Little Nicolo

Breaking news! New fids have arrived!!

Welcome to the internet home of Nicolo, the Strawberry Finch. Strawberry Finches are native to Southeast Asia and parts of the Australesian Archipelago, including Sumatra and Java. At some point during the twentieth centure they began colonizing the Hawiian Islands, where they are popular with the tourists. They are active, sociable little birds, and do not hesitate to put on a show in the bushes outside restaurants, looking for all the world like little flitting strawberries.

He's quite an accomplished little bird, he has already set the record for the number of baths taken in the house in one 24-hour period. He also set the record for the fastest to adjust to his surroundings and start singing! He has a rather strange little song, sort of sad. When he concedes to actually sing it with the microphone in the vicinity, I'll post it!

His methods for instructing his pet human are very subtle. Currently he is indicating his approval or disapproval of his various photos by shaking his tail feathers.

Currently Nicolo doesn't look like the photos on this page. On this page he is wearing his nuptial or breeding plumage. When the breeding season is over, he molts into much less conspicuous feathers, called the "eclipse" plumage. (to those of you wanting pictures of Nicolo during the molt: No I will NOT put nudy pictures of my bird on my website!) Come a little later in the fall, he will put his nuptial plumage back on and once again look like a strawberry.

Enough talking. Let's start looking!

Here he is, having a nice little rouse. Note the foot - there's a scritch coming on ...

 

There's our scritch! I love his little feet. I also love his little tail. And his little beak. Does everyone see where I'm going with this?

I also love his little dots. And his beautiful tail coverts. Looks rather like he's on fire, doesn't he?

Full Frontal Nicolodity

YAWWWWWWWWN! The life of a well-photographed prima donna. Note the pattern of dots in the back of his soft pallette. The purpose of such dots is unclear, they may serve to help parent birds aim food, or determine which baby is the hungriest, or help distinguish brood parasites such as cuckoos from the parent species own youngsters. Or maybe they're just in vogue.

 

Care to download a peep? 200 kiloytes. Be warned, the quality is just AWFUL. The little twerp is afraid of the microphone, and he won't sing if it's too close. I will put a better quality file up when (if ever) the little guy concedes to provide a decent recording!

 

HOME | PORTFOLIO | JEWELS | PHOTOGRAPHY | CONTACT

 

theme chooser

Corporate Blue

Slightly silly

Stylish

 

© 2012 Lara Bainbridge - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED