Amandava subflava

The Golden-breasted Waxbills (Amandava subflava) are also known as Zebra Waxbill or Orange-breasted Waxbills. These sparrow-like finches are native to sub-Saharan Africa - where they inhabit the grassland and savannas south of the Sahara. They have been introduced into Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.

This finch is widespread and common throughout its large range and is, therefore, evaluated as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. It is listed on Appendix III of CITES in Ghana.

Description:

They average 3.5 to 4 inches or 8.75 to 10 cm in length.

The irises are reddish. The plumage is dark olive-green. Their breast is a bright orange and the bill is red.

The male has a red rump, dark bars on the whitish flank and a scarlet eyebrow stripe. The male is bright orange from the top of his breast to his underside.

Hens are similar in appearance, except their plumage is duller than the males' and they are smaller. They also lack the red eyebrows of the males.

Breeding:

The Gold-breasted Waxbills are amongst the easiest species of waxbill to breed. They do well in mixed communal aviaries. During the winter months, a heated shelter needs to be provided for these finches.

In their natural habitat, they usually nest in oval-shaped nests made from grass. In captivity they readily accept small wicker baskets strategically placed throughout the aviary. The average clutch consists of 4 to 6 eggs that are incubated for about 11 days. The young fledge when they are about 21 days old.

Diet / Feeding

Its diet consists mainly of seeds, insects and shoots. In captivity, they should be fed a good quality dry finch mix, in addition to green foods and vegetables, such as broccoli florets and grated broccoli stems, dandelion leaves, cress. etc. They also require soaked or sprouted seed, small mealworms and fruit flies - especially during breeding season.

Carduelis carduelis

The Goldfinch can be found across Europe and most of Asia in open, partially wooded lowlands. It is resident in the milder west of its range, but migrates from colder regions. It will also make local movements, even in the west, to escape bad weather.

This bird is a rare vagrant to eastern North America. In 2005, one was spotted and photographed on a bird feeder in Michigan.

The Goldfinch is 12-13.5 cm (4-5 inches) long and weighs 16 to 22 grams.

Sexes are alike, with a red face, black and white head, warm brown upperparts, white underparts with buff flanks and breast patches, and black and yellow wings. The ivory-colored bill is long and pointed, and the tail is forked.

Juveniles have a plain head and a greyer back but are unmistakable due to the yellow wing stripe.

The European Goldfinch comes in a variety of mutations including: Tawny, Agate, Isabella, Pastel, Satinè, Yellow, Opal and Albino. The sub-species include: American Goldfinch (Carduelis Tristis) and the Himalayan Goldfinch (Carduelis Caniceps).

The Himalayan resembles the European Goldfinch except that it has an absence of black markings and tawny plumage is replaced with grey. Goldfinches have been cross breed with Canaries, Siskins and Linnets.

A good Goldfinch diet must include a mixture of millets, cereal seeds, canary grass seeds, green food and live food. Sprouting seed is the simplest way to provide your birds with fresh greens and make a great weaning food. These birds are especially fond of Safflower, and Thistle.

Sprouted or germinated seeds are usually more easily accepted by "seed addicts" than fresh fruits and vegetables.

• Sprouted seeds are healthier as the sprouting changes and enhances the nutritional quality and value of seeds and grains. Sprouted seeds are lower in fat, as the process of sprouting utilizes the fat in the seed to start the growing process - thus reducing the fat stored in the seeds.

• Sprouted seeds will help balance your bird’s diet by adding a nutritious supply of high in vegetable proteins, vitamins, minerals, enzymes, and chlorophyll.

• Soaked and germinated "oil" seeds, like niger and rape seeds, are rich in protein and carbohydrates; while "starch" seeds, such as canary and millets, are rich in carbohydrates, but lower in protein.

• It is an invaluable food at all times; however, it is especially important for breeding or molting birds. Sprouted seeds also serve as a great rearing and weaning food as the softened shell is easier to break by chicks and gets them used to the texture of seeds.

They will require more green food when breeding. While they are not as insectivorous as some birds they do enjoy live food. Ant eggs, small mealworms, waxworms and fruit fly larva can be mixed in with soft food and offered daily.

Fresh water, cuttlebone and grit should also be supplied at all times. Lettuce, Spinach, Chickweed, spray millet, Eggfood, Brocolli tops and Carrot tops can also be offered on a regular basis.

Many European Goldfinches are housed in individual breeding cages much like Canaries. However, they will thrive in a large planted aviary with plenty of room to fly and sing. These birds are quite the acrobat and can be seen hanging upside down on perches and twirling off one perch to another.

Carduelis spinus

The siskin is a lively little bird with a forked tail. It is a colourful member of the finch family with a distinctive yellow stripe on its black wings. With a liking for conifer, alder and birch seeds, siskins will also visit gardens to take advantage of any nuts left in bird feeders. They are quite acrobatic using their feet to bring hanging food into reach.

Siskins are common throughout most of Europe and Asia, with the UK enjoying a healthy population that is most numerous in Scotland and Wales. Those in England are joined in winter by a influx from Europe. Listen out for the song, a pleasant mix of twitters and trills, often performed in groups.

Lonchura cantons

The Silverbill is an easy to keep finch as its a hardy and lively bird. They are named after the colour of their beaks. There are three kind of Silverbills, African, Indian and pearl-headed. African silverbills and Indian silverbills, both have a sandy-brown plummage, are very closely related species. The most significant difference between the two birds is their rump color: the African silverbill has black rumps while the Indian have white rumps. The Pearl-headed silverbills are a little more demanding to keep and breed, and they are visually different from the other two. They have attractive gray heads speckled with white on the face and throat, and are pinkish-brown i the underparts.Silverbills, like many other mannikins, are difficult to sex visually; consequently, the most reliable method of sexing silverbills is listening for the song of the male. Males sing, and females do not. To ensure male/female pairs, acquire a group of birds, and allow them to select the their own mates.All the silverbills have fairly similar eating habits. For the seed portion of their diet, provide a finch seed mixture that contains millet seeds plus a variety of other seeds. Supplement the dry seed mixture with servings of soaked seeds, ripening heads of seedling grasses (such as crabgrass) and soaked (as well as dry) millet sprays -- all favorite items with my silverbills.Provide your birds a roomy flight or cage. Cages should be at least 30 inches long. It is recommended to Include plant cover, because silverbills are sometimes a little nervous, like the security of being able to seek protection under cover. Silverbills also enjoy the security of roosting nests, where these social birds often roost together in groups.All three silverbills are peaceful birds that are ideal companions in mixed flights, where silverbills (parents and young) can also be kept together after the breeding season has ended. When keeping silverbills in mixed flights, take care not to combine different silverbill species, avoid mixing silverbills (especially African silverbills) with other mannikins, or unwanted hybrids might result.

Taeniopygia guttata castanotis

Zebra finches are fun and have in your home.  They are a pleasure to view and their soft chirping is soothing.  Whether you want only one pair to keep you company or you want to be a breeder with many birds, Zebras are a joy.

Zebra Finches originate from . Zebras live in open grasslands with some bushes and trees.  They live in dry areas over most of Australia.  They live in groups and eat mostly grass seeds.  They build their nests in bushes out of grass, straw, feathers and anything else they can find.  They lay 3-6 eggs and both parents participate in raising the young.  The currently accepted taxonomic nomenclature for the Zebra is "Taeniopygia guttata castanotis".

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.

Males: The normal male bird has a gray upper body and wings.  The belly is white.  The beak and legs are a red-orange color.  On each side of the head is a cheek patch.  There is a 'tear drop' mark under the eye.  This is a brown/tan/fawn color commonly called orange.  The flanks/sides of the bird just below the wings, is a chestnut (orange) colored area with white dots.  The chest is black and white stripped like a zebra, hence the name zebra finch.  A truly beautiful bird!

Females: The female also has a gray upper body and wings with a white belly.  The beak and legs are the same red-orange color but not as deep color, lighter.  She has a black 'tear drop' mark under the eye.  The most noticable differences between males and females are the cheek patches and the chest striping.

Erythrura gouldiae

Gouldian Finches are Australia's most spectacularly coloured grassfinches, and are perhaps the most spectacularly coloured of all Australian birds. They are small birds, with a bright green back, yellow belly and a purple breast. The facial colour is usually black, and is found in about 75% of the birds. Red-faced forms make up about 25% of the population, and rare, yellow-faced birds occur from time to time. The yellow colour results from a lack of red pigment in the red-faced birds. The males are brighter in plumage than the females. Young Gouldian Finches are dull ashy grey on the head and hind neck, becoming olive on the back and tail. The underparts are brown white, paler on chin, and have a faint yellow tinge on the belly. The upper bill is blackish and the lower bill is pinkish white. The end of the beak is tipped with red and there are pale nodules on the gape.

The Gouldian Finch is patchily distributed in tropical northern sub-coastal areas from Derby, Western Australia, to the Gulf of Carpentaria and thinly to central Cape York Peninsula, but is locally common in the north and north-western parts of its range.As with most other grassfinch species, the Gouldian Finch is seldom found far from water, and needs to drink several times during the

. Throughout its range the species inhabits the edges of mangroves and thickets, and savannas dotted with trees.Outside the breeding season the Gouldian Finch is partly migratory. Birds move in quite large flocks to more coastal areas and return back inland to breed when the rainy season arrives.

