Star Finch

Scientific Name: Bathilda ridicauda

Origin: Northern Australia

This is a popular Australian finch whichis quite easy to breed. It is a peaceful species. During the breeding season, apair may be transferred to separate accommodation.

Description:

Size: 13 cm ;41/2 in)

COCK:

Body: olive green. Breast: olive. Under-parts: pale yellowish-green. Forehead:red. Cheeks and throat: red. Tail: brickred. Face and breast spotted with whitedots. Beak: red. legs: flesh.

HEN:

Similar, but less red on the face. It issometimes easy to urns take a young cockbird for a hen, if it has not attained full colour, so it is wise try to obtain a mature, known pair for breeding.

Diet: (Seedeater)

Small plain canary seed and mixed millet form the basic diet. Greenfood and seed-ing grasses are enjoyed. Grit and cuttlefish bone must always be available. As the Star Finch does not roost overnight in a nest box, it should be protected from cold and damp weather conditions. Bathing is enjoyed, so a pool should be provided, if possible.

Breeding:

A young hen often flies over her intendedmate with a piece of grass in her beak, sometimes dragging it over his back. Thisis considered to be a preliminary ritual topair bonding.

Star Finches like to build their ownnests in broom bushes interwoven withhay, but they do accept a nest box or awicker basket, in which they will construct a dome-shaped nest of grass with anarrow entrance hole.

Pairs should not be allowed to breed until they are fully mature at two years of age. If a hen lays fertile eggs prior to this age, they may be placed under Bengalese. Egg binding is sometimes a problem with Star Finches, particularly if the weather is cold. They are also inclined to leave the nest frequently instead of sitting on the eggs full time, so it is often better to place the pair in a flight by themselves to minimise disturbance.

Three to four round white eggs form the normal clutch and both parents incubate them during the day, although the hen usually sits for longer periods than the cock. Both birds occupy the nest at night. The eggs hatch in 12 to 14 days and the young are covered in fine white down. Star Finches are very attentive parents and do not Seel, to resent nest inspection, although this should always be kept to a minimum. The chicks leave the nest at 18 to 23 days and appear to be very shy at this stage. Three or four weeks later they should be independent and removed from their parents to allow for a further round. Immature birds are pale olivebrown with a little red in the tail.

The juvenile moult occurs at between six weeks and eight months of age de-pending on how quickly the young mature, weather conditions and diet.

Although chick rearing pairs can he fedon hard seed alone, they benefit from sprouted seed, egg rearing food and insects.

A very strong pair bond is formed by Star Finch couples, so they should be rung with split plastic rings to make sure they are always kept together.