Tuesday, October 10, 2006

Yariguies Brush-Finch

A colorful new bird has been discovered in a previously unexplored Andean cloud forest, spurring efforts to protect the area, conservation groups said Monday.

The bright yellow and red-crowned Yariguies brush-finch was named for the indigenous tribe that once inhabited the mountainous area where it was discovered.

This is an absolutely beautiful bird. I used to raise finches at home. It started out when a couple of them laid eggs, and after they hatched, the babies survived and grew into mature finches. After that experience, I started matching different species into couples, and separating them after they laid eggs. I had finches, parakeets and cockatiels, though none of the cokatiels mated or laid eggs.

I had the standard zebra finches, but I also collected exotic finches like the one above, some of which would cost me $100 apiece. I even had a bird doctor that I took the birds to whenever they got too ill and/or died. I autopsied all birds that died in my possession in order to rule out any communicable diseases. My birds even survived the Northridge earthquake; none of the cages toppled, they all just moved from side to side, scaring the shit out of the birds. Actually, after the shaking stopped, the birds were eerily silent.

When I moved from a house to an apartment, I gave away all the birds. That was in 1994, and I haven't had any birds since then.

No comments: