decisions, decisions....?

[Jayburd]

Can anyone suggest a softbill that is:

a) not ENTIRELY frugivorous or insectivorous.
b) able to be housed with a variety of finches
c) under $250 per pair
d) easier to find in the lower eastern states than a drop bear (ones that disagree with this category are white winged wrens, yellow throated scrub-wrens and pittas)
e) will breed in an aviary with other birds and my morning food/water changes and photo sessions.

anyone?

[VR1Ton]

Silvereyes, about $60pr, or less, don't eat seed, but fruit & insects, can be a bit of a gut on the live food, fed fruit, apple, stonefruit, grapes, ect, left whole or in slices, they like to pick, termites, mealworms, & cake soaked in lorywet or nectar mix, this seems to be their favorite, need a thick, preferably live bush to nest in, in a quiet spot in the aviary. Established pairs can be free breeding, but really are very secretive. The other one would be Superb Blue Wren, easiest, and most forgiving of the wrens, live food, and cake, plenty of spiderwebs, and your set, go for around $150-$200 a pr.

[Jayburd]

ok thanks. do you know anyone who has some silvereyes down my way? My friend Adam Fitzgerald used to have some... not anymore though.

I would be reluctant to put the wrens in with birds like cordons which are high on my wishlist

[finchbreeder]

Is it Silvereyes that have a thing about attacking Canarys or anything yellowish?
LML

[southy]

Here you go again Jaybird

Take a deep breath & settle down & concentrate on breeding finches before you try some different type of bird (they are definitely no easier than finches).First we need to see nests of 4 or more cordons etc before trying something else.

[Jayburd]

I'm well aware Southy.

I'm just finding a suitable species before I get going to see what others think. I don't plan to keep anything harder than normal red cheeks before I've bred them.