By Johan Norval
The market for exotic birds is rewarding, especially if the interest and prices at the Rosestad auction of the Bloemfontein Parrot Breeders Association are any indication.
A solid turnover was achieved at this auction, with 80% of the lots sold.
The larger curved-billed species achieved relatively high prices, such as a pair of white cockatoos (also known as umbrella cockatoos) from Jan Harm Venter of Bloemfontein, which was sold for R58 000 to Pierre Myburgh, also from Bloemfontein.
Venter’s Cuban Amazon female was sold for R28 000 to a telephone bidder.
Myburgh himself did well with a two-year-old pair of African Greys that sold for R30 000 to Hano Pienaar of Bloemfontein.
A female Lutino Alexandrine parakeet from Wynand du Plessis fetched R45 000. The buyer was AC Collett of Bainsvlei. Karl Markram of Vryburg’s female Yellow-collared Macaw parrot was sold for R17 000 to Sebastiaan Snyman, a telephone bidder.
Petrus Groenewald, an exporter from Kimberley, acquired several birds, including a Galah cockatoo pair with mutation genes for R38 000. The sellers were the 3M group of Vryburg, the Botha brothers and Karl Markram. Another Gala pair from 3M was sold for R22 000 to Guy van Zyl.
Ringneck colour mutations also did relatively well, such as a violet-coloured ringneck that sold for R25 000 to Shaun Barnes of Kimberley.
The disappointment of the day was for Trevor Scrooby, the seller of a male Alexandrine parakeet that is normally green but genetically suited to new colour combinations. The bidders were unable to meet the reserve price of R150 000 and the bird returned to Krugersdorp. Scrooby extensively marketed the bird, and had travelled from his job in the Congo to attend the auction.
Bids are well judged
Francois Earle, the chairman of the association, says tried and tested club auctions offer buyers the assurance that the bid has first been well judged. He says their members cover the full spectrum – from small-scale city breeders to even bona fide farmers for whom bird farming constitutes a large part of the farming income.
His advice to those entering the bird market is to join clubs. He says the current trend is towards the pet market, as opposed to the previous favourites of sun and ring-necked parakeets, which are less sought after abroad.
Other price indications from the auction are: Quacker parakeet colour mutations (R3 200 per pair), green-cheeked parakeet colour mutations (R900 per pair), blue-fronted Amazons (R14 999 per pair), female red-breasted parakeet (R2 000), Solomon Eclectus pair (R4 000), female Cloncurry parakeet (R1 000), Nanday parakeet pair (R2 000), female green-cheeked parakeet colour mutation (R4 500), Galah cockatoo pair (R14 500), Rosella colour mutation pair (R3 500), Moustache parakeet pair (R2 100), white-breasted Caique male (R9 000) and a pair (R23 000), Emma parakeet pair (R8 000) and an Alexandrine colour mutation male (R19 000). The price for ringneck parakeets ranged from R1 000 each to R15 000 for colour mutation pairs.
The turnover of the auction was R640 000 and 80% of the 114 lots were sold. The Bloemfontein Parrot Breeders Association hosted the auction on 12 April at Bobbiespark in Bloemfontein, with Hennie Goosen as auctioneer.
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