. Green strawberry finch
Updated with the helpful
advice from the Green Avadavat breeding recovery Group
This page is Sponsored By:
Green Avadavat Recovery Group
An Australian site based in Queensland |
We specialise in the
recovery of the
Green Strawberry Finch
www. greenavadavat.org |
- Scientific Name: Amandava formosa
- Common Name/s:
GREEN STRAWBERRY FINCH, GREEN AVADAVAT, GREEN MUNIA (in
India).
- Sub Species in country / area of origin:
None
- Origin / Distribution: Central
northern India.
Distribution covers about 500,000 square kilometres.
- Habitat In Wild:
Small shrubs and tall grasses. Has adapted
to cultivated farmland.
- Status In Wild:
Listed as vulnerable. Declining due to loss of suitable habitat,
exploitation of lands for intensive farming and trapping for the
bird trade. Has a CITES Appendix II listing.
- Status In (Australian) Captivity:
Rare. Less common than the Red Strawberry finch.
- Age To Sexual Maturity:
about 8 months
- Adult plumage: attained at about
?
months
- Best breeding years (estimate):
12 months - 4th year.
- Lifespan (estimate):
About 7 - 9 years, can be up to 10 years. Long lived for a
Finch.
- Sexing: Monomorphic
/ Dimorphic (difficult to accurately determine
sex - hens are duller)
- Mutations: None
- Availability:
Very hard to find any birds for sale. May be only 80 - 100 birds
left in Australia. Not all are of breeding age, many are old
non-breeders. Numbers
are low worldwide. They are subject to a "Breeding recovery
program" in Australia - refer above.
- Temperament:
Colourful attractive birds. Non aggressive and do
well in mixed collections in large aviaries. They tend to be
secretive birds while building their nest.
- Cost (Victoria) Per Pair: -
Normal colour (Approx.) $2000
= This price is probably meaningless as few birds are available.
- Description Of Adults:
- Length: Approx. 100 mm (or approx. 4 inches)
- Colour ( "normal" colour ): Refer
photo/s above if available.
- Weight: Approx. 9 - 10 gms (or approx. 1/3 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"
web 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.
May be kept with other finches but with their rarity in Australian
aviaries it would be best to give them an aviary of their own.
The Green strawberry finch is generally non-aggressive and do well in mixed
collections in large aviaries but can also be bred as one pair in large canary style
breeder cage.
In an aviary situation the aviary should
be fully roofed. This will minimize the risk of loss of adult
birds, fledglings or eggs from extremes of weather. The better the
control of the environment, potentially the better the chances of good breeding
results occurring. The birds should be encouraged to build their
nest in the rear half of the aviary.
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 Green strawberry finch requires a good quality finch mix and seeding grasses. Sprouted
or soaked seed if available. Their favourite sprouted or soaked
seed is White French millet. Live food is not essential
when the birds are not breeding but is an essential food requirement during
the breeding season. Mealworms are ideal. Termites are a favourite if
available. Fly maggots are often fed.
Basic seed mix should include Canary
seed, White French Millet, Japanese Millet, and Yellow and Red Panicum.
Nesting:
A basic overview only.
- Roosting nest:
Yes
- Nesting months: Autumn
to spring. (They are winter/cooler months breeders in
Australia)
- Nesting receptacles:
Will build a dome shaped nest in a shrub or dry brush.
Occasionally it will build a nest in an artificial nests including
half open timber nest box.
- Nest: Both parents
build a large dome
shaped nest made of fine grasses, coconut fibre, other plant
materials and the nest has a side entrance.
Swamp grass or November grass is a preferred nest material. Nest is lined by the
hen with feathers and soft fine grasses.
- Who incubates the eggs:
Hen at night / cock / both share.
They tend to be secretive birds while
building their nest. Like some other species of finches, they like
to build the nest while the keeper is out of sight. The nest may
have a downward facing entrance. This requires the birds to enter
the nest from slightly below the nest. In the wild, this may
make it harder for predators to enter the nest. It also makes it
impractical and difficult for inquisitive keepers to inspect the
contents of the nest. Nests of the Green strawberry finch are usually reused for the next
clutch. Adequate new nest material must be
available for the hen to rebuild the old nest or build a new nest for
the next clutch.
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 2 - 3. Eggs per nest 4 - 6. Incubation
approx. 11 - 12 days. Fledge approx. 21 days
but may return to the nest for about a week.
Independent approx. 4 - 5 weeks of age.
The adult birds may spend one or more
weeks in their nest prior to the hen starting to lay her clutch of eggs.
This may give the impression to the keeper the clutch is overdue for
hatching. The temptation to explore into the nest and see how the
eggs are progressing must be resisted. When the eggs hatch the
parent birds will increase the intake of insects. This is a normal
indication of young hatching in most finch species.
The Green strawberry finches have a strong pair bond within the
breeding season. Un-attached spare adult hens or cock birds should
not be housed with breeding pairs.
Nests are usually built at mid to high
nest site height in an aviary. Parents are intolerant of nest
inspections. Parent birds will leave the nest as soon as the owner
approaches or enters the aviary. Leaving the young independent
birds with the parent birds in an aviary situation should not cause any
problems.
These birds are good candidates for each
and every bird to have a closed metal numbered leg ring and a recorded
pedigree or genetic history. Each bird could have its
parentage recorded and supplied to the purchaser of any bird.
Minimizing inbreeding of all birds may delay demise of these birds!
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:
www. greenavadavat.org (an Australian site based in Queensland)
Australian Aviculture
- A/A Vol 57 No. 8 Aug 2003 Page 165-166.
- A/A Vol 57 No. 7 July 2003 Page 159.
- A/A Vol 55 No. 1 Jan 2001 Page 6-11 (Inc photo)
- A/A Vol 47 No. 9 Sept 1993 Page 216-220 (Inc
photo)
- A/A Vol 36 No. 5 May 1982 Page 101-103
- A/A Vol 20 No 6 Jun 1966 Page 80-82, 84 (Inc
colour plate).
- A/A Vol 14 No 6 Jun 1960 Page 85.
- A/A Vol 5 No 1 Jan 1951 Page 12.
- The Bulletin No 19, May 1944 Page 8.
- The Bulletin No 15, Dec 1943 Page 6 - 7 (Breeding notes).
-
Australian Birdkeeper
- ABK Vol 4 Issue 9. Jun-July 1991 Page 403-406
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