Translate

Pages

Saturday, November 8, 2008

Grey Singing Finch/Grey Singer/White Rumped Seed Eater

Grey Singing Finch/Grey Singer[Crithagra/Serinus Leucopygius]
White-rumped Seed Eater

This bird also well known as the most close relative to black throated canary [Serinus Atrogularis], if we consider the shape, size, color, behaviour, singing ability and the song they produce.

Gray singing finch has been introduced to Indonesia since late 70's to early 80's, but it started much larger in number imported from nederland as one of country with a lot of finch breeder and also directly from Africa in 90's. Firstly I knew it in 1993, when one of the bird seller in Splendid, a bird market in Malang [see article: Splendid, a bird market], had been asked by a bird importer to assist him selling hundreds of this Gray singing finch [the bird lovers community in Indonesia used to call it Edel Zanger or shortly Zanger]. The offered price at that time was only Rp. 90.000,- each, without knowing the sexing.

Some hobbyist used to introduced this bird in a birds festival/exhibition/championship, but it was not producing a good result. It could not beat down the black throat abilities regarding its acts in singing, volume and the songs it sings.
Some breeders, especially the creative one of the finches breeder, had made the hybrids from it. They crossed or make hybrid with black throat [the most often], green singing finch [Mozambique finch (Crithagra Mozambicus Mozambicus or Indonesian used to call it Mozambique], or yellow eyes (Crithagra Mozambicus Granti) and also hybrid with canary. It resulting a very different types and lot of variants.

No comments: