Cage & Aviary Birds

Cage & Aviary Birds is written by bird experts for bird fanciers and is packed with club, show and bird related news, advice, birds for sale and comment. Established in 1902, Cage & Aviary Birds provides a wealth of practical advice and tips from the top names in the bird world, plus opinion, controversy, species and hobbyist profiles and nostalgia.

NCA: a step forward for DEFRA challenge

APHA changes restrictions to allow uncovered aviaries

QUOTE of the WEEK

Also in the news…

NORTH DORSET BURGLARY: goldfinches and canaries stolen

Gibraltar Point passes its half century as a haven for rare terns

Bumper breeding season for common cranes in Scotland

Park Life

At last – but too late?

SoS SENDS SOS ADVICE TO FANCY

Editor's Letter

Cage & Aviary Birds

A blue Lizard road review for 2026 • DAVID ALLEN's journey with blue Lizard canaries has now lasted more than thirty years without interruption! Here he looks back at the main milestones

Round One? The bell's already gone! • Slightly earlier than he'd have preferred, ANDY JOHNSON's Borders have charged into their nesting routine. Still, they know when they're ready, so before long he'll see how his multiple breeding plans bear fruit

Questions, and how to ask them • We should all benefit from one another's birdkeeping knowledge – but, says DAVE BROWN, we should accept that answers to questions can't always be instant

My thrush hybrids: three happy accidents • Last year, GEORGE LOINES exhibited a 2025-bred sibling trio of ring ouzel x mistle thrush hybrids – and soon they became the most talked-about softbills in the land. Here's their story in their breeder's own words, and it shows that lovely surprises can and do happen

Strategy for breeding: Part 6 • Rounding off his most recent series, Fife canary legend TERRY KELLY is typically forthright on the topic of feather colour – in which Fifes can excel, though too many don't

How to build up fitness and fertility • The expert team at Loro Parque achieve their peerless breeding results by addressing the needs of every individual – and this begins months in advance. By RAPHAEL ZAMORA

It's all about the community • In the third of three articles, fancier and YouTube channel host DAVID McCOOL reflects on the importance of club life, his most memorable achievements, and the routines and principles that underpin the running of his impressive birdroom

Canaries Month by Month: • When do you start? Breeding, that is. In our variable British climate, beginning early can give you a head start one year and then set you right back the next. BRIAN KEENAN considers the canary breeder's unpredictable lot – with uneven results apparent elsewhere in Europe too

Club News • Welcome to the club and show pages – the bit that's all about you

What's on this week

Club roundup • Show reports, dates, club notices