What's in the issue

Big, blue and on the front cover: the great blue turaco is hard to mistake, as it’s twice the size of any other turaco. This charismatic giant is a much-admired favourite in zoos and bird parks the world over, and ex-zookeeper Bill Naylor explains its charm – it reminds him of a monster cuckoo of the treetops! Smaller but just as charismatic, the budgerigar has figured in private birdrooms for more than a century now, and on the trail of its history we look back at the first ever Budgerigar Club Show, staged in 1926. We meet zebra finch stalwart Peter Cannan, renowned for his quality pieds and whites, and get an inside assessment of the positive changes within the Zebra Finch Society. We learn how to manage the moult in canaries and the humidity in their birdrooms. And we have supporting articles on hawfinches, doves, aviary enrichment – and social media.