. Bengalese Mannikin
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- Scientific Name: Lonchura
domestica
- Common Name/s:
BENGALESE MANNIKIN, BENGALESE FINCH, SOCIETY FINCH.
- Sub Species in country / area of origin: None
- Origin / Distribution:
Domesticated species.
- Habitat In Wild: Not
applicable
- Status In Wild: Not
applicable
- Status In (Australian) Captivity:
Common, Secure.
- Age To Sexual Maturity: About
6 - 8 months. Some may try to breed as early as 3 - 4 months
of age.
- Adult plumage: approx 3
months
- Best breeding years (estimate):
12 months - 5th year.
- Lifespan (estimate): About 7
- 8 years
- Sexing: Monomorphic
/ Dimorphic
- Mutations: Yes. Some
birds have a crest.
- Availability: Pet shops & bird
dealers.
- Temperament: Non aggressive.
Excellent beginners bird. Can be housed as a colony. Can
be used as foster parents for other species of finches. Will
hybridize with a wide range of other species.
- Cost (Victoria) Per Pair: - All
colours (Approx.) $20
- Description Of Adults:
- Length: Approx. 120 mm (or about 5 inches)
- Colour ( "normal" colour ): Refer
photo/s above if available.
- Weight: Approx. 15 gms (or about 1/2 oz)
Aviary Notes:
Read notes
on "Finches - Non Australian" web page
and use in conjunction with details
outlined on this page.
Level Of Knowledge Required:
Beginner / Intermediate / Advanced / Specialist Breeders Only.
Government Regulations &
By-Laws: Refer to "Government Laws" page.
Housing Requirements:
Click on "Housing birds"
web page for general details on the housing
of Non Australian Finches or read on for specific details for this finch.
Can be bred indoors in a budgie / canary
breeder size cage as well as an outdoor aviary. Care must be taken
when placing these birds in a mixed finch collection as Bengalese will
hybridize with a large number of Australian finches as well as Foreign
finches.
Diet / Feeding:
Click on "Feeding birds"
web page for general details on the
nutrition of Non Australian Finches or read on for specific details for this
finch.
The Bengalese mannikin is one of the easiest species of birds to
feed. If raising their own young, they require a good quality
finch mix and some seeding grasses to produce a successful clutch.
Some fruits (e.g. apple) and vegetables can be offered.
Live foods are not required for successful breeding of Bengalese.
Most Bengalese will consume insects as part of their normal diet and
will be beneficial to their long term health and breeding longevity.
Feeding may have to be adjusted if the birds are being used as foster
parents. The preferred diet of the young fostered birds will have
to be taken into account. Live food may have to be added.
Basic seed mix should include Canary
seed, White French Millet, Japanese Millet, and Yellow and
Red Panicum.
If Bengalese finches are to be used as foster
parents to raise birds that have live foods as a dietary requirement,
add live food to the foster parent birds and monitor which birds feed
the live food to the baby birds. Keep an accurate record of the
birds that feed the best quantities of the live food to the babies.
Use these birds when one has to foster birds that have live foods as a
significant portion of their preferred diet. "Pairs" of two male
Bengalese have been used successfully to raise foster birds.
Nesting:
A basic overview only.
- Roosting nest:
Yes / No In
a colony situation they may build a communal roosting nest and
sometimes roost in the nest of other birds.
- Nesting months: May
breed year round if conditions are suitable.
- Nesting receptacles:
Will build a nest in a shrub or dry brush. Equally it will
build a nest in a wide variety of artificial nests. In a
breeding cage they will use a wooden nest box with the top half of
the front removed or a canary nest.
- Nest: The cock bird
will build the nest from
grasses. Nest is lined
with soft fine grasses.
- Who incubates the eggs:
Hen /
cock /
both share.
Nest inspections are usually well
tolerated.
More details on finch nests
and a selection of finch nest photos
can be located on the "nests", "finch nests"
and "finch nest photos"
web pages. Click on "Up" then "nests" then
"finch nests" and "finch nests photos" in
the navigation bars.
Breeding:
Egg Colour White. Clutch/s
per year 3 - 4. Eggs per nest 4 - 7. Incubation
approx. 14 days. Fledge approx. 21 days.
Independent approx. another 3 weeks. Clutches of more
than 6 may be the result of more than one hen laying in the one nest.
Bengalese are often used as foster
parents for a wide variety of finches. Test the pairs that may be
used as foster parents for rare or expensive birds by testing the birds
with inexpensive birds first. If the foster parents are not good
at incubation and rearing the introduced eggs, do not risk using that
pair of Bengalese as foster parents on more valuable eggs unless there
are no better options available. The Bengalese generally tolerate
nest inspections and allow the owner to keep a regular inspection of the
young. As soon as the young reach independence, remove the young
and place them in another cage or aviary, preferably out of sight of
their foster parents, to minimize the risk of the foster parents
imprinting on the fostered birds.
Will hybridize with a large number of
Australian finches as well as Foreign finches.
Artificial incubation, hand rearing or fostering will not be
covered on this web site. It is too complex and diverse in nature to be
attempted here. Refer "Specific References" as listed below and
"General References" listings.
Health Issues:
Refer "Avian Health Issues"
web page for information and references.
- Worming and parasite control and Quarantine
requirements of new birds or sick birds are considered to
require veterinary advice and therefore not covered on this web
site. Refer above option - "Avian Health Issues"
web page.
- Avian medicine is advancing at a rapid pace. Keep
updating your knowledge and skills.
General References:
Refer to references listed on "Book
References" web page.
Specific References:
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