This one is the house of my mourning doves. Sometimes, my finches steal grasses from their houses :)
Here is another view of my cage. Pardon, the cage of my birds :)
These are my mourning doves. They are so sweet. Their voice is a presence source for me. When the sun starts to show its smiley face, they start singing their exclusive songs.
This is my first finch, probably it's 5 years old. In these five years, he has changed 5 wifes. Yeah 5 wifes died. Now he is with 6. wife. Totally, his wifes gave more than 70 eggs but there is no baby yet.
The Cherry Finch is found in Eastern Australia. Also know as the Plum-headed Finch, they are very peaceful and can be kept with all types of other finches without fear of aggression. The cock has a claret chin spot (or bib) and a plum or cherry colored crown and the female lacks the chin spot and has a thin white line above and to the rear of the eye.
Cherry Finches should be offered a variety of seeds and green food. When breeding they should also get eggfood and livefood.
Both the male and female Gouldian finches are brightly colored, but the male tends to have the brightest colors.
Gouldians bond and mate for life, and the male courtship dance is a fascinating spectacle.
This bird is found in northern Australia, with scattered records from the Cape York Peninsula through north-west Queensland and the northern Northern Territory to the Kimberyley region of Western Australia
The finch was named for Elizabeth Gould, wife of the British ornithological artist John Gould; as Mr Gould was neither a lord nor a knight, Mrs Gould did not hold the title 'Lady', so the less common term 'Lady Gouldian finch' is a modern misnomer. Thus 'Gouldian finch' is the more usual name used internationally and the one used in its native country.Gouldian Finch "Recovery Outline" from the Australian Government Department of the Environment and Hertiage Website
Gouldian Finch Erythrura gouldiae: Fact Sheet from the Zoo Victoria Website
Gouldian Finch Fact Sheet by WWF Australia, the conservation organisation formerly known as World Wildlife Fund and World Wide Fund For Nature
Gouldian Finch Care Sheet from the Petco Website
Gouldian Finch Recovery Project hosted at the mygouldianaviary.tripod.com
Railway company destroys Gouldian Finch habitat from The Newsletter of the Environment Centre NT (August 2002)
A Golden Day for the Gouldian Finch commemorating large gift to support a ground-breaking program to save the endangered Gouldian Finch. Links to Australian Wildlife Conservancy (AWC). Also checkout their Newletter for Sept 2003.
Microsporidiosis in a Gouldian finch (Erythrura [Chloebia] gouldiae)
Gouldian Featured on the Threaten Species Poster for 2000
A better fare is a special packaged mixture for exotic or grass finches, of course, as it is supplied by pet food producers. It primarily consists of small-grained Senegal, Mohair and/or Manna millets and the larger-grained La Plata and silver or white millets plus Canary or White seed. You can buy these kinds of seeds individually in big food stores, but this doesn't really pay for just one pair of birds. The great favourite, however, is always spray millet, which comes in different lengths and colours. It is true that millet on the stalk is more expensive than loose grains, we shouldn't however grudge our Zebra Finches the occasional pleasure to pluck the fresh grains from the panicles.
Having a cage that is large enough for only two birds is fine if you do not plan to breed, but once you start breeding Zebra Finches, you soon will have not two, but three to six and eventually many more. Your breeding cage must be large enough to accommodate your breeders and their babies without crowding. Next, the pair will need a place to lay and incubate their eggs and hatch their babies. There are several types and sizes of Finch nests available. Many people use the bamboo woven nests. I use them because they are inexpensive and I can buy them at any pet store that sells birds. The bamboo nests come in two sizes, regular and large. Both work well but the larger ones are best for birds that tend to produce large clutches.
People do not always agree on what type of nesting material is best for birds. Zebra Finches are not particular--if they can lift it, they will use it in the building of their nest.
I like to give my Zebra Finches small strands of burlap and shredded Kleenex tissue to use for nesting material. It is important to make sure that what you give them is not so fine that they can get it tangled around their legs or around the chicks. Birds can die if they become badly entangled in the nesting material.
source: Myra Markley
Zebra Finches can live on finch seed mix alone but it is better to offer your Finches a more varied diet. I like to add millet, fresh fruits, sprouts, and egg to my birds' diet. Fruits like sliced apples, oranges, grapes, melon, and other colorful foods add important nutrients to the Finch diet. I often sprout my own millet also. This is easy enough, just soak it for a day then let it grow someplace with sunlight. I also chop hard-boiled eggs (shell and all) for my birds every few weeks. Fresh fruits, and egg spoil rather quickly in the open air so they should be removed after a few hours. While raising their young, Zebra Finches not only are feeding themselves but up to six other birds that require ever-increasing amounts of food as they grow. One must provide the working parents a good variety of extra food and make sure that they always have clean water. Vitamin supplements work very well along with a balanced diet to ensure the health of your birds and their offspring.
A few serious heath problems can be avoided by providing a good diet. Female Zebra Finches can become eggbound or calcium deficient if they do not get enough calcium-rich foods in their diet. Both health problems can be fatal if not treated right away. Consult your avian veterinarian for proper treatment protocol other ailments can be caused by insufficient protein, calcium, and/or vitamins and minerals.
There are Zebra Finch color mutations that have less-defined sex markings, so if you really can not see any distinguishing markings on your bird, look at the beak color. In all but one Zebra Finch color mutation, the beak colors will still be red or orange, depending on sex.
Zebra finches are a joy to watch as they prepare their nest and raise their young. The mating dance and song of the male is fun to watch and is a good indication that they are happy and ready to breed. The male ‘sings’ and bounces on the perch to attract the hen. He will soon try to jump on top of the hen. If she is willing, they will mate. This only takes a few seconds. He will try this repeatedly. There are many considerations when attempting to breed Zebra finches. Zebra finches breed freely in captivity, sometimes even under strange conditions, but we should try to provide them a healthy and happy environment.
Zebras mature quickly and can start to mate at 11-12 weeks. For healthier strong birds it is recommended that they be 6-9 months before allowing the to mate.
The placement of the cage or cages should be in an area that does not have a lot of people/pet traffic. The cages should not be moved once the nesting process has started.
The cage should be large enough to make the birds feel comfortable. Remember, larger is usually better. A cage about 16x16x20 would be fine. When the chicks fledge, there could be up to ten birds in the cage! If you use a nest box/basket that is inside or outside the cage makes a difference on the size of the cage. A nest inside the cage takes up room that could otherwise be occupied by a bird.
Place only one pair of birds in one cage. They will fight when more that one pair is in a cage. If you use a ‘flight cage’ then multiple pairs can be housed together. A breeding flight with many birds needs to be large. At least 3 feet wide, 4 feet high, and 6 feet long. The bigger it is the more birds it can support. Provide more nest boxes than there are pairs so they can have a choice.
Zebras prefer a nest that is enclosed with only a hole for an opening. Wicker baskets can be purchased at most pet stores. These work fine but are hard to clean between clutches. I use nest boxes which hang on the outside of the cages. The type you use will also depend on your budget and how many birds you have set up for breeding.
Place the nest high in the cage. Birds feel safer when higher. Sometimes the birds will not like the nest that you have given them. After they have had the nest for 2-3 months and still do not like it, replace it with a different kind. Sometimes this will be to their liking. Sometimes just moving the nest will help.
Nesting material should be clean and safe. A variety of materials can be used singly or together. Dried grass works well. Be sure that the grass has not be treated or fertilized. Pet stores sell little boxes of cotton that the birds like. Be careful of strings. Strings are dangerous. Birds love to play with them. There is a possibility that the string could get tangled around a birds leg or neck and get caught on the cage, thus injuring the bird. Simply be sure the strings are two inches of shorter. Shredded clean burlap works great for nesting material. I cut the burlap into two inch squares and shred it.
Diet is very important for your breeding birds. They need to be in good shape to do all the work of raising youngsters. The same good seed diet that you normally feed should continue. The hen has to develop the eggs so she must not be calcium deficient. Cuttle bone, crushed oyster shell, and mineralized grit all will help. Both mom and dad help feed the chicks. They eat and then regurgitate into the chicks mouths.
Light is a very import part of keeping birds. They need sun light! If there is not a window in your bird room you need to provide ‘full spectrum’ lighting, lots of it. In the breeding season they need light 14-16 hours a day.
When all is to their liking, they will start. The male will build the nest. He will pick up a piece of string or grass and hold it in his beak and show it to the hen. It looks like he is playing. He will weave the material in the nest box into a concave comfortable nest. He may also pick up feathers flying in the cage to line the nest to make it soft.
The hen will lay about one egg a day, for 3 to 8 eggs. They will start sitting on the eggs when she is done laying eggs. Both mom and dad help with the incubation but mom does most of it. The eggs should start hatching about 14 days after they start sitting. If after 20 days nothing hatches, remove the eggs for they apparently are not fertile. She will start laying again soon. You do not need to empty the nesting material, just the eggs.
When you remove the chicks the parents will start on their next clutch. In fact they may start even before you remove the chicks. If they continue this immediate succession, you will need to separate them to give them a break to build up their strength. I usually recommend only 3-4 clutches in a row. It depends on how many chicks in each clutch and how short of time they leave in between clutches.
If you have a nest of eggs that do not hatch, leave them in the nest for about 20 days after the last egg is laid. At this time you can safely assume that they are not going to hatch. Remove the eggs. If you wait too long she may lay many eggs in the nest. Sometimes she will continue until no more eggs fit.
If you have many pairs of birds you will need to band the chicks so that you can tell who is who. You can keep track of pairing unrelated birds when you have identification leg bands on the birds. You can use closed bands or split bands. Closed bands need to be put on the chicks at about 8 days of age. They are permanently on the bird. Split bands are plastic bands that are not a solid ring but have a split so they can be spread apart and put on any age of bird. Bands come in different colors and some have numbers.
Chicks do not hatch with the trademark orange beaks and legs. Most have black beaks and legs. Some of the lighter color varieties have beaks 'horn' colored or a color similar to our fingernails. These colors change to adult colors at about 5-6 weeks of age.
Chick Development Schedule
incubation is 14 days
8 days old put on closed band
21 days old they fledge (leave the nest)
4 weeks old they start to eat on their own
5-6 weeks old the adult colors will start to develop, along with the beak color changing to orange.
5-6 weeks old move the chicks to their own cage. They will disrupt the next clutch process and the parents may start to pluck their feathers.
Zebra finches live to be 4-8 years of age. I have heard of birds living to 10 and 12 years old, but I think this is rare.
Zebra finches are very active and enjoy flying around. Experts recommend that zebra finch owners provide their birds with the largest flying space affordable. A minimum flying space of no less than 20 inches is recommended. Cages, either metal or wooden, are the most frequent cost-effective choice for housing finches. Aviaires, generally indoors, are often refer to in literature discussing the housing of finches. These structures are much larger than cages ranging anywhere from 50 cubic feet to those large structures found in zoos. Because of the zebra finches miniature size, all bird cages are not appropriate. For exotic finches, the space between cage bars should never be greater than one-half inch. Brass cages (made of actual brass) are not recommended because of potential toxic qualities. Happy, unstressed finches have their cages or aviaries in quiet, low traffic areas of the house, office or classroom. swings are an excellent accessory for the finch cage
There are two distinct sub-species. Taeniopygia guttata guttata, the Timor Zebra Finch, extends from Lombok in the Lesser Sunda Islands or Nusa Tenggara in Indonesia to Sermata in addition to coastal areas around the continent of Australia. The other sub-species is Taeniopygia gutatta castanotis. This species is found over the wide range of continental Australia.
The morphological differences between the sub-species include differences in size. Taeniopygia guttata guttata is smaller than Taeniopygia guttata castanotis. In addition, the T.g. guttata males do not have the fine barring found on the throat and upper breast of T.g. castanotis as well as having small breast bands.
The Zebra Finch breeds after substantial rains in its native habitat, which can occur at any time of the year. Birds in captivity are ready to breed year-round. Wild birds are adaptable and varied in their nesting habits, with nests being found in cavities, scrub, low trees, bushes, on the ground, in termite hills, rabbit burrows, nests of other birds, and the in cracks, crevices, and ledges of human structures. Outside of the breeding time, brood nests are constructed for sleeping in.
"Zebra Finches are extremely gregarious birds that are never met singly in their native habitat but are always found in groups of several pairs. The closest bond is between the cock and the hen... these two do things separately only while the eggs and nestlings have to be kept warm. However, despite the close contact with their mates, adult females indulge in bodily contact only rarely. Males in full coloration never do" - Hans-Jürgen Martain, 'Zebra Finches'.
Zebra Finches are sometimes used as avian model organisms They are commonly used to study the auditory processing capabilities of the brain, due to their ability to recognize and process other Zebra Finches' songs. Their popularity as model organisms is also related to their prolific breeding, an adaptation to their usually dry environment. This ability also makes them popular as pet songbirds and they are usually found at relatively inexpensive prices.
