Cage & Aviary Birds October 29, 2025

EXTINCTION WITH NO SIGHTINGS for decades, and a few flutters of false hope, the slender-billed curlew (Numenius tenuirostris) has officially been declared extinct by the IUCN. The species had been in a slow decline since 1912, but it wasn’t until 1988 that it was classified in a high conservation concern category. Despite extensive searches for any remaining slender-billed curlews, there have been no confirmed sightings since the mid-1990s. Extinction was declared “highly probable” in 2024, and has now been made official in October 2025. Rob Innes, C&AB editor, made a special trip to see the species while it was still extant. He said: “This is such a poignant announcement. In the 1990s, there was literally one last known slender-billed curlew left in the world. It returned to the same area…

MAGAZINES IN A BID to cut costs, the Budgerigar Society General Council has decided that the September edition of their magazine, The Budgerigar, will be the last one for 2025. Terry Tuxford, editor of the magazine, said: “This outcome was reached to reduce costs as part of an ongoing restructuring and to get the society into a more stable position financially.” This money-saving decision is in line with chairman Harry Hockaday’s presentation on the Society’s financial accounts, delivered at the BS AGM at the Club Show in June (see News, June 18). In the space of one year, with the help of new BS accountant Daniel Colwell, the Society has recovered remarkably from a very uncertain financial future. Mr Tuxford added: “One new service that is being provided to BS…

COMPETITION WINNERS WINNERS of Countrywide’s September prize draw to win either a 12.5kg bag of Super Deluxe Parrot & Fruit Mix or Conure Mix are: Anthony Cahill, London; Anthony Chappell, Gloucestershire; Chris Parker, Newport; Gary Decon, Bracknell; and June Bowman, Dunfermline. Congratulations! Your chosen prize is on the way to you! Countrywide bird food is produced by Albert E James, which has been manufacturing premium dust-free bird seed mixes since 1962. RSPCA: QUAILS, PARROTS & BANTAMS SEIZED DAVID Johnson, 37, from Manchester has been given a suspended prison sentence for animal welfare failings. He pleaded guilty to nine offences under the Animal Welfare Act. The RSPCA collected more than 1,800 animals from four addresses in Shropshire. Almost 400 of those died later. Among the animals were quail, parrots and bantams.…

RESEARCH RESEARCHERS HAVE MANAGED to pinpoint the exact pace that helps thrush nightingales (Luscinia luscinia) to fly efficiently on long migratory journeys. A new study from Lund University in Sweden found that at the end of the summer, when thrush nightingales leave Europe for southern Africa, they do not fly at full speed. Instead, they maintain an even pace for peak efficiency. Up to now, researchers have assumed that the efficiency of converting energy into flight power is constant regardless of the speed. Using wind tunnel experiments involving nightingales, the Lund University team has revealed that this is not the case. “We have discovered that the nightingales are not equally efficient at all speeds. Their efficiency is highest at an intermediate flying speed – approximately 7-8 metres per second –…

BREEDING A RECORD NUMBER of little terns were born this year at Eccles beach in Norfolk, the RSPB reports. The charity said that 455 chicks were born from 270 pairs of little terns, nesting on the beach during this breeding season. These numbers make this the biggest tern colony in the UK in 2025. Beginning with only 12 pairs of birds in 2002, the Eccles site has seen numbers increase yearly. These birds like to nest in the sand, providing a good camouflage for the chicks and the eggs. However, being low on the ground makes them vulnerable to being trampled by beachgoers and dogs off leads. High tides and bad weather can also impact numbers, as well as predation from kestrels and foxes. The charity is keen to encourage…

UPDATED ON: October 23, 2025 Avian Influenza Prevention Zones AIPZ rules apply to the whole of England, Scotland and Wales. Strict biosecurity and hygiene are required, but birds do not need to be housed indoors. Current 3km Protection Zones Mandatory housing; strictly no bird movements in or out of premises. Locality near Penrith Wybunbury Stockbridge Wetheral County/district Cumbria Cheshire Hampshire Cumbria Date of declaration October 18, 2025 October 13, 2025 October 11, 2025 September 28, 2025 Source/further info: APHA Interactive Avian Influenza Disease Map…