Earlier this year I was contacted by the editor of Australian Aviary Life to supply images of wild Green-winged Pytilias for a feature article on Melba Finches.

My first recollection of these birds was seeing them as a youngster in my uncle George’s aviary in Port Elizabeth amongst some birds he had captured near Barberton. Since then I have had a soft spot for them when I encounter them in the bush in Southern Africa so have a reasonable collection of images.  I put together a representative collection of males and females as a submission and was pleased to have images purchased for the cover and centerfold as well as to illustrate the article.