World Association of Zoos & Aquariums
Review in WAZA News
May 2010
Peter Karsten started his career in Canada in the Calgary Zoo in 1964 and he held the position of director till his retirement in 1994. Peter was also WAZA president in 1993 and founding president of CAZA.
This practical guide for breeders of pekin robins contains over 250 original illustrations [by] the author...who is not only a painter but also a sculptor of wildlife subjects...the book proves to be a fascinating and authentic reading as well as a really practical and useful book about 'ex situ' management; it has chapters covering biology, housing, general care, acquisition, breeding, hand-rearing, feeding and health care, as well as cultivation of live food.
The review in Avicultural Magazine...concludes '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.'
As it is indispensible for conservation work to know about captive breeding and care, the foreword by William Convey concludes quite wistfully...'If only such a book had been available for the Carolina parakeet and the passenger pigeon!'
-------------------
Australian Birdkeeper
Vol. 22, issue 9, June-July 2009
what's NEW a review by Dr. Stacey Gelis
Over the past 20 years there has been a huge increase in the number of books and articles written on avicultural topics. The amount of information contained in recent publications, however, appears to have declined...
However, occasionally a new book is published which is full of information and encourages us to think about how we keep all our birds. This book...by Peter Karsten is exactly such a book. Last year this book was released onto the Australian avicultural scene but largely slipped under the radar of most bird keepers. Perhaps it was the title that lead to the misconception that the subject range was too narrow for most aviculturists. After all, Pekin Robins are not common in this country and are kept by a dedicated few softbill and finch enthusiasts. This is a great pity, as once you start reading the chapters in this book, you quickly realize that the information contained therein is extremely helpful and applicable to covering a broad range of species and is not limited to Pekin Robins, as the title may suggest. I would go so far as to claim it is one of the best avicultural books that I have ever read. Read on and I will try to explain why.
The author...has combined his scientific zoological background with his wealth of avicultural experience, powers of observation and obvious passion to provide some valuable insights into what is required to look after Pekin Robins and other small softbills in this very practical and easy-to-read book.
Peter has ensured a well rounded book by including not just his own breeding successes but also his challenges and mistakes. His detailed knowledge provides the reader with a powerful resource which encompasses every aspect of looking after these birds. The depth of information enables a true understanding of small softbills. In fact, the same information can be applied to all the species we keep in aviculture.
The book contains chapters with in-depth explanations covering Housing, Acquisition, Quarantine, Breeding, Handrearing, Feeding, Food Cultivation and Health Care and includes information on other softbill species including mesias, minias, yuhinas, laughing thrushes, tits, bulbuls and white-eyes to flycatchers, robins, tanagars and honeycreepers.
Coloured photographs are grouped together towards the front of the book and beautifully painted coloured plates illustrate the birds in question, including subspecies. The rest of the book is adorned with clear black and white line drawings which illustrate the points described in the text. Don't let this put you off. I am one of these people sceptical of art being used to illustrate avicultural books, as art appreciation is so individually subjective. However, rest assured that in this book the illustrations are definitely an asset and are used to portray such varied topics as postural attitudes adopted during feeding, courtship, submission/aggression through to designs for hospital cages, traps and aviary layout - many of these aspects would be difficult to portray clearly through photographic images. The artist's true understanding of the subject matter is apparent in every drawing.
A bibliography, detailed index and glossary of terms are included at the back of the book providing a particularly useful reference for newcomers to the hobby.
Although this book is written from a North American perspective, it is every bit as relevant to aviculture here in Australia, or indeed anywhere in the world. If you have even a passing interest in softbill or finch aviculture, or are just tired of reading the same information in your old parrot books, I would strongly advise you to obtain a copy of this book. Do so and your enthusiasm for aviculture will be reinvigorated. I guarantee it!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--Softbills Magazine
--Article published Nov07
--Review by Editor Paul Dick
Designed as an instructional text to provide information and techniques for managing and breeding Pekin Robins and other small softbill birds ex situ, this volume is the most comprehensive and current handbook on its topic. It provides the reader with much more than simple procedures and lists. Topics covered include in-depth explanations on housing, acquisition, hand-rearing, feeding, food cultivation, health care and an extensive list of small softbill species. Aviculturists both novice and experienced, will find value in this exceptional work.
