Black-throated Finches are a beautiful member of the Australian Grass Finch family, that from all accounts make wonderful aviary subjects. However, it seems that the Southern subspecies is just seen as unimportant/insignificant to our Federal Government and the Queensland Government, who have both placed Indian mining giant, Adani’s interests ahead of this threatened species.
It is so sad that this is the case for most of the animals in Australia
There’s a range of projects in the pipeline where aviculture is working to help the Southern Black-throated Finch. There’s also some high profile people keeping them and showing some interest in their plight. Certainly a species where aviculture can take a lead. The video shows some of mine in preparation for a photo shoot to help their wild cousins.
https://youtu.be/xuLAF8svrZ8
The even more southern form (Chocolate Parson) is the only example I know of in my lifetime of aviculturists still breeding an extinct natural form of any species (probably debatable but widely accepted that they are now extinct in the wild). Albiet they are now in very limited numbers but with encouraging results regularly achieved from the capable hands of those who are working on them. They were never recognised by taxonomists as a separate sub-species, but aviculturists certainly recognised and appreciated their difference and beauty. Many Parsons are passed of as chocolates but very few of those are the real deal.
Thanks for joining the forum, Graham! And for sharing your always interesting and educational info, much appreciated!
I'm somewhat sceptical regarding the geographical source of current avicultural stock of SOUTHERN Southern Black-throats we call Chocolate Parsons - I suspect they have been selected for chocolate colour more than them being naturally that way. But, I'd love to be proven wrong. I'm reliably informed there are very few museum specimens which makes it hard to prove anything via DNA or otherwise.
They certainly have been selectively enhanced by breeding from the darker birds to some extent but the nucleus of original stock did come from a long-held collection of authentic chocolates. It would be interesting to a DNA comparison of stock and if any museum specimens originate from the Northern Tablelands/New England region they would be the ones to compare. Original chocoaltes were also slightly larger and more dumpy type than the more northern forms of Black-throats