Forbes Parrot Finch

FORBES PARROT FINCH
ERYTHRURA TRICOLOR

© H.J de Vos

ORIGIN OF THE NAME FORBES
Though most books are writing about "Erythrura tricolor" or, in English, "Tri-coloured Parrot Finch, "Blue-breasted Parrot Finch" or "Tanimbar Parrot Finch" the name "Forbes" is still most commonly used when people are talking about this bird. This last name is also used in all European countries. Even in the U.S. and Canada this name has found its way into the language.

Where does this strange "Forbes" name originate?
Normally you should think it's the name of a place, an island, or the name of the discoverer of the bird. None of these are correct. Vieillot discovered the bird in 1817.

In our research we discovered that in 1890 R. Bowdler Sharpe of the British Museum of Natural History decided a specimen of Erythrura tricolor was "significant different" from the other specimens. So he named the bird as a sub-species "Erythrura tricolor forbesi", after the well-known ornithologist Forbes. Forbes, as far as known, actually has nothing to do with this bird.

R. Bowdler Sharpe noted the following differences of an adult male:
Erythrura tricolor - above green, the head washed with blue, which also overspreads the neck and mantle.
Erythrura tricolor forbesi - similar to Erythrura tricolor, but with the hinder head entirely green like the back, without any wash of blue on the head, back and wings.

This classification into two sub-species has proved no longer tenable and has been abolished.
The name "Forbes" however continues to be used in ornithological and avicultural circles.

Maybe the short lenght of the name "Forbes" is the reason for this continuous use.

CLASSIFICATION
This bird is considered as a separate species. No subspecies are known.

NATIVE HABITAT
They live on the island Timor and some other little islands nearby, such as Tanimbar, Wetar, Babar Damar and Romang (Indonesia) where they can be observed on the borders of the eucalyptus forests and where the brushwood changes into grassland.

Very little is known of their behaviour. They are mostly seen in couples or in little family groups. Nests are build on the top of the trees and they mainly are looking for nurishment on the borders of the forests where they can find an abundance of grass seeds and can hide very quickly in case of danger.

DESCRIPTION
With his 10 cm length the forbes is one of the smallest parrot finches.
The front and sides of the head, the chest, chin and throat of the male are cobalt blue.
The middle of the head is blue with a green shine.
The back of the neck is blue-green and the back and upper feathers of the wings are green.
The upper tail coverts are red.
The abdomen is blue.
The feet are flesh-coloured and the beak is black.

The colours of the female are duller especially the blue of the chest.

AVICULTURAL NOTES
The first species arrived in Europe in 1981 and prices were very high.

They are satisfied with a cage of minimum 80/40/40 cm, a small flight cage or an aviary where they will start laying eggs very quickly.
The 3-6 eggs will hatch in 13 days and at the age of 17-19 days the yellow-beaked and very active babies will leave the nest.

Natural breeding is no exception, in a cage as well as in an aviary.

As some breeders have problems in the raising of this parrot finches in cages, rumors are heared that the Forbes is a problem bird. Experiences from different fanciers with Forbes are that they are very easy to get along with other birds, even during mating season.

Give them a good diet based on their natural habits, which means to always have seeds of grasses at their disposal. Give them also daily eggfood and soaked or germinated seed.

Don't forget their bath water, a little piece of spray millet and from time to time a piece of apple.
They are satisfied with half open nestboxes and for nesting material grass and cocofiber will be fine.
They also like greens and at the same time it's an ideal suppplement to get them in breeding condition.

MUTATIONS

Yellow upper tail coverts
For some years the yellow upper tail covert has been known as a mutation of the red upper tail covert.
There is no information about the fact that this bird also appears in nature.
The heredity is not autosomal recessive.

Greenpastel
The pastel bird appears in nature.

Such a mutation bird has been found in a shipment of natural colored birds. It isn't known if that mutation appears exceptional or more frequent.

In the next photo we see another pastel.
The heredity is not known yet.

Seagreen
There have also been seagreen birds.
In the pictures below the yellow upper tail coverts can be seen very well.
Heredity should be autosomal recessive.

Pied
In the picture below you can see a pied Forbes female.
The bird came out of two normal wild-coloured parents and just after the second moult the pied coloration appeared.
Youngsters of that female all have the normal colour except one male who has 1 or 2 yellow feathers.
The combination son x mother had no succes because the pied mother died before the first egg was laid.

Some other pied Forbes P.F.

Lutino
A lutino Forbes is known but so far no juveniles are born.

Black Eyed Yellow

ATTENTION
A lot of Forbes have been crossed with other parrot finches. So hybrids are offered for pure birds. These birds are useless, and even more, you may not bring them in for show.

They are a threat to the purity of all the different species.
Therefore, use only pure birds.