Section on pheasants starts with genus introduction followed by comprehensive account on every species present in that genus. Each species account starts with common and scientific name of that species along with its German name, its systematics and historical outline dealing with species and known subspecies, its morphological features, occurrence and behavior in its natural environments, threats and protection, its reproduction in nature and captive breeding and finally its summary.

The highlight of this book is many excellent quality photographs showing species, subspecies, their eggs and chicks. Many species are shown in their natural habitats and both sexes are represented in the photographs.

The only thing missing in this title is range maps of the 50 species that are described within, though their ranges are described in the text comprehensively. Author plans to include range maps of all species in the future edition.

Recommendation:

Based on years of personal experience of keeping and breeding many species of pheasants by the author, Pheasants of the Old World by Karol Sepielak is a MUST HAVE title not only for keepers, breeders and conservationists but also for ornithologists and everyone who is interested to learn more about these beautiful birds, their biology and natural history.

You can buy it directly from World Pheasant Association (WPA) here :

https://www.pheasant.org.uk/newpublications.aspx

It is a MUST HAVE and highly recommended publication not only just for aviculturists, hobbyist bird keepers and breeders but also for zookeepers, conservationists and all the bird lovers around the world.

You can subscribe to Cage & Aviary Birds directly from the newspaper's website here :

https://www.cageandaviarybirds.co.uk/subscribe/

Book starts with a Publisher’s Note in which Mr. David Hancock asks about the color photographic images for this encyclopedia and which planned to be Volume 2. Although there is a small section of color images in the present work, Volume 2 will be required to present comprehensive image collection.

Book deals with decades of hands-on experience of zoo keepers and private aviculturists from around the world. Proper information is given on topics like, landscape, vermin control, hand rearing, stress management, propagation of live food, compatible species and so on.

On family level, every chapter on bird family starts with an introduction about that species or family. After that, there is comprehensive text on management, diet, breeding, housing, artificial incubation, ring sizes along with important tables and drawings of birds throughout the book. Species that require similar management methods are also included and in every chapter references are also mentioned.

Apart from this, there is a lot of information on proper capturing and handling of birds. Behavior, social management and species that are kept alongside are also discussed.

Recommendation:

Encyclopedia of Aviculture is a MUST HAVE book not only just for zookeepers, aviculturists and hobbyists but also for general public and students who want to know about the Aviculture and important role it has played in saving many species of birds that were on brink of extinction.

You can buy it directly from publisher's website here :

https://www.hancockhouse.com/collections/all-titles/products/encyclopedia-of-aviculture

What a sad place this world would be without birds, their charming sounds and melodious songs.

Keeping birds as pets dates back to thousands of years.

• Birds were kept by the people in Neolithic Era as far back as 10,000 years ago. Domesticated pigeons were first depicted in pictographical writing on clay tablets in the Mesopotamian period dating back to 5,000 years ago.

• Ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Chinese kept pigeons, parrots and pheasants respectively. The first document of parrot as a pet was found in Rig Veda, an ancient Indian literature written more than 3000 years ago.

• The Egyptians and the Persians first used carrier pigeons some 3,000 years ago. Similarly, Romans used pigeon messengers to aid their military over 2000 years ago. Romans also used mockingbirds in the entryways of their homes to announce visitors and Ravens were a prized possession for them for their ability to talk.

• In 327 B.C. Alexander the Great first took ring-necked parrots into Mediterranean and European countries from the Punjab region of Indian Subcontinent. (Alexandrine parakeet is named after him).

• In medieval Europe, bird keeping was mostly for the wealthy royals. Charles V of France had decorative bird cages made out of gold and silver filled with birds of enamel and precious metals, set with the finest gems.

• Talking parrots were so highly regarded that in 1418, Pope Martin V appointed two persons as parrot keepers. In 1493, Christopher Columbus on his return from South America brought Queen Isabella I of Spain a pair of Cuban Amazon parrots. King Henry VIII (1509 - 1547) of England also kept a talking African grey parrot.

• Java Sparrows were very popular as cage birds in Ming Dynasty of China. Likewise, Canaries were considered status symbol and luxury pets about 500 years ago.

• During the 1800s, budgerigars were introduced to England and middle-class English families, being captivated by these friendly colorful new pets started to keep them. With the turn of the nineteenth century, more easily affordable birds became available.

In the past couple of decades, Aviculture has changed from just a hobby to a whole new science. Today, there are avicultural societies present throughout the world. These societies are great source for exotic bird keepers, breeders, researchers, vets, enthusiasts, and anyone interested in avian care to exchange knowledge, experience, information and best practices.

Now scientific methods are widely used in breeding, feeding, housing and health of the birds. There are hundreds of color mutations of various species of birds.

Aviculture literally means "the culture of birds", or the proper care, housing, and feeding of birds. According to American ornithologist Dr. Jean Théodore Delacour:

"Aviculture is a worldwide hobby of keeping and breeding numerous species of wild birds in captivity to maintain their numerical status in nature with a view of forestalling their extinction by supplying aviary raised stock."

One of the best book i have ever read and also one of my favorites is Kolibris - Fliegende Edelsteine (Hummingbirds - Flying Gemstones) by Walter Scheithauer. It was first published in German language in 1966. English edition was published a year later in 1967.

Mr. Walter, who was from Germany, managed to keep some of the most beautiful species of hummingbirds from South America. Reading about his adventures with these little flying jewels is just fascinating. His pictures of hummingbirds published in this book are also among the finest i have ever seen.

Some of pictures from Mr. Walter's book:

Back in 1960s, there were no digital cameras and no wonder it was very expensive for the author to take colorful photos of highest quality of these tiny fast birds who can beat their wings up to 80 times per second !

My favourite bird families are nectar-feeding sunbirds of the Old World and hummingbirds of the New World which both feed on the nectar of flowering plants along with small insects. As compared to parrots or finches, they are not common in aviculture. There are very few people in Europe who are keeping and breeding hummingbirds.

Most notably, Mr. Jacques Ducros from France is breeding many species of hummingbirds. Since 1994, Mr. Jacques has been licensed by the French government to possess and breed hummingbirds. Fascinated by them since childhood, he currently has about 100 hummers of different species in a very large aviary built onto their home in Pont de l'Etoile, near Marseilles in the south of France.

Sunbirds are also kept by very few people, mostly in Europe and Asia. In Southeast Asian countries, they are quite popular as songbirds. Currently, there is a Special Interest Group in The Avicultural Society (UK) led by Mr. Joe Wood who specializes in keeping sunbirds.

There should be a research and conservation organization for endangered species of Nectarivores birds that are on brink of extinction due to habitat loss (deforestation, logging), climate change and other factors including captive breeding projects of the species that are declining rapidly in their native habitats.

Mohsin Awan