Yes, I did actually see them in South Africa. It's very sad that humans who MUST keep captive birdsthen release them into the wild.... I guarantee 95% are releases, NOT escapees. On the bright side,at least they won't kill other native avian species like domestic outdoor/feral cats. Ed SchneiderNashville From: luck@xxxxxxxxxxxxx To: tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: [TN-Bird] Fw: Birding Sighting Date: Thu, 18 Oct 2012 20:00:08 -0500 I'm sending this on for Don Davidson----some of you may have seen it in Africa Ruth Luckado ----- Original Message ----- From: DONALD L DAVIDSON To: Ruth Luckado Sent: Tuesday, October 16, 2012 6:12 PM Subject: Birding Sighting Ruth, Thought you might want to report this sighting on TN Bird. The bird was spotted recently (last week?) by friends of mine on the utilities lines in front of residence on Old Hickory lake near Cumberland River. The bird has been seen several times...twice feeding with some blackbirds. Three photos are attached. I passed this ID back to my friends: "Bird is pin-tailed Whydah, a native of Africa south of the Sahara. It is probably an escaped pet bird. They are seen occasionally in CA and FL. They sell for about $50 single male or $120 per mated pair in pet shops or via Internet in larger metropolitan areas. I don't know if any are sold in Tennessee." Regards, Don D. ----- Forwarded Message ----- To: Grace Davidson <gedavidson@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> Sent: Monday, October 15, 2012 5:26 PM Subject: for Don Can Don help us identify this bird??? Weirdest thing we've ever seen! No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 8.5.455 / Virus Database: 271.1.1/5332 - Release Date: 10/14/12 18:34:00