![]() ![]() Never use cedar chips, as they will irritate the birds’ respiratory systems. Most will pad the nest with some sort of nesting material and I’ve given mine timothy hay, straw, aspen shavings or strips of newspaper to use as nesting material. Societies will breed in nearly anything of suitable size but seem to like the woven bamboo nests, like the one in the picture above. Both males and females incubate eggs and feed nestlings. Male societies have a soft, short, squeaky-sounding song. Males and females of this species are similar in appearance, although males sing and females don’t. Birds can be paired for part of the year in order to breed and then placed in a flock during the rest of the year. The best breeding results tend to be from birds that are paired off or are kept in trios. ![]() Often, if several birds share a nest, eggs may not be incubated properly and won’t hatch. It’s really quite cute but can be a bit of a problem during breeding season. Even in a cage with several nests, it’s not unusual at all to see numerous birds all jammed in one nest. Societies prefer to be in groups or at least pairs. This makes them a nice addition to an aviary that houses other gentle species, such as Gouldian finches. They will get along with anything that will get along with them, and in fact, if bullied by another type of bird, they will usually just back off. I suspect that they’ve been called “society” finches due to their extremely sociable natures. Society finches are sometimes called Bengalese finches. The bird in the middle-right in the above photo is a crested society. Societies come in several different colours and patterns (as can be seen in the picture above), and there’s even a “crested” variety that has a circular crest on the head. Societies are likely descendents of the White-rumped Munia ( Lonchura striata), and some societies look quite a bit like wild munias. They’ve been bred in captivity for hundreds of years and are considered to be truly domesticated, so there’s no such thing as a “wild” society finch. The society finch ( Lonchura striata domestica) is one of the more common species of finch kept in captivity. The two at the bottom left are the offspring of the two just above them. Occasionally I have excess in both of these breeds for sale to loving homes.Īll photos on these bird pages were taken by my friend, Julie Hislop.How cute is that? Those are my society finches and are the topic of this post. I also have a few Zebra finches ( Poephila guttata ) and Java Rice Birds ( Padda oryzivora). They make lovely additions with their charming, sweet antics. Occasionally I have some excess birds for sale. The only way to sex them is to see the males singing (and doing their silly, hopping dance). ![]() Society finches are considered monomorphic, which means the sexes look identical. The males have a cute, silly song and constantly build nests. They are very nice birds they get along with all of the other birds and are reliable breeders. I have some rare mutations as well as the common colors. My main breed is the charming Society Finch (Bengalese). I am also enjoying playing with genetics as I breed them. I have so enjoyed my ever expanding hobby in finches. Thanks to my friend, Pam Mayberry, I found a suitable diversion: finches. A new diversion for me! When I lost my favorite Borzoi (Yankee) in November of 2003, I had to have something to get my mind off of dogs. ![]()
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