Silvereyes

[Aussie_Bengo]

I wanted to start a topic to help myself and others understand the Aiviary Bred Silvereye. How to best house them (pairs or colony) and what kind (and size) of planted aviary (if at all). Feeding preferences and alternatives for convenience. Thanks in advance for any help at all.

Cheers

[iaos]

I would also be interested in hearing from people who have kept and bred them.

What subspecies are people keeping in their collections?

Cheers
Ian

[Danny]

I keep three subspecies of silvereye - QLD, VIC and Tassie.
They eat anything - I have collected them in the wild for my honours degree and had them eating artificial foods half an hour later. I feed a standard softbill mix - boiled egg/egg and biscuit/grated cheese. They take some livefood but not neccessary for maintenance. Spike a half apple or orange on a nail or split a banana lengthways and they pick at it all day. Softbills pellets (pretty bird or Vetafarm Paradise Pellets) and honeyeater nectar are taken. The prefer a planted cage but a potted fig or lilly pilly would suffice. They live just as happily as a pair or colony but mine have never attempted nesting in a colony. Nesting is typically challenging - lots of livefood at this time.

[finches247]

Hi

what are the colour differences of the subspecies.Trying to work out if there coloured differently to the Silvereyes in NZ I have a pair myself.

Henry

[iaos]

Thanks Danny

Henry, wiki tells me that "Z. l. lateralis (Latham, 1801) – Flinders Island, Tasmania; Norfolk Island; New Zealand and Chatham Islands; also a non-breeding migrant to continental south-eastern Australia"

lateralis has a chestnut flank. http://www.flickr.com/photos/raskimon/4418746274/ http://ibc.lynxeds.com/photo/silvereye- ... -silvereye

So Danny I'm guessing you have vegetus (Qld - yellow throat and yellow vent), cornwalli (Vic - yellow throat) and lateralis (Tas - chestnut flanks)?

[Craig52]

Thanks Danny

Henry, wiki tells me that "Z. l. lateralis (Latham, 1801) – Flinders Island, Tasmania; Norfolk Island; New Zealand and Chatham Islands; also a non-breeding migrant to continental south-eastern Australia"

lateralis has a chestnut flank. http://www.flickr.com/photos/raskimon/4418746274/ http://ibc.lynxeds.com/photo/silvereye- ... -silvereye

So Danny I'm guessing you have vegetus (Qld - yellow throat and yellow vent), cornwalli (Vic - yellow throat) and lateralis (Tas - chestnut flanks)?

Wiki's telling you fibs,here in Vic the dominate one is the chestnut flanked one(lateralis)and quite a few people,including myself breed or have bred them quite easily in a mixed collection of finches,using Danny's feeding ways.
They are quite cheap to buy at around $40-$50 a pair. Craig

[iaos]

I stand corrected. Do you see/have noticed any of the other subspecies that occur in Victoria?

[Craig52]

I stand corrected. Do you see/have noticed any of the other subspecies that occur in Victoria?

No iaos,The Lateralis is the only one i have seen in suburbia and is very abundent when fruit trees are finishing their fruiting as they love over ripe friut &the insects it attracts.
The other subspecies? tend to be bush dwellers and don't frequent built up areas imo Craig

[branchez]

Do Silvereyes have a breeding season or can they breed year round if conditions are right, I'm in Victoria.

[Craig52]

Hi Branchez,i live in Cat City too,their breeding season here coinsides with the ripening of fruit but when i bred them,i could get fruit any time of the year plus the extras i fed all year but in saying that,i just checked my record book and its late spring Oct-Nov. Craig