For most of the year Gouldian Finches feed mostly on ripe or half-ripe grass seeds. During the breeding season, however, the

consists almost entirely of insects. Insects are rich in protein and help satisfy the demanding appetite of the young birds. Birds feed in small to large groups, and food may be taken on the ground or in .The Gouldian Finch breeds in small social colonies, with breeding normally taking place from. It is the only grassfinch that nests exclusively in tree hollows or holes in termite mounds. Several pairs may share a single hollow. (Rarely, birds will construct a dry grass nest in a bush or tree). Two or three broods may be reared in a season, with both parents sharing incubating and brooding duties.

Lonchura domestica

The Society Finches' willingnest ot breed in the smallest of cages is only rivaled by the Zebra Finch. Society Finches are so thoroughly domesticated that they thrive in very confinded spaces and it appears quite happy and willing to breed in the tiniest of cages. Perhaps due to its so complete domestication, the Society Finch will readily hybridize with a wide variety of other Lonchura species. Such hybrids with species such as the Spice Finches, including various Nuns are not at all uncommon in aviculture. Furthermore many of these hybrids are often fertile and capable of reproducing among themselves or with either parent. This fact along warrants concern among fanciers who my intentionally keep Society Finches with other manakins in a community aviary. No one should ever attempt to hybridize any two species of finch. Even a man made species like the Society Finch deserves to have untainted genes! Even though there is no need for an online degree to breed this species, you should have a well educated background on the species to do so.The Society finches has even frequently hybridized with the Zebra Finch, fortunately these hybrids are always sterile due to the distant kinship of the parental species.

Neochmia ruficauda ruficauda

Common in Australian aviaries, although a large number of 'normal Red-faced' aviary birds are now carrying the fawn and cinnamon gene in them.Although they are a common bird in our aviaries the Star Finch is now becoming critically endangered in the wild.I class the birds we have in our aviaries to be a hybrid mix of the 3 species and I call them the common Star as I have no other name to call them!The southern species of the Star Finch (Neochmia ruficauda ruficauda) has disappeared completely from most of its known range of southern Queensland and northeast and western New South Wales due to trapping for the avicultural trade, habitat destruction, overgrazing and drought. It is officially listed as critically endangered. It could also be extinct in the wild.The northern species of the Star Finch (Neochmia ruficauda clarescens). . This species of the Star is also in decline as it is officially listed as endangered.The third species of the Star Finch is more widely known as the Kimberly star (Neochmia ruficauda subclarescens) this species is yet to be officially recognized as a separate species, by genetic studies, from the N. r. clarescens (Schodde and Mason 1999).In the past the Star was trapped widely for the avicultural trade but that has longed ceased and now the demise of the star is mainly due to habitat destruction, overgrazing, feeding grounds being overgrown by woody weeds particularly Broad-leaved Tea-tree (Melaleuca viridiflora) at a rate of 1% per year. It is thought that the invasion is a result of altered fire regimes and grazing by cattle (Nelder et al.,1997, Crowley and Garnett,1998).It is my belief that the Stars that are seen in Australian aviaries at present are a hybrid of all of the 3 species of the Star Finch. I have the support on this theory with some well-known breeders in Australia.When one looks around at the Stars in Australian aviaries you will see birds that carry very little colour on the facial areas and are a little more drab in colour than the middle of the range birds with the body colouring being to some extents quiet subtle. Thus being of my opinion a throw –back to the southern species of Star (Neochmia ruficauda ruficauda).The middle range of the birds in our aviaries is what I refer to as the northern Star (Neochmia ruficauda clarescens). This bird carries much more facial and body colouring than the southern form and not as much as the Kimberly Star.The Kimberly Star (Neochmia ruficauda subclarescens) is the most pronounced form of the stars. The colouring is so dramatic that it is unmistakable in the 3 forms of the star.When the throw-backs forms of the 3 species are put side by side they show marked differences.We must be vigilant now with our aviary stock to keep the common Stars pure from the mutations and kept separate from them.It is up to us, the aviculturist, to see that the Star Finch does not fall into the lap of extinction.If any of these birds do become extinct, as late as this call goes out to you with the southern species, we as aviculturists and environmentalists should hang our head in shame at the decline without doing our bit to halt the trend.The cock has much more colour on the facial area than the hen. His facial mask extends well back past his eyes, under the lower mandible and down the throat.He also has many more spots on the chest area than the hen. His all round colouring is more vivid.In poor quality birds this may not be the case. Those birds you are well advised to leave alone.