Finch

Scientific Name: Lonchura castaneothorax

Origin: Australia

This Australian finch is beautifully marked and its plumage is glossy and smooth. It is easy to keep and quite hardy. This specie does well in a medium sized aviary and mixes amicably with other seed eaters of similar size.

Description:

Size: 10 to 13 cm (4 to 5 in)

COCK:

Head: black. Chest: chestnut with a black band above stomach. Stomach: creamy-beige. Shoulders, wings and tail: dark chestnut. Legs: gray. Beak: bluegrass. Eyes: black.

HEN:

Identical, but the cock sings and the hen does not.

Diet: (Seed eater)

Plain canary seed, mixed millets, green-food and a little live food form the basic diet. Grit and cuttlefish bone must always be available. This species can be lethargic.

Finch Breeding:

This specie makes a very attentive parent, but should not be allowed to breed at a very early age. Chestnut-Breasted cock birds also show preference for hens if housed together, so do not mix them if you wish to avoid cross-breeding. Nest boxes should be placed in the aviary and try to provide some grass clippings, so that the pair may fill their chosen site. The nest is filled overflowing dry leaves, straws and twigs and the eggs are laid precariously on top.

Five or six large white eggs form the normal clutch. After three or four eggs are laid, both parents share incubation which takes 13 days.

Provide hard-boiled egg, inspective mix and soaked and sprouted seed for the parents to rear their brood. The young chicks become rather nervous as they grow and great care should be taken when they are about 18 to 22 days old, as they sometimes leave the nest too early if alarmed, which may otherwise prove fatal.

The Chestnut-Breasted Finch does not roost in nest boxes, so ensure that they are in the shelter by nightfall in colder weather. This species has a tendency to overgrown claws, so try to clip them at least three or four times a year.

Chestnut Breasted Finch

• There are about 5 different species of the chestnut breasted finch. One breed is native to Australia while the other resides in the New Guinea area.
• The most attractive specie of the group is L. c sharpii. But the birds are not suitable for keeping them in captivity as the bird finds great difficultly to find its mate during the breeding season when kept in a small aviary. The Australian species raised domestically are ideal for breeding.
• All the Australian birds that are available in the market are derived from domestic sources as Australia has banned the export of wild caught birds.
• The birds of this specie are prone to the phase of melanistic phase. Though the exact reason behind the incidence of the disease is not known yet.
• The bird has the tendency of possessing long nails. So, you must make sure of trimming the nails of the bird on a regular basis.