Author Peter Karsten has provided personal case histories of his experiences on breeding Pekin Robins, along with his own detailed drawings and photograph records to complement written descriptions. Peter's beautifully crafted watercolours make this book a work of art as well as an invaluable tool.
----------
-- January 29, 2008
-- Peter Karsten received a review from Dr. Wolfgang W. Gettman, director of the Aquazoo in Dusseldorf, Germany. Dr. Wolfgang W. Gettman is one of the leading zoo directors in Germany. The Aquazoo has a curator of birds as they are exhibiting aquatic birds, besides mammals insects and of course fish and marine life.
English translation(condensed):
Dear Colleague Karsten,
Last Tuesday, January the 22nd, 2008, I had the pleasure to receive your magnificent publication 'Pekin Robins and Small Softbills', and a few hours later I knew already that I was holding one of the most interesting and splendid bird books in my hands. Your fine water colors, the highly informative sketches and drawings as well as the instructive text prevents one from putting the book down, and one discovers something new every time. Whether it is Feeding, Housing, Breeding , Health-care for these birds - successful Breeding and Management without using the 'Karsten', as this handbook will soon be called, will be practically impossible in the future. I concur with the wise words in the foreword by William Convey : If only such a book had been available for the Carolina parakeet and the passenger pigeon!
I congratulate you sincerely to this publication and will present it in our next newsletter 'Aquarius'.
German translation:
Lieber Herr Kollege Karsten,
am letzten Dienstag, dem 22.1.2008, durfte ich mich über die Überreichung Ihres prächtigen Werkes Pekin Robins and Small Softbills durch Ihre Schwester und Ihren Schwager (siehe beigefügtes Foto) freuen und bereits einige Stunden später wusste ich, dass ich damit eines der interessantesten und schönsten Vogelbücher in der Hand halten konnte. Ihre herrlichen Aquarelle, die hoch informativen Skizzen und Zeichnungen sowie der äußerst aufschlussreiche Text läßt einem beim Schmökern gar nicht mehr inne halten und ständig entdeckt man Neues. Egal ob Fütterung, Unterbringung, Zucht oder Gesundheitsfürsorge dieser Vögel - erfolgreiches Breeding and Management wird künftig ohne den KARSTEN, wie das Handbuch wohl bald kurz heißen wird, nicht mehr möglich sein. Und ich schlisse mich den weisen Worten von William Conway im Vorwort an: If only such a book had been available for the Carolina parakeet and the passenger pigeon!
Ich gratuliere Ihnen herzlich zu diesem Werk und werde es in der nächsten Ausgabe unserer Hauszeitschrift Aquarius vorstellen.
--------------------------
--January 29, 2008
-- Peter Karsten received a review from Elfi Gleustees a professor of musik at the university and colleges in Calgary.
Hello Peter,
I finished reading your excellent book on the Pekin Robin and cannot congratulate you sufficiently. I was enormously impressed with the presentation, the passion behind the work, the dedication, the knowledge, the information, the style of writing, the language, the lovely drawings, the beautiful photographs, the detailed scientific observation and the impeccable wisdom. Bravissimo.
I will not hesitate in saying that I felt that your life must have been somewhat occupied by your venture. How you even found time to socialize astounds me. It is a complete occupation and one that, despite its enormous success, must have been very very demanding. You should be granted a Doctorate for your work.
