Aussie Finch Forum

When I last updated my website I wrote a bit about Bush Gouldians. I'm curious how many are out there? Although not exactly a mutation they are priced like one so best the topic goes in here. They are fascinating because they behave quite differently to the aviary bred strain we have in Australia. For example, they don't stop brooding their young at night on day 10 or so.

More information please.
LML

Sure. This was what I wrote on my website www.gouldianbreeder.com:
"The keeping and breeding of Bush Budgerigars has become extremely popular in recent years in Australia. That's just a consequence of fashion and people wanting to get back in touch with nature. It is put simply the organic way of keeping and breeding Budgerigars.
Similarly, the keeping and breeding of Bush Gouldians is expected to be equally as popular in coming years. Bush Gouldians look and behave quite differently to the aviary bred strain of Gouldians we have in Australia. As much as I love my hobby of trying to breed top quality show Gouldians, I would definitely have an aviary of Bush Gouldians here if I had a bit more aviary space!" Pete

Thanks for the compliment Stuart. There are several other behavioural differences with Bush Gouldians in captivity including:
* They are very sleek and fine feathered.
* They drink and eat very quickly and then fly straight back to the perches.
* They typically lay fewer eggs and no more than 6.
* They don't stop brooding their young at night on day 10 or so. Instead, they brood their young as required depending on the weather. So zero chicks die if you get a really cold night.
* In the nest box, the chicks sit in a circle facing inwards so that their faeces builds up into an outer ring which is obviously more hygienic.
* When the chicks fly the nest they are like little jets and straight onto the perch.
* The parents don't feed the chicks during the day from the second they fly the nest. Instead, they encourage them to eat as much as they can on their own. Then late in the afternoon they fill them up so they've got full crops overnight.

Really? Wow. How did the captive ones come to behave so differently, and less effectively, survival-wise? They came from the wild not long ago after all. It's very surprising that so many basic ancestral behaviours would change.

They surprisingly sell for only about $100.00 pair Stuart which is pretty cheap considering...

Hi Pete and thanks for sharing.
I find this topic interesting. I'm curious to know how long it would take for a bush Gouldian to become a demesticated Gouldian?
Rich

I thought it hasn't been legal to capture Gouldians from the bush for almost 30 years, so where exactly are these coming from?

Finch trapping in WA became illegal in 1986 so about 30 years!

There are ways to get a permit to take from the wild for scientific,genetic and behavioral studies. I believe MF and SP had a permit for the above studies at a University in Canberra but i don't think it went ahead so not sure what happened with those gouldians that were held at MF's facility. Craig