Amadina Gulda: description and habitat

Guldova Amadina is one of the most beautiful birds of the family of finch weaver. Her homeland is Northern Australia. Its name was given to the bird in honor of the wife of John Gould, a British naturalist and animal artist. These birds he discovered, traveling to Australia in 1938 and 1840. In his scientific works he mentioned them in 1844. Amadina Gulda, whose photos are in front of you, are considered very rare birds even in their homeland and are classified as an endangered species. These birds are kept in the form of ornamental birds, only because of their colorful plumage. In a word, they are unusually beautiful, so it is worth learning about them more. The content and breeding of Amadine Gould, their way of life in the natural environment and in captivity - all very interesting. In this article you can learn all this.

Description of Amadine Gould

Guldov's Amadins are birds whose plumage of their head can vary greatly. In the wild, they are called black headed, redheaded and yellow-headed. Sometimes there are orange-headed handsome men. On the head of females there is an intermediate color of feathers. Has a low voice, ability to sing and bright color of feathers only male. The list of feathered singers does not include Amadina Gulda, females of this species can not sing at all. Their plumage is more quiet color, in short, "girls" are in the shadow of "boys." There are mutations of these birds - the white-chested and blue. All forms have the ability to cross between themselves.

The nature of guild amadines can be determined by the color of the feathers on the head. Instances that have a red plumage are more aggressive than their "black" brethren, but those are more curious. It is assumed that the temperament of birds, somehow depends on pigmentation.

Red-headed individuals in almost all cases receive a win in the struggle for food, the reason is considered an instinctive fear of red color. If the female is mated with a male of a different color, 72% of the chicks in the brood will be males.

Birds of both sexes are about 11 cm in length. If you take from the head to the ends of the middle feathers of the tail, the length will be 13 to 15 cm.

What is the voice of Amadina Gould

Amadina Gulda refers to schooling birds. All representatives of this species are endowed with the property of a roll-call with their congeners, which is manifested by the constant silent calls of the "Sith". These sounds they use during flights. This call is so quiet that it is possible to hear it, only being just next to the birds.

At a time when somebody is behind the pack, calls are getting louder and changing to "citt-citt", then turning into a loud long "tsrui-it" if the member of the pack completely disappears from the field of vision.

Amadina Gulda: habitat

The habitat of the guild amadine is the Kimberley district, where birds nowadays, if compared with other regions, are very common. This place is considered the hottest in the entire southern hemisphere, the daytime temperature there rises to 40-45 degrees in the shade. Amadina Gulda is a very mobile bird. Even at high temperatures, it can stay in the sun for a long time and easily adapts to all extreme climatic conditions. In this heat, other birds try to hide in the shade. In the northern regions, the amadins feel good at high temperatures and high humidity. At this time they hunt for insects and look for the half-ripe seeds that go into the diet.

House for guild amadine

When keeping finch weavers at home, aviaries are used, sometimes cells. The size of the cells varies, depending on the living conditions. But the permissible minimum value of the house must be observed. For birds to feel comfortable, they should live in a cage not less than 60 x 40 x 40 cm (60 - length of the cage).

Some types of weavers live and even breed in cramped cottages, but they should not exist for long. Such conditions severely restrict the movement of birds, resulting in metabolic disorders. This will threaten the Amadins with severe irreparable consequences.

The cell can be made of plastic or wood, it is important only to observe the distance between the rods, which is allowed about 1 cm, not more. The perches are made of rods of different thickness, while removing the bark from them is not necessary. The cell must be constantly illuminated.

Even the most demanding Gould amadins, whose care and maintenance will be at an appropriate level, will be able to please the household with their beautiful views.

Conditions of maintenance of guild amadine

For the reason that the guild amadines belong to exotic birds, where the tropical and equatorial belts are the place of residence, a light day of 10-12 hours should be provided for them. For example, if Gould's Amadins live in Moscow, then in winter it is necessary to make additional illumination for them. Cells should be placed on special stands (40-50 cm above the floor). It's good if they are not far from the light source. Amadina Gulda is a bird that is very stressed. To address it you need a quiet voice, with affection, gently approach the cage, do not raise noise during the change of the trough and drinker. Only so the birds can get used to the owners and will not panic. At the sight of a stranger or a sudden turn-off of light, the death of a bird may ensue.

Since the habitat of amadin are hot countries, they do not tolerate sharp changes in temperature, which should be within 22-24 degrees. Very great harm brings to the birds tobacco smoke and other harmful substances. Amadins in the house, where there are cats or dogs, also feel uncomfortable.

Keeping the cells clean

One of the most important conditions for keeping Amadine Gould is the purity in the cells. To achieve this, you need:

Daily:

• In the places where the birds are, clean: take out the garbage, wipe the dust, pull out the pallet and wipe it with a damp cloth, change the litter.
• Wash dishes for birds with hot water using detergents, then wipe with a dry cloth. Feeders intended for grain, cleaned of the remaining feed, wiped, filled with a daily norm of food and put in place.

