Keeping Softbills - by Jeff Bray
The keeping of softbills is as diverse in its husbandry as there are species available and the people who keep them, so a presentation on them, with the amount of time allocated, will be just a basic overview of what works for me.
Softbills categorised by dietary requirements
Most are somewhat omnivorous.
Though many of the species above have been placed into categories it can be said that most also fit into the term omnivore. The reason for this is that whilst their diet may feature a predominance of one of the above categories most are opportunistic. For example a species that is a nectivore may also take insects and other food stuffs, particularly around breeding time when almost all of the above categories feed their young, especially in the early days after hatching, with high protein food items such as insects, to maximize rapid growth before fledgling. Towards the end of the nest phase the parents normally start to switch over to more items that are found in the adult diet. For example frugivores would change over from mainly insects in the early stages to some fruit and berry items in the later stages.
Softbills categorised by dietary requirements
- Insectivore – Birds whose diet features a high percentage of insects and other invertebrates. Species include Wood swallows, Wrens, Pittas, Kingfishers and Bee- eaters to name but a few.
- Frugivore – Birds whose diet features a high percentage of berries, native fruits and plant buds. Species such as bowerbirds, Figbirds, Orioles and Bulbuls.
- Carnivore – Birds whose diet features a high percentage of freshly killed vertebrates, E.g. reptiles, fish, amphibians etc. Species such as Kingfishers, Thick-knees (Curlews) & Rails
- Nectivore – Birds whose diet features a high percentage of nectar. This includes species such as Honeyeaters & Sunbirds.
- Folivore – Birds whose diet features a high percentage of foliage. Species such as hoatzins would fit into this category as are Bowerbirds and Bulbuls which are partial folivores.
Most are somewhat omnivorous.
Though many of the species above have been placed into categories it can be said that most also fit into the term omnivore. The reason for this is that whilst their diet may feature a predominance of one of the above categories most are opportunistic. For example a species that is a nectivore may also take insects and other food stuffs, particularly around breeding time when almost all of the above categories feed their young, especially in the early days after hatching, with high protein food items such as insects, to maximize rapid growth before fledgling. Towards the end of the nest phase the parents normally start to switch over to more items that are found in the adult diet. For example frugivores would change over from mainly insects in the early stages to some fruit and berry items in the later stages.
I will mention here a couple of the strange habits that some of the softbills have. Both species of pittas have been observed rubbing rotting compost into the feathers on their abdomen between the thighs. I’m not sure what function this behavior serves but maybe further observations will reveal the reason for this. Pittas also collect animal dung and place it in the nest and around the entrance of the nest. The smell of these items is thought to deter predators from finding the eggs and young. They have also been observed dismembering the rotting carcass of a mouse or other rotting body and savouring every beak full of the bacteria ridden substance which brings me to the next topic.
The Gut Biome: An immense amount of research has been done in recent years on the importance of the millions of bacteria and other micro-organisms that every living thing, including ourselves, has living in symbiosis within its gut. For years I pondered how young softbills, which are mainly bill fed and do not receive regurgitated food, became inoculated with the correct gut bacteria to maintain healthy digestive function and immunity. I have come to the conclusion that they receive this gut flora from the gut contents of the live food which are fed to them by their parents. I have found that most species of softbills which I have hand raised from hatching only thrive in the early days, if fed on live foods compatible with their species natural diet. Artificial mixes are rarely if ever successful. Artificial food mixes are an important basis for adult softbills, especially taking into consideration the cost of live food, but I feel that some livefood is important for their overall health long term as it give them the environmental enhancement that they like in chasing and killing their food and also tops up the biome at the same time. Keep in mind also that when a bird consumes an insect that that is not all it is eating. It is also eating what the insect had for its last meal and the associated gut biome in the insect. Well fed insects provide the bird with the most nutritious food.
The Gut Biome: An immense amount of research has been done in recent years on the importance of the millions of bacteria and other micro-organisms that every living thing, including ourselves, has living in symbiosis within its gut. For years I pondered how young softbills, which are mainly bill fed and do not receive regurgitated food, became inoculated with the correct gut bacteria to maintain healthy digestive function and immunity. I have come to the conclusion that they receive this gut flora from the gut contents of the live food which are fed to them by their parents. I have found that most species of softbills which I have hand raised from hatching only thrive in the early days, if fed on live foods compatible with their species natural diet. Artificial mixes are rarely if ever successful. Artificial food mixes are an important basis for adult softbills, especially taking into consideration the cost of live food, but I feel that some livefood is important for their overall health long term as it give them the environmental enhancement that they like in chasing and killing their food and also tops up the biome at the same time. Keep in mind also that when a bird consumes an insect that that is not all it is eating. It is also eating what the insect had for its last meal and the associated gut biome in the insect. Well fed insects provide the bird with the most nutritious food.
Livefood and Food Preparation
- Termites: collected
- Mealworms: purchased or cultivated at home
- Maggots: cultivated at home
- Fish: cultivated at home or purchased or caught
- Slaters: cultivated at home
- Woodroaches: cultivated at home or purchased
- Crickets: cultivated at home or purcha
- Earth Worms: cultivated at home or purchased
- Compost Worms: cultivated at home or purchased
- Pinkie Mice: cultivated at home or purchased
Collection of wild foods
This depends on what is available in the local area and which species you are feeding. An example of this would be in northern NSW where the Camphor Laurel Tree is rather prevalent and is a mass producer of berries, they are easy to collect and are appreciated by many fruit eating species. Termites are moderately available for collection (off private properties) whilst garden worms can be dug up from the backyard. A compost heap in the aviary can be used to cultivate compost worms and attract many other insects into the aviary including ferment flies, soldier flies and blow flies. When birds have young in the nest a large hand net can be swept through long grass to collect small grasshoppers and spiders which will be relished. A blue or “Black” light on a timer attracts a myriad of insects at night and is a great source of free food especially during the warm months.
Artificial food mixes:
My food mixes are of three varieties.
Insectivore Mix:
15 hard boiled eggs 1 cup of finely grated cheese 1 cup of soaked dog biscuits 1 x 500 gram packet of bread crumbs Method: Peel shell from eggs and set aside. Place ½ a cup of bread crumbs and the egg shells into blender and blitz together to a fine powder. Using ½ a cup of the powder made from step 2 add to a quarter cup of bread crumbs and 3 eggs. Blitz to a crumbly moist mixture. Do in batches till all eggs are done. Add 1 cup of soaked dog biscuits (I use Lucky Dog Minis) and blend with 1 cup of bread crumbs to a moist crumbly mix. Keep it a bit on the dry side than too moist as it spoils rather quickly in warm weather. Add all of the previous mixes together and freeze in takeaway containers. Defrost and use as required. |
Fruit and vegetable mix:
1 kg of Coles home brand frozen mixed vegetables. 1/3 kg of frozen peas. 1/3 kg of frozen corn kernels. ½ cup of sultanas. To this mix is add 2 finely diced apples and 1 diced pear or any other fruit which is seasonally available. (Rock melon, watermelon, or any other fruit which is able to be diced) Individual containers are then topped with frozen blueberries and Camphor Laurel and cotoneaster berries when in season. Bananas are served whole and peeled and papaya are served cut in half for those birds which eat them. They are not diced with the other fruits as they are sticky and build up around the fruit dove’s beaks causing health problems. |
Meat mix:
5 cups of Chum (beef, bone and vegetable dried dog food) soaked over night in cold water. 5 cups of K9 Mini’s dry dog food soaked over night in cold water. 1 cup of diced Coles home brand Chicken, Rice and Vegetable Dog Roll 1 cup of minced beef. Added to this basic mix is canned fish-based cat food for the species which are partial to fish. All ingredients mixed together and served fresh daily as required. |
Colour foods:
Some softbills such as Crimson Chats and some Robins require colour foods as certain food items in their natural diet are missing and their colour fades over time. Various items have been used such as canary colour agents, spirulina and commercial honeyeater mixes with added colouring agent. A lot more research needs to be done to get the correct suppliments and quantities developed to achieve the best and most desired colour for each species as some species attain a not so natural shade when fed these supplements.
Commercial foods:
Commercial insectivore foods are available to aviculturalists. It is my opinion only that these should be used as an additive or supplement and should not be used as dietary replacement especially when hand rearing chicks.
Frugivore Pellets:
Commercial fruit based pellets are available for parrots and can be used for frugivorous birds, again as a supplement and not as a total diet replacement.
