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Strawberry Finch |
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Bird Breeds:
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DESCRIPTION
4 inches (10cm). Reddish-brown with scarlet on sides of head, throat,
underparts and rump, and black on tail. White spots on wings and tail
coverts. Eyes brown, beak red, legs pink. Female reddish-brown with many
white spots on the wings, uppertail coverts red, breast yellowish-grey.
Male has seasonal change of plumage: during breeding season male is brown-red;
at other times resembles female.
NATURAL DISTRIBUTION
India, Pakistan, south Nepal, southeastern Asia, Moluccas and Indonesia.
Also a variety in China with even more vivid red colouring.
HABITAT
Scrub jungle and cultivated areas.
DIET Strawberry Finch like seeds, insects, live food. SPECIAL NEEDS
Can be quite troublesome towards other birds during the breeding period;
house them separately at this time. Live food essential all year.
CAGE LIFE
The Strawberry Finch male has clear-toned song all year round. Female
also sings, particularly when without a mate, but not as well. During
courtship, male bursts into full swing, spreads tail feather and dances
around female. Very suitable for breeding. Cock builds little nest in
aviary or dense bush of long fibres, hair, feathers and grass. Lays 6
to 8 eggs, incubation 11 to 13 days by female while cock defends nest
against intrusion, fledging 20 to 21 days. At fledging, beaks are still
black; colouring begins to change at around 3 weeks and is completed by
about 9 weeks but will not be retained until about 2 years of age.
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