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Pekin Robin |
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Bird Breeds:
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DESCRIPTION
6 inches (15cm). Greenish-grey head, neck, upperbody, wing coverts, small
flight feathers and uppertail coverts. Red flight feathers with black
and yellow bands, yellow throat blending to orange chest, black top of
tail, beige stripe by eye. Eyes brown, beak red with black, legs brownish.
Female's head is duller. Fledging young approximately one-third larger
than parents because they carry extra fat until become more active. Immatures
have pinkish-red bill and more grey and black in plumage, achieve colouring
by 70 or 80 days.
NATURAL DISTRIBUTION
The Pekin Robin is from south Himalayas across northern Indo-China and
China.
HABITAT
Heavily wooded areas, starting at 19,685 feet (6,000m) above sea level,
most abundant below 6,560 feet (2,000m), usually in groups, in pairs during
breeding period.
DIET
The Pekin Robin likes mealworm, ant pupae, millet, canary-grass seed,
maw seed, hemp, chopped boiled egg, berries, banana slices, chopped apple
or pear, soaked raisins, soaked stale bread and grit, lettuce, spinach,
chickweed.
SPECIAL NEEDS
Keeping more than one pair in cage or aviary leads to fighting. Feeding
mealworms during nesting and breeding may result in birds' throwing their
eggs or young out of the nest and starting again.
CAGE LIFE
Strong, lively, beautiful song accompanied in male by wing-flapping display.
Can be kept with seed-eaters, but may plunder nests. Male and female act
very 'lovingly' towards each other. When excited, male repeats 'tern
call almost constantly, and female has softer call. Cage 30 X 18 X
25 V? inches (75 X 45 X 65cm). Use canary 'baskets', placed in half-open
nest boxes, or build cup-shaped nest of straw, bark, moss, thin roots
and twigs. Nest box should be hung in secluded location. Need daily access
to bathing water warmed to room temperature. May remain outside in winter
if heat-able night shelter keeps them wind- and rain-free. Breed April
to June. Lay 3 to 5 pale green-white eggs with markings at blunt end,
incubation 13 to 14 days, fledging 11 to 13 days, fed by parents for some
time.
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