Emma Greig
"Oh look guys, Cordon Bleus! Aren't they beautiful," I said to my family."They're $100 for the pair," replied the bird breeder.
"Well, we'll see," I responded. My mind had already focused onto another of the exceptionally healthy looking birds. We had driven north, up into the thumb of Michigan, to get to this bird breeder's home. Once we saw how healthy the birds looked we decided we weren't going to leave without buying a pair (or two or three). It was just a matter of figuring out which species to purchase. Finally I decided: I would bring home the pair of blue-capped cordon bleus, Uraeginthus cyanocephalus. I had read about cordon bleus and I had seen the red-cheeked cordon bleu, Uraeginthus bengalus, at many bird shows in the past. I was aware of their special breeding requirements: space, privacy, warmth, humidity and live food. So I made a point of telling myself that the pair we just purchased might never even attempt to breed, let alone successfully raise a clutch.
Regardless, I was going to enjoy watching them fly and forage in the aviary, flashing their sapphire plumage all the while. At least, that was the plan.
Outside For the Summer, But Not Without Troubles
I released the pair into my 28 x 8 x 8 ft. outdoor aviary. The aviary was already home to a flock of zebra finches, Poephila guttata, a few Java rice finches, Padda oryzivora and several other species of birds. The aviary was large so conflicts over territory didn't worry me.
The pair of bleus immediately went into the dense foliage, and the male bleu sang. It was loud (for a finch), intricate and it made me think of Africa, the bleu's native continent. The next day I noticed that whenever the male cordon bleu approached the female, she would fly away. At first I though it coincidence, but after watching the same thing occur over and over again I realized the female wanted nothing to do with the male. Could this be an incompatible pair? These two bleus had been kept together in a small flight at their previous owner's home, so I thought that perhaps the female bleu was just tired of the male. The slightly disappointed feeling I had made me realize that I did have hopes of the bleus breeding. Of course, how many of us wouldn't? At this time I also noticed the female bleu was rather fluffed, and she seemed to sleep a lot. She was either ill or needed time to acclimate. I had read that female waxbills generally take longer to acclimate to new surrounding than males, so I left her alone, assuming this was the case.
The next day the female bleu looked stronger, and she occasionally let the male come near her. On this day I saw the male bleu dance. Although it was the typical waxbill dance, I was amazed as it was the first I had seen.
The male held a leaf in his mouth, sang, and bobbed up and down, throwing his head back. To this day I stop and watch when the male dances.
An Experiment
On the fourth day the female bleu looked significantly better, and I saw the pair preening each other. I then noticed the bleus flying up to the corners of the aviary, clinging to the wire and then giving soft little chirps. It looked almost as if they wanted to nest. I put a small covered wicker nest basket in the corner of the aviary that they were "visiting" most and stood back to watch. To my delight, the male bleu immediately went into the nest and then beckoned to the female with soft chirps. She accepted his invitation and went in the nest. Was I ever thrilled to see both the bleus in a nest together! The male bleu even defended the nest from other, curious, aviary occupants. Unfortunately, the bleus wouldn't have nearly enough time to raise a clutch before the Michigan winter set in, so I removed the nest later that day.
Once the bleus had overcome the initial acclimation, I began seeing them foraging on the ground for food. They didn't seem satisfied with the finch seed mixtures, soft food or vegetables. I gave them mealworms but even then they didn't appear entirely satisfied. I gave bunches of seeding grasses, from a field behind our house, and the bleus feasted. I now provide this food whenever it is available, because almost all of the birds, especially the waxbills, enjoy it so much.
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