Rare and Difficult Species Plus

This scheme was set up some thirteen years ago with the intention of maintaining strains of Australian grassfinches and parrot finches within our mandate, recognising that these birds unless bred would disappear from our aviaries, sadly it is happening at this very time.

We aim to maintain species in captivity, which will represent their wild counterparts as closely as possible.   We started with the intention of concentrating on species which were difficult to keep or breed by using the joint expertise and knowledge of those members who had experience of succeeding where many of us had failed.  However it was realised for the scheme to be successful it had to include all the birds in our mandate because ALL birds are in jeopardy.

 To be a member of the RADS Plus group could not be easier because it is open to any member of the AFS and to join all you need to do is to ring the co-ordinator (whose name can be found in the Society’s magazine, The Grassfinch.)

Today with our birds becoming scarcer due to a number of factors, but not all due to difficulties in breeding, some species in our mandate are becoming increasingly difficult to obtain and without urgent action they will be lost forever.  In many cases these were species, which were easy to breed, but due to this fact they became difficult to sell or pass on and hence became unpopular.  Others of course were difficult to breed and sadly not enough breeders became sufficiently proficient at breeding to establish good viable groups.

Details of the RADS scheme will appear at regular intervals in the AFS magazine to keep all members informed of our progress.

These are our current Co-ordinators:

Please use discretion when you choose to ring a co-ordinator, some are only available at weekends and most prefer an evening call early in the evening and NOT after nine oclock.