Aussie Finch Forum

I have just received an email from a friend in the U.K. and he mentioned the cost of some of the birds currently available
from his local bird shop.
All in English Pounds
Red Eared Waxbills...60 p.p
St Helena 35
O'Breast 75
O'Cheeks 85
Blue Caps 85 (were 120)
African Fires 80
Sundavall 70
The ones available here in Aust. are not that cheap compared to our pices.
One UK pound is worth $A1.52 so Fires are around $122 p.p
Also the same place had 10 species of Aust finches for sale.I guess they don't count Zebra Finches as they were not on the list.

Eorix,

Just out of interest, what were the Aust finch prices?

Interesting, E Orix, thanks for sharing.
What is a Sundavall (apart from a Swedish place- and family-name)?

Sundervals were available in Oz in small numbers up to early 70's

Similar to Saints/ Senegals, if memory serves me

'The Waxbill' may be able to provide a pic . . I had a look on Google Images but didn't get any satisfaction

Sorry i have no pic the Sundevall is the Crimson Rumped Waxbill Estrilda rhodopyga regards the other birds mentioned the Blue cap and Orange breast (Goldbreast in U.K) are bred in good numbers but the others are not, most of them are not that popular, being the reason they are not bred as much..What we know as African Fire Finch Lagonosticta rubricata is extremely rare and expensive certainly much more than £80pair The Red Billed Firefinch Lagonosticta senegala is around £80pair and is indeed popular and bred in good numbers. Many of the species mentioned have been imported in the last year or so in big numbers (wild birds via mainland europe) this is the only reason some of them are freely available.
Regards Bob

mickw wrote:Eorix,

Just out of interest, what were the Aust finch prices?

As you will be aware prices vary but Gouldians are aprox £50pair for normals/whitebreasted, yellows £70pair, blues are £70-£80pair silvers£80-£90pair head and breast colour not making any difference.the lutino and albinos are £150-£250pair, about 5-6 years back these were around £1000-£1200 pair although personall i would not pay a penny for inos, personal opinion they have ruined a beautiful bird with the ino mutation.Stars are aprox £40pair normals and yellow headed not sure on other colours, Hecks are the same but the Grey hecks are dearer Painteds are aprox £120pair yellows £180-£200 Owl finches about £40 pair, Diamond Firetails £50pair Cherries £35-£40pair, Masked and Parsons £45-£55pair Crimson Finch including Yellows aprox £250pair, Red Browed £100pair, Pictorella's£200pair Chestnut breasted mannikin£35pair fawns about£100pair Yellow Rumped are extremely rare so not sure on them Zebra Finch you can pick up for £5-£6 a pair for most colours unless they are quality exhibition birds, these can fetch a small fortune.We don't have the other firetails at all.
Regards Bob

Checked Google using Bob's latin name and came up with plenty of pix . . Thxx

All done by others,Sundevall Waxbills were also called Rosey Rumps as well from memory.

Yes rosey rumps Eorix