Agapornis fischeri dutch vs belgium

Agapornis fischeri Dutch vs Belgium—This is Sam GiGibbs'riting. Even though it's been a long time, I need to publish it here, considering it is very important and still related to the concerns of this blog.

For those who don't know, Sam Gibbs is a senior lovebird breeder who concentrates on Agapornis fischeri. Sam Gibbs is also a registered judge with the BVA.

Let's set the record straight here regarding the comparisons between the standard green fischeri from the Netherlands and Belgium. I can't post it anywhere else because people find it easier to remove me as a friend to avoid any form of discussion or debate. It's sad, but it speaks volumes at the same time. You may have seen public posts recently comparing the standard green fischeri from the Netherlands and Belgium.

In these posts, you will see comments suggesting the NBvV (Dutch National Society) promotes hybrids and the general vibe, given that all Dutch breeders and Judges have the same brush. This is wrong, full stop. The fact that the posts are even endorsed by renowned international judges is severely disappointing.

I saw some VERY good green fischeri at Dutch shows through 2019. When I posted this as a response, some of my so-called "friends" "removed me without a word.

If a friendship wasn't even worth a brief discussion, I wasn't losing out on much anyway. Boohoo. Cancel culture is rife in 2020, even in the bird world, but I'm not one to jump on the bandwagon, and I'm also not bothered about speaking out when I disagree with something.

YES. YES. YES. In the past, the Dutch shows were often won with birds with intense red masks, and the back of the head/neck was almost black. Judges preferred these birds, and breeders were obviously selecting for them. I was TOTALLY against them, and I still would be. They were HORRIBLE! However, that is no longer the case, and things have improved.

The standards the NBvV uses are almost identical now to those of the BVA, which, as a BVA judge, I naturally follow. The Dutch show I visited in 2019 offered some superb green fischeri, with outstanding colors and birds that I am sure will place very well in any Belgium show, including the BVA Masters. I was pleased to see what was in my eyes to progress in the right direction.

Yep, there were also some bad birds, with too much red and too dark. They are everywhere, though, in every country and every show.

Let'scomparethe standards:

The standards used in the Netherlands and by the NBvV say:

The mask should be a deep orange-red and tightly drawn. * A lighter edge at the bottom of the mask is a common fault and should be penalized under the drawing section. * The cheeks must not show a dark touch.

The transitional zone's color on the neck, skull, and back of the head is described as deep bronze-green. This is visually dark yellow psittacine in the neck with a dark haze, certainly not black on a red background. The psittacine dominates here.

The standards used in Belgium and by the BVA say:

The mask zones with orange-red psittacine should be as equal to luminous orange as possible (RAL 2005). It is not wrong for birds with a minimal yellow haze in the transitional zone between the mask color and green body, but the preference still goes towards an even luminous orange. * The luminous orange brow is usually colored a little more intensively.

The back of the head is described as bronze-green. That is visually dark yellow psittacine with a dark haze, certainly not black on a red background. The present yellow psittacine dominates here. The color of the bronze-green rear of the head becomes slightly lighter towards the neck.

So, they are very similar in the mask, head, and neck coloration. The NL standards ask for a deep orange-red, pointing to a RAL 2001-2002 color. The standards used in BE ask for a luminous orange, or RAL 2005. RAL 2001, 2002, and 2005 are very closely related, and there really is little difference, if not a bit of vibrancy here and there.

The official RAL charts also list them as closely related colors. The descriptions for the color of the back of the head and neck are identical (except for the words ""ep"" and" They are quite literally, word-for-word, identical.

This is why many Dutch show birds (green fischeri) I witnessed throughout 2019 looked so good: Most breeders now follow an almost identical standard.

By their standards, the photo used by the NBvV could be a better choice. The picture is oversaturated (making the colors way more intense and bolder) and overexposed (making the colors brighter and flatter) … Anyone with even basic knowledge of photography and design would know this.

Compression and whatnot can do this, though; it's unlikely that the original image looked very different. However, even once color-corrected, the bird in the photo is no different from the format they ask for in their standards. That's a bad move. It'd be better to remove it.

Previous comparison posts have also shown the birds with intense red faces and black markings on the faces. These were taken a while ago by a Dutch judge I have never spoken to before and know absolutely nothing about.

Even though these are also oversaturated, bad photos … you can tell they are definitely not good birds. I am, and always have been, AGAINST breeding or exhibiting such birds.

So, I have just proven that the standards are almost identical, and the birds have recently improved tenfold. Why are these old photos still dug up and used? I don't know. There is obviously a reason for this, and beyond a simple" preference in standards'" I don't even care. What I do know and care about is the harm it is creating.

Such posts are creating a divide between Dutch and Belgian breeders. I doubt this would be the intention because the author is genuinely passionate about this hobby, but that is exactly what is happening. I guess it doesn't help that influential figures always jump on the bandwagon and add fuel to the fire.
 Provoke and emphasize it.
Breeders may feel like they need to """ ck a team""" n, and that is not right! We are a small hobby, and our numbers are probably declining as we face INCREASED pressure from the aaanti, who are willing to ban the breeding and keeping of all animals. We should be united as a hobby because we will only be stronger.

If clubs/societies can't be over past politics or agreements, then whatever. Shit happens. Go your separate ways. It should be hobbyists. If one dddoesn'tagreewith different standards – whatever. Move on with your life and focus on your own birds and the standards you agree with. Respectfully, agree to disagree.

All this nonsense has already cost me a couple of friends, which is ridiculous. Hey, I can live with that; it is iiit's2020iiit'snotcool to disagree with someone anymore. I certainly do not agree with things that happened in the past, but I also do not agree with the small number of Dutch judges and breeders I personally know who feel discredited by the generalizations in these posts—that is why I am speaking out about it.

There is racial, political, and religious divide all over the world at the moment – for crying out loud, lllet'skeepthat shit out of birdkeeping. You may have noticed my lack of activity recently, and that is partially because I have been on the verge of quitting everything because of all the crap that goes on in this hobby.

But I can't bring myself to do that. I love the hobby too much. Maybe it is best for me to step away from everything and go back to just me and my own birds. Anyway, I'm secretly hoping that this may enlighten a few of you out there and create a brighter, friendlier future full of beautiful Agapornis. Much love to you all.

Sam.