Dark corridor using the so-called "Antwerp cage system", in which no glass or wire separates the birds - several species of estrildids are kept here - and the visitors, the darkness is all that keeps the birds in their living space. The ‘Antwerp cage system’ does seem to keep the birds from flying , into the dark visitor area and escaping, but the birds d veryo regularly fly briefly between the alcoves through the diffusely and slightly lit zone directly alongside the alcoves and thus the species can also intermingle. Maybe the mixing and moving is part of the reason why the species were not labeled anymore during my two most recent visits. According to my sources the following species are currently kept, or at least were still kept and/or labeled recently:
- Heck’s long-tailed grass finch (Poephila acuticauda hecki) [Only species I saw for sure.]
- Cut-throat finch (Amadina fasciata)
- Red-throated parrot finch (Erythrura psittacea)
- Star finch (Neochmia ruficauda)
- Red-browed finch (Neochmia temporalis)
- Double-barred finch (Taeniopygia bichenovii)
- Scaly-breasted munia (Lonchura punctulata)
The dark corridor is a historical relic and is the part of the Bird House that has changed the least during the most recent renovation. The alcoves were given wilderness-printed backgrounds instead of the old brightly painted walls and some plants, but that's really about it. A bit of relic and also my least favorite, and possibly the weakest, part of the Bird House. Sure it has some historic value but not really a modern or attractive way of animal housing.