Once a month:

• It is necessary to carry out a spring cleaning in the cage. Wipe it with a sponge soaked in natural disinfectants (infusion of chamomile or wormwood). It is recommended to pour this grass under the pallet.
• Wipe off the sticky dirt of the roost, then rinse and roast in the oven.

Every quarter:

• The cell must be washed with a solution of soda, taking 2-3 tea spoons per 1 liter of water, then thoroughly wiping.
• Wash the herbs with infusions. Herbal remedies will not harm the bird. It is better not to use chemical preparations for cell care.

Caring for Gould's Amadina

Amadins - lovers of bathing, this possibility can be given to them, if you place a bath near the opening of the cage. There must be very little water in it - not above the chick's lower leg so that it can not drown. Bathing is good for the health of birds, and feathering, thanks to water, will be in a neat condition. The water in the tub should be at room temperature.

Care for Amadina includes fighting fleas and ticks. To do this, there is a spray that has the property of combating parasitic insects. It is not recommended to use it for processing birds during mating or hatching eggs. It is advisable to spray the bird against the growth of feathers, until the skin and plumage are wet. The procedure should be repeated after two days.

In the room in which the cell is located, one should make disinfection with one of the preparations against parasites. The floor can be washed with water with the addition of infusion of wormwood.

Feeding

Amadins Gulda, the contents of which are possible at home, need to be fed, mainly with grain mixtures, which include different types of millet: Italian, red, white, black, yellow. You can add canary and flaxseed. It is advisable to buy mixtures for exotic species of birds.

The germinated grain of cereal crops is also happy to eat Gould's amadins. Feeding and breeding are closely related to each other, because the seed in a spoiled form is a stimulant of the birds for reproduction. It is especially useful to feed it to the Amadin about a month before nesting.

Daily it is necessary to add vegetables and fruits to the diet, such as sweet pepper, carrots, and fresh herbs. Feeds of animal origin are also needed for finch weavers. These include: steeply boiled chicken eggs, flour worms, fresh bloodworm, green leaf aphids and naked caterpillars. Especially prized fresh ant pupae.

Amadina Gulda: breeding

It is not difficult to breed birds at home. Only in this case is taken into account the fact that if you do not provide the feathered handsome men with the proper conditions, they are unlikely to please their chicks with chicks. It is necessary to stock up the nesting houses with the half-open front wall. The size of the house must be 15 x 15 x 15 cm. The nest of soft hay and bird feathers is bridged themselves, sometimes they are lined with lettuce and cabbage leaves. This increases the humidity inside the nest.

In one masonry there are 4-6, sometimes 8 eggs. Chicks appear on the 15-16 day of incubation. Immediately after hatching, they are blind, without fluff. On the inside surface of the mouth is a characteristic pattern. Nestlings grow quickly, leave the nest at the age of 22-25 days. The bill becomes black, and the plumage is brownish-green. Amadina Gulda feeds her chicks for another 10-15 days after departure from the nest. At six months, young birds acquire a permanent color.

Ways of infecting Amadine Gould with a tracheal mite

Disease tracheal mite exposed to all small ornamental birds, especially Canary and Amadine Gould. Pathways of infection have not yet been fully explored, it is suggested that a bird can become infected with a tick in such cases:

• during feeding;
• by airborne droplets;
• through contaminated water.

In the early stages of the disease, Gould's amadins cease to sing, they become ugly plumage, drowsiness is observed. Despite the fact that the feathered eat and drink, they start to lose weight, often hohlyatsya. At a deeper stage, sneezing, coughing, wheezing are observed. The bird sits with an open mouth, breathes heavily, constantly cleans its beak on the perch, removing the secretions.

Tracheal tick affects lungs, trachea and bronchi, which leads to a complete blockade of air passages.

Treatment of a bird from a tracheal mite

Most countries of the former Soviet Union, including Russia, currently do not have drugs to treat mites, poultry farmers have to apply the experience of foreign colleagues and use their medicines to treat birds, as well as cats, dogs and cattle. The following list of effective drugs is recommended:

1. "Ode-actin" - the agent contains 0.1% ivermectin.
2. Novomek, Baymek, Ivermek - preparations contain 1% ivermectin.
3. Stronghold is an antiparasitic agent.

When using medicines, the recommended dosage should be strictly adhered to. It is better, if the drug will be in pipettes for 0.25 ml - 15 mg. One pipette can handle 7 birds, using an insulin syringe - 15 birds. The number of treatments depends on the degree of infection. During the treatment of the tracheal tick, Amadina Gulda suffers from 4 to 9 such procedures with an interval of 6-8 days. This is done as follows: fixing the bird in his hand, you need to push the feathers around the neck, then apply a drop of the drug to the bare skin. From the bare neck, the product quickly enters the blood. On the day of treatment, do not allow birds to swim. Treatment of Amadine Gulda from tracheal tick in 10-14 days should be repeated.