Osmotic Diarrhea in frugivores:
Osmotic Diarrhea is a common problem in frugivorous birds as the fruit that we give them is very high in sugars compared to the fruits that they eat in their wild state which are low in sugars and higher in starches and fibre. With the super sweet fruits the gut has a tendency to draw moisture from the rest of the body by osmosis to even out the imbalance. This results in osmotic diarrhea. Therefore frugivorous birds are best fed on a vegetable based diet and wild fruits in preference to our super sweet cultivated fruits.
Medication and supplements:
I use very little in the way of regular medication or supplements. In my experience a sick softbill is usually a dead softbill. Keeping the birds in peak condition with a varied diet and functional immune system is of paramount importance. Of course chicks quite often need extra calcium during the nest and fledging stage to ensure healthy, strong bone growth as they are developing so quickly.
If softbills are allowed to indulge in natural behaviors, such as rain bathing, water bathing, dust bathing, sunning, and anting, then external parasites are never a problem. Worming is only done about twice a year with ground dwelling pigeons, doves and quail, especially the species from dry or arid habitats as they seem to have less immunity to them. A certain amount of parasites in an organism actually helps to prime and boost the immune system. It is only when the numbers of certain parasites gets out of balance that problems arise. This usually only happens when the birds are kept in unnatural and artificial conditions where stress, impoverished diet and lack of sunshine compromises their own ability to deal with them.
Some softbills such as Crimson Chats and some Robins require colour foods as certain food items in their natural diet are missing and their colour fades over time. Various items have been used such as canary colour agents, spirulina and commercial honeyeater mixes with added colouring agent. A lot more research needs to be done to get the correct suppliments and quantities developed to achieve the best and most desired colour for each species as some species attain a not so natural shade when fed these supplements.
Commercial foods:
Commercial insectivore foods are available to aviculturalists. It is my opinion only that these should be used as an additive or supplement and should not be used as dietary replacement especially when hand rearing chicks.
Frugivore Pellets:
Commercial fruit based pellets are available for parrots and can be used for frugivorous birds, again as a supplement and not as a total diet replacement.
Osmotic Diarrhea in frugivores:
Osmotic Diarrhea is a common problem in frugivorous birds as the fruit that we give them is very high in sugars compared to the fruits that they eat in their wild state which are low in sugars and higher in starches and fibre. With the super sweet fruits the gut has a tendency to draw moisture from the rest of the body by osmosis to even out the imbalance. This results in osmotic diarrhea. Therefore frugivorous birds are best fed on a vegetable based diet and wild fruits in preference to our super sweet cultivated fruits.
Medication and supplements:
I use very little in the way of regular medication or supplements. In my experience a sick softbill is usually a dead softbill. Keeping the birds in peak condition with a varied diet and functional immune system is of paramount importance. Of course chicks quite often need extra calcium during the nest and fledging stage to ensure healthy, strong bone growth as they are developing so quickly.
If softbills are allowed to indulge in natural behaviors, such as rain bathing, water bathing, dust bathing, sunning, and anting, then external parasites are never a problem. Worming is only done about twice a year with ground dwelling pigeons, doves and quail, especially the species from dry or arid habitats as they seem to have less immunity to them. A certain amount of parasites in an organism actually helps to prime and boost the immune system. It is only when the numbers of certain parasites gets out of balance that problems arise. This usually only happens when the birds are kept in unnatural and artificial conditions where stress, impoverished diet and lack of sunshine compromises their own ability to deal with them.
"I believe that the future of keeping softbills will increase in popularity as the husbandry and breeding of them becomes more understood." - Jeff Bray |
Housing – habitat, planted, suspended etc.
Captivity and the best of intentions cannot undo thousands of years of evolution. Species have evolved to live the way they do and in captivity it must be remembered that some replication of their habitat is important. A bare or suspended aviary is often disastrous for these birds which have no where to hide or feel secure and will live a rather nervous and short life. A planted spacious aviary with an earth floor is considered mainstream amongst softbill breeders. Research into the species natural habitat is vitally important. For example Fairy Wrens which come from a usually open and sunny area with dense grass and low bushes should be kept in a similarly furnished aviary. Rainforest bird’s e.g. Pittas and Scrub Wrens feel much more secure in dappled, shaded aviaries dominated by plants that have an upper story and growth at the mid point so long as they have enough clearance at the ground level to move about and forage. The exceptions to this of course are birds which come from the open plains, aquatic environments and arid areas eg. Lapwings, Dotterels, Stilts and other open water waders . They require an open sunny aviary but still need some where to shelter and hide in the event of a hawk, bad weather or other threat.
Family bonds and Societal structures – Research how they structure themselves in the wild and how best to replicate that in captivity.
Monogamous Pairs – Most softbill species do best as monogamous single pairs in the aviary often with other compatible mixed species. E.g Scrub Wrens, Pittas, Kingfishers, Bulbuls, Whipbirds
Polygamous – A few softbill’s breeding pattern is that of a polygamous nature where the males will mate with numerous females which will go to nest and raise young alone without assistance from the male. E.g Bowerbirds and Birds of Paradise.
Colonies – Some softbills will breed best or only breed in a colony setting. E.g Metallic Starlings and Glossy Ibis, . This colony breeding can also be seen in Nicobar Pigeons and New Guinea Ground Doves.
Compatibility – E.g Fairy wrens: when young males colour up the dynamics may change. Pairing up and introducing wrens together must be done with caution. Keeping fairy wrens in family groups of parents and this seasons young can usually be done for the current breeding season and winter but must be re-evaluated when the breeding season starts again in early spring. Some of the blue wrens can become aggressive towards other birds with blue plumage and must be watched for early signs of trouble. I once had a Splendid Fairy-wren completely dominate a male Satin Bowerbird to the point of exhaustion and I had to remove the wrens.
Stocking
Many softbill species can co-habitat, however there are exceptions and the size of the aviary will play a roll in the species that can be kept together. Species will often defend territory and sufficient food and feed areas are vital so as no one goes unfed. Sometimes a similarly coloured, unrelated species can trigger off unwanted aggression.
Catching
A feed station/catching trap cage is employed as the only method of stress free capture for the removal of birds from the aviary if necessary. These cages are important, as chasing a bird about a planted aviary with a net is nothing short of hard work, negative in results and a great way of losing birds to stress. The trap cages are used for catching young, injured, sick or unwanted birds from the aviary.
Pest Control
As with any hobby where animals or birds are kept there is sure to be waste. Waste sees visits from ants, rodents, snakes and more. Desirable visits are from moths and insects that the inhabitants of the aviary will eat. Some of these can be attracted by the use of night lighting and compost heaps. None of the left over foods are wasted. I don’t even waste a dead rat or mouse as these are buried in the compost heaps and the fly larvae and flies are consumed by the birds.
The provision of water
Water is a vital necessity as we can all appreciate and the way in which it is delivered may depend on the species kept. For example: species such as Glossy Ibis may prefer small dams or large ponds whilst bowerbirds and the like may be more inclined to utilize shallow bowls of water and bird baths. The wrens will prefer a shallow water bowl such as a terracotta bowl with a rock placed in the middle to prevent drowning particularly where fledglings are involved. Stilts, plovers and other waders would prefer larger areas of shallow water.
Family bonds and Societal structures – Research how they structure themselves in the wild and how best to replicate that in captivity.
Monogamous Pairs – Most softbill species do best as monogamous single pairs in the aviary often with other compatible mixed species. E.g Scrub Wrens, Pittas, Kingfishers, Bulbuls, Whipbirds
Polygamous – A few softbill’s breeding pattern is that of a polygamous nature where the males will mate with numerous females which will go to nest and raise young alone without assistance from the male. E.g Bowerbirds and Birds of Paradise.
Colonies – Some softbills will breed best or only breed in a colony setting. E.g Metallic Starlings and Glossy Ibis, . This colony breeding can also be seen in Nicobar Pigeons and New Guinea Ground Doves.
Compatibility – E.g Fairy wrens: when young males colour up the dynamics may change. Pairing up and introducing wrens together must be done with caution. Keeping fairy wrens in family groups of parents and this seasons young can usually be done for the current breeding season and winter but must be re-evaluated when the breeding season starts again in early spring. Some of the blue wrens can become aggressive towards other birds with blue plumage and must be watched for early signs of trouble. I once had a Splendid Fairy-wren completely dominate a male Satin Bowerbird to the point of exhaustion and I had to remove the wrens.
Stocking
Many softbill species can co-habitat, however there are exceptions and the size of the aviary will play a roll in the species that can be kept together. Species will often defend territory and sufficient food and feed areas are vital so as no one goes unfed. Sometimes a similarly coloured, unrelated species can trigger off unwanted aggression.