--------------------------
--The Avicultural Magazine
--The Avicultural Society, Wadebridge, Cornwall, UK
--February 2008
--Review by Andrew Owen
Peter Karsten was born in Germany and, following the completion of his formal education in Germany and Sweden, emigrated to Canada in 1962. After a 30-year career with Calgary Zoo, for 20 years of which he held the positions of Zoo Director and Executive Director, he retired in 1994 and turned his attention to small softbills, keeping and breeding Pekin Robins Leiothrix lutea for the past 10 years. (An article by Peter Karsten on keeping and breeding the European Robin Erithacus rubecula will appear in a future issue of the Avicultural Magazine. 'Ed.) His professionalism and hands-on avicultural skills shine through in his delightful books, Pekin Robins and Small Softbills ' Management and Breeding.
There is a dearth of good quality, up-to-date books on bird husbandry, particularly relating to softbills, so this well thought out personal account of managing these charming birds will be welcomed by bird keepers. The 17 color plates, 60 high quality photographs and numerous line drawings by the author help make this book even more endearing.
It is clear that Peter Karsten has a real passion for these birds and he covers in fine detail every aspect of their husbandry. A really practical and useful book, it has chapters covering biology, housing, general care, acquisition, breeding, hand-rearing, feeding and health care, as well as cultivation live food.
Packed with information gathered through personal experience, Peter Karsten's book is a mine of information for beginners and experienced aviculturists alike. The section on the determination of sex is of particular interest. Although the Pekin Robin (or Red-billed Leiothrix) is frequently kept, it continues to surprise me how many aviculturists are unable to sex their birds accurately. This no longer needs to be the case, as the author resolves this tricky problem.
I am very impressed by his coverage of subjects such as aviary design, predator prevention, health care and cultivating live food, with his line drawings, used throughout the book, enhancing his coverage of each subject. Although the author lives in Canada, all of the techniques described are applicable here in the UK and probably elsewhere as well. The climate is similar to that of the UK and northern Europe and, although the predators may be different, the methods of keeping them out of our aviaries are much the same wherever we live.
There is a chapter on other softbill species, which gives brief descriptions and useful management tips. The Pekin Robin is the main focus of the book, but the author's practical ideas and common sense approach highly recommend Peter Karsten's book to serious aviculturists caring for just about any other species of aviary birds.
Pekin Robins and Small Softbills ' Management and Breeding (ISBN 978-0-88839-606-8) by Peter Karsten, hard cover, 252 pages, 17 colour plates, 60 color photographs and 257 line drawings, is published by Hancock House Publishers.
---------------------------------
--Talking Birds Newspaper
--March 2008
-- Review by Lloyd Marshall
HEAPS OF INFORMATION ON ROBINS AND SOFTBILLS
The keeping of softbills has become more popular as live food has become more readily available and Pekin Robins and Small Softbills by Peter Karsten is an ideal book for anyone with an interest in this group of birds.
Designed by its author to be an instructional text to provide information and techniques for managing and breeding Pekin robins and other small softbills, this 251-page book is the most comprehensive and current handbook on the subject.
Topics covered include in depth explanations of housing, acquisition, hand-rearing, feeding, food cultivation, health care and an extensive list of small softbill species.
The author provides personal case histories of his experiences in breeding Pekin robins, along with his own detailed drawings and photographic records to complement written descriptions.
His beautifully crafted watercolors make the book a work of art as well as an invaluable tool.
Approximately 100 topics are discussed and they are arranged by a decimal numbering index, where the numbers indicate cross-references of various topics in the text.
A zoo keeper and director for 30 years, this author started keeping Pekin robins when he retired and he has bred 85 chicks in seven breeding seasons from 16 starter birds and their offspring.
A section addresses the production of live food, including crickets, mealworms, fly cultures and earthworms, as well as collecting wild insects.
As well as Pekin robins, this book, which is published by Hancock House, www.hancockhouse.com, comprehensively covers 19 other softbill species.
Aviculturists, both novice and experienced, will find this exceptional volume a worthy addition to their collections of avian publications.
---------------------------
Book Review by Matthew Guest
Cage & Aviary Birds, June 4, 2009
PEERLESS ON PEKINS
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.
Matthew Guest is an experienced estrildid finch breeder and serves on the committee of the Waxbill Finch Society. |
