt it for their own use. NB: an alternative letter template representing the NCA's position will be published as soon as it's available. Readers are urged to use one or the other, or to compose their own letter. But every Cage & Aviary Birds reader must write to their MP about these changes, which could ruin the show scene and do nothing to stop the spread of bird flu

Editor's Letter

Cage & Aviary Birds

Foods best left on the shelf • Last week, Fife legend TERRY KELLY profiled two of his must-feed greenfoods. Now he describes the third, and names two popular greens that you're best off eating yourself

The return of the normal • It is strategic decision time in DAVE BROWN's zebra finch room! And while sticking with what he's done best with recently – chestnut-flanked whites – he also urgently wants to revive his stock of normals, both in terms of quality and sheer numbers. And there might be the odd extra project to fit in, too

Odin and the (nearly) Great Escape • In which Andy's ever-helpful spaniel caused a lapse in concentration – and what Odin's owner has done to prevent repetitions. Plus: ever heard of anyone planting nettles?

Couriers and go-betweens • All fanciers know birds eat seeds, but fewer appreciate how heavily the world's plants rely on their seeds – and pollen – being carried to new places by birds. PAUL DONOVAN reports

Northumbrian  Notes

Q&A: David Gill • To win best in show at the National Exhibition in Stafford is a moment few birdkeepers experience. For many, it represents the highest honour in the UK exhibition calendar – the culmination of years of careful breeding, observation and dedication. And in 2025, that honour went to DAVID GILL and his outstanding parson finch – a bird that impressed the judges from the moment it was staged. DAVE BROWN asks him about his life with birds

Mission accomplished! • In the November 12 and January 7 issues, DAVID ALLEN described his project to build a new birdroom. Now it's up, he explains the tweaks he's making to the layout and fittings

Gail Harland's WATERBIRDS

Canaries Month by Month: • Words nearly fail BRIAN KEENAN when it comes to DEFRA's latest pointless regulation on bird gatherings, but he quickly recovers to give some essential advice on birdroom priorities and looks forward to some show visits

Club News • Welcome to the club and show pages – the bit that's all about you

Obituary

What's coming up in the calendar

Club roundup • Show reports, dates, club notices