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Back in the 1970's, while in college, I had the opportunity to care for a pair of these birds at the St. Louis Zoo. I managed to talk the department head into letting me set up a large room with a divider in it, a pair of cutthroat finches, and a nesting basket on the other side of the divider. I introduced the whydahs and the cutthroat finches in at the same time. I put the food and water for the birds at the opposite side of the room so that it was out of view of the nesting basket. I also had plenty of dim light plants in the room to give them cover and more natural places to perch. I also had a broad selection of cut grass stems, short pieces of string, and fluff of various sorts to choose from, and directly the finches set about the business of building a nest in the nesting basket. This was all taking place under the watchful eye of the female whydah. Not very long after the nesting behaviour of the finches began, the Male whydah began displaying and calling. When the nest was finished, and the female finch had laid one egg, something else happened. When the female finch was over at the feeding area, the female whydah slipped in kicked one egg out, then laid one of her own in the nest. She then flew to the ground and did her best to conceal the egg she had just kicked out. Later, when the female finch came back, she seemed none the wiser. In all, the finch laid four eggs, three of which were kicked out of the nest and were replaced by whydah eggs. In the end, we ended up with three exclamatory paradise whydahs chicks being raised to adulthood, and one cutthroat finch chick raised to adulthood. We removed the Whydahs from the room when the hen cutthroat finch was done laying. To my knowledge, no one else had managed to breed and raise these birds in captivity prior to that time. Unfortunately, I don't know what the status of this species is in captivity at present. I only hope that all the whydah species are being bred and raised in captivity since all of them a IUCN listed. It would be horrible to lose this species, as well as the species it parasitizes, as they are not only part of the wonderful web of life on this planet, but they would also be among the most easy to re-establish as land is reclaimed after humans are done with it.
Extremely helpful information about the birds there down under - I am embarking for cruise there shortly, photographing and filming. Many thanks, Adam.
Excellent video. The only addition I would have liked to have included was a map of Wyoming showing the ranch and Crow River location. Also, telling us if the ranch was a public spot or private property needing permission to access. Thanks.
Hi Greg hoping to visit Madagascar soon, what app or birding guide would you recommend for our trip to assist to list and aid with our birding experience thanks
Hi there Alex, Greg uses the Birds of Madagascar and the Indian Ocean Islands (Helm Field Guides) ISBN 978-1472924094. While it is a little outdated it is still the most up-to-date guide we have access to. For mammals, he uses Mammals of Madagascar: A Complete Guide by Nick Garbut.
