owl finch a grass finch, also known as the Bicheno finch or the double-barred finch, is a lively addition to a community aviary and a good bird for the novice who may not have a lot of experience with birds.
It stands between 3 and 4 inches in length, and has two distinct black bars above and below a whitish-beige chest, one bar circling the underpart of the “chin,” and the other rounding the bird’s underside. The wings are brown with white speckles, and the “face mask” is white. The beak is gray and the eye is black. There is one subspecies, the black-rumped owl finch, which has, obviously, a black rump.
These birds bond for life. The female will usually lay between three and six eggs, though more is not uncommon. The babies hatch out at about two weeks and look like zebra finch babies, a duller version of their parents. They molt into their adult feathers by about four months of age. The chicks will generally leave the nest when they are three weeks old, but stay with the parents until they are thirty to 35 days old. If the parents have gone back to nest and have eggs, they may become aggressive with the babies, so it’s best to move them to another cage at that time.
Owl finches can breed at 6 months of age, but it’s best to wait at least nine months to a year to breed them. This gives the owner a chance to get them into prime breeding condition, which is done though a varied and healthy diet and enough light and exercise.
Owl finches are generally good parents, but some can be a little too carefree with their sitting habits, or can toss the occasional baby out of the nest. It’s convenient to have other similarly sized finches nesting at the same time, such as zebra and society finches, who will generally willingly foster the eggs or babies. Owls that are good parents will also foster other species as well.
Owl finches that are housed indoors will appreciate as large of a cage as possible, at least 2 by 3 feet, longer and wider rather than taller. These birds are small, but they’re active. Females can become egg-bound if they don’t get enough exercise.
24 июл 2021
