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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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