What's in the issue

On the cover, the superb black-naped oriole – the most familiar in aviculture of this classic bird family. Orioles are brightly plumaged but usually shy and elusive in behaviour, giving away their presence usually through their unmistakable fluting songs. Focusing on the black-naped, we investigate the whole of this fascinating family. Staying with warm-climate species, we learn how to adopt a flexible approach while our parrots are in full nesting swing, and take our monthly review of the latest news from softbill breeders. On the budgie front we hear about the science that may suggest that fitness and vitality may be partly inherited, which would be a huge advance in knowledge. We also learn about the science of bird mimicry and receive some practical advice on when to call time on our birds’ breeding season.