In my experience, it is not unusual for species that come out of quarantine to go into breeding mode (not necessarily breeding condition)- just because of the transition from austerity to bounty/space/privacy. Will be interesting to see where this leads.
Congratulations on the nests and egg. When I had QF, the nests were always hidden so well. They would hide it in plain sight. More like your pair, where only the male is involved. I wonder if the conspicuous position of the nest has something to do with the interspecies dynamic. As you mention, male birds have a competitive nature for resources and breeding success. As well, Amos is ripe and ready to breed or he may not otherwise be interested in the QF nest. Seems like a “survival of the fittest “ behavior. I see the long term strategy for success but, I also see the potential for problems. With that said I think I would still let the birds figure it out.
Thank you for your insights. It is a novelty for me to be able to monitor a nest so easily. Maybe this just looks different when acted out in the ground than around a nest up high as well.
Maybe it is because the female is ready to breed in between laying eggs. The species are related so maybe the male twinspot sences that this is the best time to fertilize the eggs. If that is the case thing should cool down when all the eggs are laid. What do you think about this theory?
great suggestion…only one problem. Except for the birds recently imported, I don’t think there are any in the US. second problem is that they are monogamous so would have to separate out of earshot until they rebonded which is a challenge for me at the moment.
Good to see that the quail finches are busy nesting 👍🏻
In my experience, it is not unusual for species that come out of quarantine to go into breeding mode (not necessarily breeding condition)- just because of the transition from austerity to bounty/space/privacy. Will be interesting to see where this leads.
Fascinating!
right?
The quail finches are looking amazing since arriving on day #1
Thanks Gasparo, they really are remarkably resilient birds
Congratulations on the nests and egg. When I had QF, the nests were always hidden so well. They would hide it in plain sight. More like your pair, where only the male is involved. I wonder if the conspicuous position of the nest has something to do with the interspecies dynamic. As you mention, male birds have a competitive nature for resources and breeding success. As well, Amos is ripe and ready to breed or he may not otherwise be interested in the QF nest. Seems like a “survival of the fittest “ behavior. I see the long term strategy for success but, I also see the potential for problems. With that said I think I would still let the birds figure it out.
Thank you for your insights. It is a novelty for me to be able to monitor a nest so easily. Maybe this just looks different when acted out in the ground than around a nest up high as well.
The interaction between species is so complex.
It sure keeps me on my toes…
Maybe it is because the female is ready to breed in between laying eggs. The species are related so maybe the male twinspot sences that this is the best time to fertilize the eggs. If that is the case thing should cool down when all the eggs are laid. What do you think about this theory?
That is a most excellent thought! And spoiler alert, they are now incubating and the interest has waned so I strongly suspect you are right!
Would you try replacing the green twinspot hen with a younger hen? If as you said the hen is aging out I wonder if that would help the situation ❤
great suggestion…only one problem. Except for the birds recently imported, I don’t think there are any in the US. second problem is that they are monogamous so would have to separate out of earshot until they rebonded which is a challenge for me at the moment.
Can't wait to see how this plays out...