Aussie Finch Forum

Debate is what these forums are all about......however I sugest you do a little more research because the Red wing red head is most definately a sub species at best.............as to DNA testing ......that sort of genome type testing is prohibitive in price but there are some doing just that and guess what........RWRH pytilias are 'most likely' the subspecies lopezi.....and the yellow wing is recognised as the 'super-species' .......sorry to rain on your parade........check out some of the late Ian Hinze's works on waxbills.......he'd never heard of a RWRH pytilia in the UK before I sent him a number of pics.......

Any DNA testing on Australian pytilias would be a waste of time as they are so mixed up now as to be a mix match of Aurouras, red & yellow wings........many do a great job keeping them true to type but there are always throw backs in every strain............

So how come the RWRH can throw yellow wings but not the other way around if the YW is the super species??????.................impossible?????........not if you factor in the Aurora!!!!!!....which is after all a Pytilia.........albeit without a red head!!!!!.........give an Aurora a Red head and we call it a Pytilia!!!..........hhhmmmmm..............

Anyway who really cares.......red wing or yellow wing........they are both stunning...........and having seen Violetears in the feathers so to speak..........hmmmmmm..............not sure about that one......!!!!! Call it a draw!!!! Still reckon Jusdeb has an eye for avian beauty!!!

Thanks Fincho , they were certainly beautiful birds / bird . Yes Jay the girl was stolen from the bird room of the pet shop , got me buggered how ,maybe a pocket or handbag either way poor little girl .

I asked this question while in Sth Africa.
Was the Red Headed Aurora a true specie,hybrid or phase ?
I was told that in their opinion that it was a true specie.
Personaly I agree but most likely a sub specie from a very limited location.
As for the ones here,the Red Faced Red Winged my have quite alot of normal Aurora blood in them.
I feel that there has been and still are people putting a Red Faced Male to a normal Aurora hen onto the market because many so called pure pairs
will produce male birds without Red Faces.
As for my choice of most spectacular small finch, the sight of a male Violet Ear in full sun light is quite spectacular and nothing gets near them.
next maybe a PAIR of Blue Billed Fire Finches, Black Cheeked Waxbills then the Gouldian(normal)But I still love my Weavers.

hmm, lots to think about...
well I'm still going for brown twinspots or swee waxbills as my favourites that are not available here

I nearly purchased a red headed pytillias earlier in the week

I just bought a trio of red winged red headed pytilia at one of the sale this year
can't wait to see how they go. They are beautifull

Congrats Finchster , hope they do well for you . Photos please

Just curious. I see the RH, RW Pytilia mentioned a lot in this thread, but no mention of RW only. Is this (no red head) unusual? (The link to eBay Classifieds is a RW Pytilia for $45.)

http://bayarea.ebayclassifieds.com/bird ... UT_OF_AREA

The Red-winged Pytilia is usually known referred to as the Aurora in Australia, so any reference to them on this forum will mostly be as Auroras.
They were the only Pytilia with red wings in Australian aviaries until the Red-faced ones (Red-winged & Yellow-winged) popped up in the late 1980s/early 90s & there has been considerable confusion and conjecture as to whose who ever since.
Auroras are still established here although they have lost considerable following since the slightly more attractive newcomer took a large portion of their avicultural niche.

Hi Jon

The red-winged pytilia is also known as the aurora finch/waxbill and is a different species- Pytilia phoenicoptera. and was traditionally the most common of the pytilias in Australian aviculture.

The yellow-winged pytilia is Pytilia hypogrammica- this is the RHYW bird referred to.

The RHRW pytilia is the one whose taxonomy is under debate. Is it a subspecies of the yellow-winged pytilia or a hybrid between the above 2- or a different species?

As has been stated already some of these birds have been so mixed up that it would be impossible to work this out without accessing wild-caught birds- if these actually exist!