PEERLESS ON PEKINS - Book Review

Pekin Robins and Small Softbills: Management and Breeding

Book Review by Matthew Guest
Cage & Aviary Birds, June 4, 2009

Matthew Guest is an experienced estrildid finch breeder and serves on the committee of the Waxbill Finch Society.

Without any doubt, Peter Karsten's 'Pekin Robins and Small Softbills: Management and Breeding' is the most useful, up-to-date and comprehensive book on small soft-billed species ever published.

It deals with every possible aspect of keeping and breeding Pekin robins and other small softbills. And it has been written in such a fashion that not only can expert breeders glean useful information, but complete novices can understand and follow its advice. In fact, this book is written with such precision that it would enable someone who has never kept birds before to breed the Pekin successfully.

It is beautifully illustrated with the author's own drawings and photographs. On the front and back pages are illustrations of Pekin robins at different stages of their life, from eggs into adulthood.

Peter Karsten treats 11 separate aspects of the Pekin robin and its management. Each has been written with great knowledge in excellent detail. Wherever Karsten deals with anything technical, he goes on to explain the terminology so that it is understandable for all. Every possible aspect you could imagine has been included here.

One of the many things that puts this book leagues ahead of most other literature available on the topic is the emphasis that the author places on conservation breeding and traceability of stock. These two points are of crucial importance for the survival of certain subjects, not just in aviculture, but also in the wild. Such topics are not only relevant to Pekin robins, but to many other species.

What will amaze the reader is how much advice and information is given on both general and less-covered aspects of birdkeeping. There are, for example, 22 pages dedicated to the cultivation of livefood. Most available literature overlooks such important subjects.

Karsten's book incorporates not only detailed research and information from zoos and breeders across the world, but also his personal experiences. He has kept and bred a great number of Pekin robins over the years in his beautiful, thoughtfully landscaped aviaries. Everybody who has read this book will no doubt agree that this is probably the best, most useful and informative piece of literature available on such birds.

The final chapter focuses on other species of small softbill. A page of useful information is dedicated to each species, then there's a page occupied by one of Karsten's many beautiful illustrations. As elsewhere, he shares first-hand experiences rather than just older literature, as some books do.

All in all, this gets a 10 out of 10 rating. It is interesting, informative and a pleasure to read. And it will leave its readers with a plethora of ideas on how to improve their set-up and breeding success.