Catching
A feed station/catching trap cage is employed as the only method of stress free capture for the removal of birds from the aviary if necessary. These cages are important, as chasing a bird about a planted aviary with a net is nothing short of hard work, negative in results and a great way of losing birds to stress. The trap cages are used for catching young, injured, sick or unwanted birds from the aviary.
Pest Control
As with any hobby where animals or birds are kept there is sure to be waste. Waste sees visits from ants, rodents, snakes and more. Desirable visits are from moths and insects that the inhabitants of the aviary will eat. Some of these can be attracted by the use of night lighting and compost heaps. None of the left over foods are wasted. I don’t even waste a dead rat or mouse as these are buried in the compost heaps and the fly larvae and flies are consumed by the birds.
The provision of water
Water is a vital necessity as we can all appreciate and the way in which it is delivered may depend on the species kept. For example: species such as Glossy Ibis may prefer small dams or large ponds whilst bowerbirds and the like may be more inclined to utilize shallow bowls of water and bird baths. The wrens will prefer a shallow water bowl such as a terracotta bowl with a rock placed in the middle to prevent drowning particularly where fledglings are involved. Stilts, plovers and other waders would prefer larger areas of shallow water.
Breeding & Handrearing Softbills
The breeding of softbills is as variable as their husbandry, only somewhat more complicated and as such is probably too involved to elaborate on this website as each species is different. The best advice is to speak with breeders who have reared the species of interest successfully.
Hand rearing isn’t as frightening as it might first appear. Again I stress that sticking as closely as possible to the diet which the parents would be feeding the young is of utmost importance. Many aviculturists will be familiar with hand rearing parrot species and the importance of intestinal gut bacteria which is supplies by the parents by regurgitating part digested food to the young. Most softbills bill feed and I often wondered where the young were getting their gut biome from. It would appear that they obtain all they need from the gut biome of the insects and other invertebrates which are fed to them as many young softbills fed on artificial foods fail to thrive and usually succumb to gut infections. Again you cannot undo or change millions of years of evolution. Most hand raised young are fed a mixture of thawed or freshly killed crickets, mealworms, moths, earthworms and compost worms. For a little variety some meat mix, fish or fruit is added depending on what food group the adult diet is mainly comprised of. I have reared Pittas from day one on nothing but earthworms, and kingfishers on almost nothing but Gambusias. (AKA, Mosquito Fish). The up side of this, compared to parrots, is that most of the smaller softbills fledge within two to three weeks and are independent a week or two later.
Species for beginners:
Smaller species which would be suitable to be kept with finches are Silvereyes, Bulbuls, Inland Dotterels and Fairy-wrens which are fairly easy to keep and will breed without much trouble. For the larger softbills my choice would be Banded Lapwings (Plovers), Bowerbirds and maybe Rails but they can be aggressive.
Hand rearing isn’t as frightening as it might first appear. Again I stress that sticking as closely as possible to the diet which the parents would be feeding the young is of utmost importance. Many aviculturists will be familiar with hand rearing parrot species and the importance of intestinal gut bacteria which is supplies by the parents by regurgitating part digested food to the young. Most softbills bill feed and I often wondered where the young were getting their gut biome from. It would appear that they obtain all they need from the gut biome of the insects and other invertebrates which are fed to them as many young softbills fed on artificial foods fail to thrive and usually succumb to gut infections. Again you cannot undo or change millions of years of evolution. Most hand raised young are fed a mixture of thawed or freshly killed crickets, mealworms, moths, earthworms and compost worms. For a little variety some meat mix, fish or fruit is added depending on what food group the adult diet is mainly comprised of. I have reared Pittas from day one on nothing but earthworms, and kingfishers on almost nothing but Gambusias. (AKA, Mosquito Fish). The up side of this, compared to parrots, is that most of the smaller softbills fledge within two to three weeks and are independent a week or two later.
Species for beginners:
Smaller species which would be suitable to be kept with finches are Silvereyes, Bulbuls, Inland Dotterels and Fairy-wrens which are fairly easy to keep and will breed without much trouble. For the larger softbills my choice would be Banded Lapwings (Plovers), Bowerbirds and maybe Rails but they can be aggressive.