Zoothera doherti

Having kept birds for nearly 20 years or so and having kept everything from Bengalese to Kingfishers, I decided to settle down to a certain group of birds. I have tried the show scene and found it to be very much for the people with plenty of spare cash so I decided in the early part of 2003 to sell all my birds that I considered just for showing.

I started looking for foreign birds that were from Asia, so that they would breed in our spring and summer. This also meant that they would moult out in August to October.

I looked Cage and Aviary birds and saw various adverts for Asian birds. I went to Preston to a well known bird dealer and decided on a couple of pairs of Asian birds, these were Shamas and Magpie robins. I then looked up to his top cages, which were not very visible to the not too observant. In a big treble breeder was some Thrushes which were absolutely stunning, the Chestnut Backed Thrushes, I asked the dealer how much they were and he said they were not for sale. I told him to keep me in mind if they came up for sale in the future. I went home with my new birds the Shamas and Magpie Robins and was still yearning for the Thrushes I left behind. I decided to ring up the dealer and persuade him to sell them to me and I succeeded after a promise of any youngsters I bred (which I thought was only a slim chance). I went back a week later to purchase these beautiful Thrushes.

Having spoken to the dealer about whether they were a pair, he said he was convinced they were. Both birds had yellow split rings. The cock, he said had one on the right leg the hen on the left. Also he said the cock with the ring on the right leg had been singing for a couple of weeks which was early February.

I took them home and placed them in a flight inside my bird room. The flight measures 8ft long x 4 ft wide x 6ft high. My bird room has flights all the same size and has day light tubes, tubular heaters and also Ionisers. I decide to try breeding all my Softbills inside the bird room to control the lighting and heating all year round. I had my Thrushes on their own. In the next flight was the Magpie Robins. I have outside flights, but I thought the Thrushes looked more of a tropical ground Thrush than the Black Breasted or Grey Backed Thrush. At the beginning of March I put up a nesting platform, this was a 5” x 5” bracket type ledge with holes drilled on the overhang at the front, for conifer cuttings for cover. I also put up salad racks in various parts of the flight with coconut fibre and dried grass with animal hair and dog combings. Nothing happened for a few weeks, the cock was hiding on the platform well away from the hen. In late April, I decided to put up a large open fronted nest box in the flight. I then saw a lot more activity, the birds were more vocal and started to feed one another. To my surprise, the so called cock was the bird being fed by the other. So this bird that is doing the feeding must be the cock, the bird sang a lovely song but not very loud. It sang from its chest. The hen bird sang, but sang loudly and like a Thrush does with beak and tongue going ten to the dozen. I decided to try leaves and mud and fresh grass cuttings. It was now the beginning of May and according to the book of Thrushes they should start breeding from early May. The hen was being fed on a regular basis by the cock with Waxworms, I then put in the flight a large tub of compost with earthworms buried inside.

By the 17th May the hen started building a nest in the half open nest box, she used just coconut fibre and finished off with leaves, no mud was used at all. It was finished by the 23rd May. The hen sat from the 24th May for three days or so and then left the nest. I checked the nest and there were no eggs, apparently Thrushes warm and shape their nest for a few days before egg laying commences. On 27th May the hen was sat tight, the cock fed her on the nest, he also made low piping calls to her before entering the nest with food. When the hen came off to do her toilet duties, I noticed she was swollen around the vent, so she had started laying. She laid 3 eggs and sat for 14 days. By my dates the eggs hatched after 15 days and there were 2 chicks with a clear egg. I provided Waxworms, earthworms, crickets and also Buffalo Worms. All other foods were ignored apart from the softfood mix with dried insects inside.

At 5 days old both chicks were thrown out of the nest. The chicks were full and well fed, I could not understand why they had been ejected as the cock was still going to the nest with beakfulls of worms to an empty nest. I rang a friend who breeds Thrushes and he said it could be E-Coli. Anyway, 2 weeks later the hen was sat on the nest again. I checked the nest when she came off and another 3 eggs were present. After 15 days the eggs hatched. I just fed earthworms and Waxworms for the first 7 days then introduced crickets later. This was the key to success and the amount of Waxworms played a huge part. About 2000 Waxworms were taken and 2 Kilo’s of earthworms. After 14 days in the nest both chicks emerged, a smaller duller version of the parents. I continued with livefood for another 14 days and at 28 days I put rings on them. I put them in a 7ft breeder to moult out. The parents went back to nest twice more, the third round, thrown chicks out at 5 days old and again the 4th round, 1 clear and 1 chick, it survived for 6 days and died.

Then in late September they went to nest again, 3 eggs were laid and 2 chicks hatched. I supplied just earthworms and Waxworms again. At the time of writing 2 chicks fledged again and they are 22 days old. That’s 4 chicks to date. I am going to stop the parents now until next year. I have been in touch with Dave Coles and he says it is a first breeding of the Chestnut Backed Thrush in the UK. This Thrush is a lovely plumaged bird as can be seen by the photo. The young have similar markings but are duller and are more browner on the breast instead of white. Having bred 4 birds this year, I will be on the lookout for fresh blood to pair back to my youngsters.

Breeding Thrushes is very challenging and very rewarding if you have the luck on your side. My Thrushes were imports, they were in a shipment of birds from Timor-Flores and the surrounding islands.

In breeding my birds in the flights in my shed definitely worked for me. The heat was controlled also the light and when the hot sun baked the shed I could fit a wire door and fit in my fans. I know a lot of continental breeders use the indoor method with more success than uk breeders. I also this year (2003) bred 6 White Cheeked Bulbuls, 7 Chinese Green finches, 10 red Crested Cardinals and near misses with Japanese Robins, Shamas, Yellow Throated Buntings, Red Headed Tits and Chinese Zosterops. So I will keep this method next year (2004). All my breedings were witnessed by several Foreign Bird League members.