I really like Timor sparrows, much nicer than Java sparrows in my opinion. I missed them in 2009 when I was in Timor (I spent an entire day in 40 degree heat walking up and down paddy fields seeing every single finch on the island except Timor sparrows ), but I'm determined to find them this year dammit!
I greatly prefer them to Java Sparrows as well. The group at Chester is gaining in numbers rather nicely, which is good to see. Not a common zoo animal at all.
Maybe I'm missing the point here, but how is a Timor Sparrow better than a Java Sparrow? More unusual, but surely no more attractive. Think of the 'bloom' on a Java Sparrow; no bird scrubs up better.
I never said they were inherently 'better', just that I preferred them. Just a case of personal taste - personally I rather like the subtler colouration of the Timor.
Chester of course has a large number of Java Sparrows as well, in both the Tropical Realm and Islands in Danger - all from pure wild-type stock (i.e. no captive-bred mutations mixed in!).
Given the talk I thought I'd add that I usually value a species depending on its rarity in captivity (but not always, and generally in the UK). For example, I prefer Sumatran orangs over Borneans, Bonobos over chimps, black rhino over white (though in all of these cases, I would prefer the species anyway )
And while we're on aesthetics, I challenge anyone to produce anything more beautiful than the Lady Amherst's Pheasant featured in photo in the current 'comments'. One of the commoner aviary birds, and just look at it for grace of form and harmony of colour. Again, purely subjective stuff on my part... I remember someone saying they 'refused to be blinded to the beauty of a bird by its lack of rarity'.
See - I honestly don't find Lady Amherst's to be the most beautiful of pheasants - they're just a bit garish. I'm afraid I don't get 'harmony of colour' at all. Just goes to show how subjective it is!
I think generally the species favoured by aviculture (hence the commoner species in captivity - Java Sparrows, Zebra Finches, Golden-mantled Rosellas, Golden and Lady Amherst's Pheasant all spring to mind) are these flashy species that just don't really float my boat. My favourite among the small seedeaters (and it's also not an uncommon cage bird) is the Red-eared Waxbill, which I think is a lovely little bird.
