Cage & Aviary Birds

Cage & Aviary Birds is written by bird experts for bird fanciers and is packed with club, show and bird related news, advice, birds for sale and comment. Established in 1902, Cage & Aviary Birds provides a wealth of practical advice and tips from the top names in the bird world, plus opinion, controversy, species and hobbyist profiles and nostalgia.

Emperor penguin now Endangered

Two puffins returned to the wild after the Storm Chandra chaos

QUOTE of the WEEK

Also in the news…

BBS: volunteers rise while many species fall

FINCHES Plus

Who's up and who's down: parrots and the IUCN Red List • DAVID WAUGH Correspondent, Loro Parque Fundación, Tenerife

From a spark to a fire

Editor's Letter

Cage & Aviary Birds

Gail Harland's WATERBIRDS

Q&A: with Paul Ley • Throughout his teens, PAUL LEY's main interest was in poultry, although he also had pet zebra finches. He chose these because they bred easily and were entertaining to watch. When Paul eventually left home, he donated his small colony to the hothouse at Blenheim Palace, where, according to those who care for the collection, descendants of those birds are still found today. Poultry remained a long-term interest, but with long-running bird-flu restrictions shutting down poultry shows, zebra finches have become a focus again

The complex challenge of breeding • With his multi-species collection of finches, MARK JONES needn’t expect a seamless season of productivity! Still, he’d rather set the bar high than play it safe with all his pairs

Another new beginning for the Lancashire? • The idea for this article came to ANDY EARLY because of the recent reformation of the Lancashire Canary Club and a discussion with Garry Mann about the Lancashire canary. Here, Andy presents a brief history of the breed, including its comeback from extinction, and takes a look at the modern Lancashire

The canaries in my life • Canaries and LARRY MANN go way back! And while his path in the fancy has led him to prominence in the development of zebra finch mutations, he retains many happy memories of canaries – and still keeps them

The pie with the peerless appendage • Vivid, garrulous and ending in a tail with the world’s most graceful droop, the red-billed blue magpie has been a highlight of BILL NAYLOR’S time as a professional birdkeeper

Use your green space • One of the simplest ways to enrich your birds’ diet while keeping your costs down is to produce the vegetables they eat. And that doesn’t mean starting a farm, just using a bit of your garden. DAVE BROWN suggests some easy options and lists the benefits

My learning Odyssey continues • A fortnight ago, BRIAN KEENAN described recent visits to two outstanding Yorkshire canary birdrooms in Turkey. Now he shares some of the key takeaways from three more top fancier premises, one in Italy and two in Belgium. Travel is best with a purpose, he says!

Club News • Welcome to the club and show pages - the bit that's all about you

OPEN SHOWS 2026/27 SEASON

What's on this week Club meetings nationwide • Includes sales held by clubs to benefit their members. For other sales, please book an advert

Club roundup • Show reports, dates, club notices

Dinosaurs and dragons in the kitchen • STEVE DIX is a name that most readers will know, not only for being a regular contributor to this paper before his death in 2022, but for his hardbill expertise, notably with jays. Here HEIDI DIX shares some personal memories of growing up as the daughter of a much-loved and well-known birdkeeper