What happens when zoo birds escape and nest in the wild? Some simply fit in without problems. For our cover bird, the ruddy duck, it’s been a different story since it was found that cross-breeding with a rare European species might have serious effects. Yet the ruddy is an absolute charmer, as our story makes clear. Apart from that, we’re long on information and short on controversy: we learn about changing from wooden to wire budgie cages, get the inside story from a top Bengalese stud, look back at the Stafford sale, and look forward to the breeding season in British finches. Plus: which bird most often gets mistaken for a tree stump? The answer is on page 16!

What happens when zoo birds escape and nest in the wild? Some simply fit in without problems. For our cover bird, the ruddy duck, it’s been a different story since it was found that cross-breeding with a rare European species might have serious effects. Yet the ruddy is an absolute charmer, as our story makes clear. Apart from that, we’re l....