Finches For Dummies. Nikki Moustaki

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Chapter 1

      Finches: More Than Just Pretty, Chatty Birds

      IN THIS CHAPTER

      The term finch is actually a very broad term, encompassing hundreds of species and subspecies, from canaries to sparrows. In general, finches are small songbirds that come in an amazing variety of colors, shapes, and sizes. They all have short, cone-shaped bills adapted to the type of food they typically eat. All finches are seed eaters, but most will eat other vegetation and insects as well.

Finches have been kept as companions for hundreds of years. The Chinese and Japanese have been breeding finches since the 1600s — for example, the society finch (also known as the Bengalese finch) is not found in the wild because it was developed (domesticated) by humans, much as breeds of dogs were. It’s also one of the most widely kept finches today. The canary is the oldest domesticated bird, having been bred in captivity for many centuries, and, like dogs, bred for certain traits, such as color, feather type, or song (its ancestor, the serin finch, is still found in the wild in the Canary Islands). Finches that have a long history with humans do very well as companion birds. They tend to be hardier and less skittish than other types of birds, who haven’t been around the bird scene for as long.

      In the following sections, I show you what makes a finch a finch.

Where Finches Come From

      Because they comprise such a large group, finches are found in every corner of the world. Even the Galapagos Islands are home to 13 species of finches, all of which were studied by famed British naturalist, Charles Darwin. The finch was one of the animals used in Darwin’s theory of natural selection, which posits that ecological and social pressures can actually change an animal’s physiology.

      Most of the companion finches available for purchase are native to other countries but were bred in captivity where you live. As of 1992, it is illegal to import birds from other countries under the Wild Bird Conservation Act.

The Life of a Wild Finch

Some finches are very social by nature. They live and forage in flocks, sometimes numbering into the hundreds. This is why people rarely keep finches alone — with the exception of the canary, who likes company only during breeding season, and otherwise does not prefer a cagemate. Most finches do not do well unless they are in a pair or a flock. Wild finches feed mostly on grass and weed seeds, and eat insects as well, usually during the breeding season, and feed them to their young. They sleep in soft nests at night, even when not breeding. As a small, defenseless prey bird, they rely heavily on their senses and their quickness for survival.

      Finches will pair off within a flock. These are generally mating pairs, although not always. Occasionally, two males — or two females — will choose to become companions. Pairings do not always last for life, but while they are together, pair companions stay very close to one another within the flock. They forage together, groom each other, and nest together at night.

      Most finches are monogamous, but some, like the orange weaver, keep a harem and will chase off other males who try to invade their territory. Other finches, such as the whydah, are considered parasitic, laying their eggs in other birds’ nests so that those birds can take over incubation and rearing duties. They rely on these other birds the way parasites rely on other animals to survive.

The Many Species of Finches

      One of the more fascinating things about finches is their seeming endless variety. They range from very delicate to very hardy birds, in all colors of the rainbow. Some are drab and others are exceptionally vivid. Many species are dimorphic, which means that you can distinguish the gender of the bird just by looking at it. Others are monomorphic, which means that you can’t visually distinguish the genders of the birds.

Though no one expects you to become an ornithologist (someone who studies birds), in order to provide a good home for your companion finches, it can be helpful to understand where your bird is classified in the scheme of things. Here are the four different groups of finches: