Plain Backed Sparrows

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noah.till
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G'day everyone
I was just wondering if anyone could provide myself with some info on this species
I have seen them on price guides for years and I always though they were just another name for normal sparrows, until I saw a price guide the other day in 2007 for $1000 pair
I saw some pictures on doctor google and they are an interesting bird, and I would think they would be one of the least talked about finches, if they are still here in Aus (they must be still because the 2018 Aviarylife finch price guide had them marked with a ? for price)
Thanks
Noah Till
Downs Bird Breeders Association and Queensland Finch Society Member
2018 Australian Birdkeepers Magazine Young Birdkeeper
Javan Munia, Black Rumped Double bar and Aberdeen Breeding Project
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arthur
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Craig may be a better source . .

I vaguely remember a Victorian breeder (P.M) . . No names no packdrill . . had a handful in the 90's . . suffered a disaster with a bushfire

Haven't heard of any since then . . you are probably chasing shadows, but you never know




They do get a mention in the NEBRS exotic bird list, so are kosher


PS. Some price guides include birds that 'might' still be out there . . but probably are not . . a bit of an insurance policy
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Craig52
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Yes plain backed sparrows were a bit of a myth that were fixed in ASA suggested price guide for years even though the breeder of the birds confirmed he had some but nobody ever saw them. There was many complaints to remove them from the list but as arthur said, was best to leave them just in case they were here.
The breeder, Peter Mandry's son is a member here so he might chime in.

Cheers Craig
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noah.till
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Thank you Craig and Arthur
If Peter Mandry's son is reading this, chipping in a bit of info would be very much appreciated
Thanks
Noah Till
Downs Bird Breeders Association and Queensland Finch Society Member
2018 Australian Birdkeepers Magazine Young Birdkeeper
Javan Munia, Black Rumped Double bar and Aberdeen Breeding Project
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E Orix
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They weren't the most spectacular specie and I can understand why they didn't become sort after.
Originally they were called Pegu Sparrows from memory
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noah.till
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E Orix wrote: 19 Oct 2019, 21:13 They weren't the most spectacular specie and I can understand why they didn't become sort after.
Originally they were called Pegu Sparrows from memory
Yes, they are not the best of the birds that came out of Africa one things for sure
Makes myself wonder how house and tree sparrows are still being bred and sold across the country
Thanks
Noah Till
Downs Bird Breeders Association and Queensland Finch Society Member
2018 Australian Birdkeepers Magazine Young Birdkeeper
Javan Munia, Black Rumped Double bar and Aberdeen Breeding Project
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arthur
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S-E Asia . . Probably blown in by cyclones
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Craig52
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Bit off topic, but house and tree sparrows are a very nice looking bird up close. The varying colours of chestnut,greys and whites makes them very appealing to some people.
As kid i used catch them in dads chook pen by hosing them down before they could get through the woven chicken wire, place them in some of mums food/ clothing dye dry them out and let them go. They soon became the talk of the neighbourhood about these beautiful green/red and blue birds so the moral of the story is " colour is closer to everyone's heart.
Most of the sparrows that are being kept and bred are are fawn/creams but in particular pieds and there are some nice looking pieds around.
Cheers Craig
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finchbreeder
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colour is closer to everyone's heart.
Hence the LBJ problem. And why normals are no longer normal in some species.
LML
LML
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noah.till
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Craig52 wrote: 20 Oct 2019, 09:11 Bit off topic, but house and tree sparrows are a very nice looking bird up close. The varying colours of chestnut,greys and whites makes them very appealing to some people.
As kid i used catch them in dads chook pen by hosing them down before they could get through the woven chicken wire, place them in some of mums food/ clothing dye dry them out and let them go. They soon became the talk of the neighbourhood about these beautiful green/red and blue birds so the moral of the story is " colour is closer to everyone's heart.
Most of the sparrows that are being kept and bred are are fawn/creams but in particular pieds and there are some nice looking pieds around.
Cheers Craig
Markings/patterns wise, sparrows are fairly ahead, but of course if you have to choose between a pair of strawberrys and a pair of sparrows, it's obvious which one is going to get taken by popularity
Thanks
Noah Till
Downs Bird Breeders Association and Queensland Finch Society Member
2018 Australian Birdkeepers Magazine Young Birdkeeper
Javan Munia, Black Rumped Double bar and Aberdeen Breeding Project
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