The breeding plumage of a male red avadavat is a deep scarlet, flecked with dots of white — the species is also known as the “strawberry finch.” To court a female, a male bows deeply and repeatedly, holding a blade of grass or feather in his beak.

The island canary — native to the Canary Islands, Madeira, and the Azores — is the wild ancestor of the domestic canary. It was bred to be garishly coloured, to have different haircuts and postures, and to imitate the songs of other birds or the sound of babbling water. Later, it was used to detect dangerous gases in coal mines.