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The same applies to several species of Lovebirds
(Agapornis, mainly A. roseicollis Peachface,
Agapornis personata Masked, and A. fischeri Fischer's) as
well as the Rose-ringed Parrakeet Psittacula krameri and several more
foreign parrots. The list for any field guide, could get quite long, especially
as many of these domesticated species have been bred into many different colour
and even shape forms. Also several of our native birds are often encountered in
strange colours derived from aviary selective breeding, such as the very common
white, pied and all-sorts Zebra Finches, yellow-faced Star Finches, white
breasted Gouldian Finches, white and dilute Diamond Doves and Peaceful Doves,
Bugerigah and Cockatiels all-sorts etc.
I was one such person,
new to "the field", who was utterly bamboozled by a
mystery
duck at Swanbank Lagoon, near Ipswich, QLd. After
carefully
sketching it, I visited Greg Czechura at Qld Museum, who kindly
identified
it as a probable mallard-muscovy hybrid.
The inclusion
in field guides of a section on feral domestic birds could
serve a
valuable educational purpose, in that any inexperienced person
consulting
a guide might lear to be less that charmed by the presence of
domestic
hybrid waterfowl in parklands, lakes etc. How many
people,
especially those with young children, must enthuse about, and
ecourage the
continued presence of these birds by feeding them, thinking
they are
enjoying "nature"?
In a similar vein, it annoys
me intensely, whenever I see the TV
advertisement for a particular
residential development that is promoted as
close to nature ec., that the
main image used is of a family of mallards.
Vicki
PS
-----Original Message-----
From: Tim Dolby <>
To: m("rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au","Alan.Leishman");">
<>;
m("vicnet.net.au","birding-aus");"> <m("vicnet.net.au","birding-aus");">>
Date:
Thursday, 14 September 2000 12:44
Subject: Re: [BIRDING-AUS] Ferals on Oz
list
<<snip>>To include information on domestic
'field' birds would only take an
additional page or two and reference
could be made to the fact that they are
unable to "establish
themself and breed regularly as wild birds and
reproduce within the new
habitat."
Tim
Birding-Aus is on the Web
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