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The term softbill is non-scientific term that has been used in aviculture for numerous years to describe a diverse range of bird species based upon their dietary habits. It has no fixed taxonomic meaning and can be misleading, as many species that fall into the category do not have a soft bill at all. Softbills are also referred to as such in aviculture to differentiate them from another commonly-kept group of birds, the hookbills - i.e. the parrots.

The proper use of the term is in reference to the ‘soft food’ diets which typically fall into the following six categories:

Carnivorous – those who feed on small mammals, birds or other vertebrates (e.g. kingfishers, rollers)
Insectivorous – those who feed on insects and other invertebrates (e.g. bee-eaters, flycatchers)
Omnivorous – those who feed on both animal and plant material (e.g. Corvids, hornbills)
Frugivorous – those who feed on fruit (e.g. turacos, fruit doves)
Nectarivorous – those who feed on flower nectar (e.g. hummingbirds, sunbirds)
Folivorous – those who feed on leaves, petals and other plant material (turacos, mousebirds)

This sixth diet type is usually in association with one of the above, as very few birds are solely folivorous. Several species of Galliformes are folivores, however they are not considered to be softbills.

A more recent definition by Clive Roots is, “Cage and aviary birds with relatively soft bills, which feed upon insects* and soft plant material and whose young are helpless at birth”.

- including other larger animal prey

This latter definition does discriminate against a few species, however as can be seen, the definition is very subjective and can encompass numerous species not generally included in the group.

References

This article incorporates text taken with permission from Softbills.org
The New Softbill Handbook Werner & Steinigeweg
The Bird Keeper's Guide to Softbills David Alderton
Softbills: their care, breeding & conservation Martin Vince
Encyclopedia of Softbilled Birds Dr. Matthew Vriends
Softbilled Birds Clive Roots
The Encyclopedia of Aviculture

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+[[File:White-cheeked turaco - Menelikornis leucotis - captive.jpg|thumb|right|An example of a softbill]]
-'''Softbill''' is an artificial designation used in [[United States|U.S.]] [[aviculture]] for any species of bird that is not a [[parrot]]. The most commonly kept softbills are [[finch]]es, [[canary|canaries]], [[dove]]s, and [[pigeon]]s.
+The term '''softbill''' is non-scientific term that has been used in [[aviculture]] for numerous years to describe a diverse range of bird species based upon their dietary habits. It has no fixed taxonomic meaning and can be misleading, as many species that fall into the category do not have a soft bill at all. Softbills are also referred to as such in aviculture to differentiate them from another commonly-kept group of birds, the hookbills - i.e. the [[parrot]]s.
-Softbills generally eat seed, and are generally kept not so much for companionship as for show, for breeding as a hobby, or in the cases of finches and canaries, for their songs.
+The proper use of the term is in reference to the ‘soft food’ diets which typically fall into the following six categories:
-In [[United Kingdom|UK]] aviculture, ''softbill'' is restricted to birds that do not eat seed as the major part of their diet. The softbills in this sense mainly fall into 3 groups:
-*Insectivorous birds, such as [[flycatcher]]s, eat mostly insects.
-*Fruit-eating birds or frugivores, such as [[turaco]]s, eat mostly fruit.
-*Nectar feeders, such as [[hummingbird]]s and [[sunbird]]s, eat mostly nectar.
+*[[Carnivory|Carnivorous]] – those who feed on small mammals, birds or other vertebrates  (e.g. [[kingfisher]]s, [[Coraciidae|roller]]s)
-==Canaries==
+*[[Insectivory|Insectivorous]] – those who feed on insects and other invertebrates  (e.g. [[bee-eater]]s, [[flycatcher (disambiguation)|flycatcher]]s)<!-- this is an article about a very loose term, I believe flycatcher is being used similarly to denote any fly-catching bird; linking to the DAB seems appropriate here.. -->
-[[Canary|Canaries]] are large finches from the [[Canary Islands]].  A popular pet bird, they've been bred from the original greenish-brown birds into numerous breeds, for song, feather color, and feather appearance, the most familiar of which are the yellow breeds.
+*[[Omnivory|Omnivorous]] – those who feed on both animal and plant material  (e.g. [[Corvidae|Corvid]]s, [[hornbill]]s)
+*[[Frugivory|Frugivorous]] – those who feed on fruit  (e.g. [[turaco]]s, [[fruit dove]]s)
+*[[Nectarivore|Nectarivorous]] – those who feed on flower nectar  (e.g. [[hummingbird]]s, [[sunbird]]s)
+*[[Folivore|Folivorous]] – those who feed on leaves, petals and other plant material ([[turaco]]s, [[mousebird]]s)
+This sixth diet type is usually in association with one of the above, as very few birds are solely folivorous. Several species of [[Galliformes]] are folivores, however they are not considered to be softbills.
-==Finches==
-[[Finch|Finches]] are any of several small species of seed-eating bird kept in aviculture. In the United States, the finches commonly kept are [[Grass finch|grass finches]] such as the society finch and zebra finch, both of which have been bred to various color mutations, and the [[Waxbill|waxbills]].
+A more recent definition by [[Clive Roots]] is, “Cage and aviary birds with relatively soft bills, which feed upon insects* and soft plant material and whose young are helpless at birth”.
-In Europe, such large, common European finches as the [[Bullfinch]], [[Chaffinch]], and [[Hawfinch]] are kept as well.
+- including other larger animal prey
-==Pigeons==
-[[Pigeon|Pigeons]] have been bred for centuries, and indeed were even bred by [[Charles Darwin]] as part of his observations for his theory of evolution.  All of the various breeds of domestic pigeon are descended from the common [[rock dove]], actually a pigeon, now familiar in cities.  Some European breeders keep certain species of large ground pigeon as well.
+This latter definition does discriminate against a few species, however as can be seen, the definition is very subjective and can encompass numerous species not generally included in the group.
-==Doves==
-[[Dove|Doves]] are members of the same family as pigeons&mdash;in fact, there's little or no scientific basis for the use of "dove" for some species and "pigeon" for others.  Generally, though, doves are smaller than pigeons and do not have a homing instinct. It's easier to find more species of dove than pigeon on the market in most areas, but fewer varieties, due to lack of specialized breeds in doves.
+==References==
-[[category: Aviculture]]
+*This article incorporates text taken with permission from [http://www.softbills.org/ Softbills.org]
+*The New Softbill Handbook Werner & Steinigeweg
+*The Bird Keeper's Guide to Softbills David Alderton
+*Softbills: their care, breeding & conservation Martin Vince
+*''Encyclopedia of Softbilled Birds'' Dr. Matthew Vriends
+*''Softbilled Birds'' Clive Roots
+*''The Encyclopedia of Aviculture''
+[[Category:Aviculture]]
+[[Category:Bird common names]]