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Keeping red-capped robins in captivity
I have kept Red-capped Robins for about two years now. So far this season, I am having some success with them. This article is about this success.
Housing:
My Red-cappeds are housed in a 5m2 aviary, moderately planted with various Melaleuca, Callistemon, Eucalyptus and Native grasses. There are open areas on the floor covered with crushed red-granite, and the remaining areas are covered in washed river sand or Eucalyptus leaf mulch with various large rocks and logs also featured. There are also several ‘full-height’ perches (designed to look like trees) that run vertically from the ground to the ceiling of the aviary. These trees have several forks in them at varying heights - chosen for possible nesting sites for the Robins. The Robins share their home with a mixed collection of Native Finches. (9 pairs in total)
Feeding:
The Robins are fed a pretty basic diet. Part of their diet consists of Wombaroo ‘red’ Insectivore powder mixed in with finely mashed hard-boiled egg. The Insectivore mix has red carotenoid in it so that the cockbird retains his red colour (red coloured softbills are known to fade in captivity). The main part of their diet is livefood (this consists of Mealworms, Bush-fly maggots, vinegar flies and anything that gets caught in the moth-trap. (See latest ABK magazine)
Breeding:
The first season I had the Robins, they made no attempt to breed. Silvereyes (which were breeding well) were also in the aviary at the time, I felt that there was too much drain on the livefood for the Robins, so the Silvereyes were removed at the end of the season.
For nesting, cobwebs (twisted onto a forked stick) were place in the aviary. Several of these sticks were placed in the aviary in early September. On 27/10/02, a good proportion of the cobwebs had disappeared. A nest was soon discovered in a three-way fork in one of the fake Melaleuca trees. This nest site was fairly exposed in the middle of the aviary and only 1500mm from the ground. The branches at this fork are approx. 25mm in diameter. There is also one thinner branch coming up from this same fork, although this is only 10mm in diameter. The nest was made mostly of cobwebs, mixed with small pieces of fine grass, the odd piece of teased Hessian and quite a lot of black doggy fur. (Thanks Dash!)
Often at various stages during construction, the hen would arch her back and squat in the nest, stretching it out with her chest. The nest was completed by the 29/10/02.
The hen was only seen sitting in the nest on a few occasions. On the 04/11/02 the nest was partially ripped to pieces and sagging down. I can only guess that she felt the original site was either too exposed or she was being disturbed too much, as it was only two feet away from the feeding station. I moved this particular tree into the shelter of the aviary, away from where I go when feeding the birds.
On the 06/11/02 I saw the hen come to the old nest and take some of the material and disappeared into the large, live Melaleuca. She was re-building in the top of the growing trunk. This plant was many metres tall and was cut down to an 1800mm high stump when the aviary was built over the top of it. When the top of the plant fell, it split the top of the stump so there is a distinct "V" shape approximately 180mm deep. The hen built the new nest in this "V".
The new nest was completed by 09/11/02 and 2 eggs were found inside it on 11/11/02.
On the 24/11/02, one newly hatched chick was discovered. The other egg didn't hatch. Only the hen fed the chick for the first few days, which was fed on the nest by the cockbird. Only Green Lace-wings, Maggots and Vinegar Flies were fed for the first five or six days. At a week old the chick was growing rapidly and was still being tightly brooded by the hen.
08/12/02 saw the chick sitting on the side of the nest and the following day it fledged (15 days from hatching.
The same day the chick fledged, the cockbird was seen sitting in the original nesting fork (now in its new position) crouched down, with his wings quivering and was chirruping loudly. The following morning, the henbird had already completed her platform in this fork before I had got out to feed them! This nest took 5 days to complete.
17/12/02 the hen was sitting in the nest late in the evening and the next day (18/12/02) was found on one egg. Two eggs were laid in total.
The first egg from nest #2 hatched on 01/01/03 and the second egg hatched the following day. I eagerly wait to see if both chicks will be raised and to see what will happen with the young from the first nest.
