Chapter 1

Finches: More Than Just Pretty, Chatty Birds

IN THIS CHAPTER

Knowing what a finch is

Understanding finch anatomy

Looking at the different varieties of finches

Getting in touch with finch clubs and societies

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.

If you're reading this in the United States, you can only keep finches that aren't native to North America. This goes for all birds, actually. If a bird is native to North America, housing it is illegal unless you have a permit or are a licensed bird rescuer. Birds that fall into this category include the American goldfinch, the cardinal, and the pine siskin, among others.

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.

All finches are scientifically grouped under the order Passeriformes. Passerines (which is what birds in the Passeriformes order are called) comprise more than half of the bird species in the world, with nearly 5,400 members. Not all Passerines are finches, but all finches are Passerines.

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:

• Fringillidae: The more than 200 (some sources say 227) members of this group are often called the "true" finches. This family includes the canaries, chaffinches, some siskins, rosefinches, goldfinches, and bullfinches. These finches are adapted to crush seeds and, as a result, they have strong skulls and jaws. These finches are found on all continents.
• Passeridae: This group of around 40 finches includes sparrows and snowfinches. Formerly found only in Europe and the surrounding areas, these finches have now been introduced to habitats all over the world. Two types of Passeridae are commonly found in the United States, including the house sparrow. As a group, they are hardy and gregarious songbirds.
• Estrildidae: Included in this group of around 140 birds are some the most popular companion finches, including grass finches, parrot finches, waxbills, society finches, greenfinches, serins, firefinches, firetails, quailfinches, Gouldian finches, mannikins, nuns, munias, Java sparrows, cordon-bleu finches, cut throats, and zebra finches. The majority of finches in this group are from a temperate climate, preferring warm weather. They tend to be flocking birds and are all seed-eaters.
• Ploceidae: This group has approximately 120 members, including the whydahs (also called widowbirds) and weavers (also called bishops). They are found primarily in Africa and India and can be more aggressive in their response to other birds than some of the more commonly kept species.

One of the longest domesticated and most popular varieties of finch is the well-known canary (see Figure 1-1). Canaries come in a variety of colors, from bright yellow, like the famous Tweety Bird, to brown, gray, orange, white, and variegated (having either regular or uneven dark markings). Canaries are delicate birds, originally from the Canary Islands, and have been a popular companion in Europe since the 16th century, perhaps even earlier.

FIGURE 1-1: Canaries are among the most popular types of finch.

Most people buy a canary for his beautiful song. The males are the singers of the species, and they're generally the gender that you'll keep if you want to hear singing in your home. The females can make great companions too, but they won't launch into song the way a male will.

The canary's song depends largely on the type of canary that you choose. Some canaries sing a variety of songs, whereas others are trained only to sing in a certain manner. Yes, canaries have to be trained to sing. Many breeders keep an "expert" singer, a canary with a particularly masterful song, in a cage within earshot of young males. The youngsters will learn from this maestro and, hopefully, pick up the essentials of beautiful singing. Some interesting research has shown that birds can actually learn songs when they are developing inside the egg! Don't worry if you don't have a master singer to teach the young males their trade; CDs and audio files of canary songs work just as well (you can buy these online or play them for free on YouTube).

Size differences

Finches can vary in size from about 3 inches in length to about 8 inches in length. Some finches are very tiny, such as the gold-breasted waxbill, measuring in at under 3 inches. The whydah, who is only 5 inches in length, has a tail that can reach 15 inches long during breeding season.

I SEE YOUR TRUE COLORS SHINING THROUGH .

Some canaries, like the red factor canary shown in the figure below, turn various shades of red and orange if they're fed a special color food or water additive made for red factor canaries only. It's the only way for a red factor canary to achieve colors ranging from magenta to bright orange to strawberry red.

Don't feed your other types of canaries the color food, as their color will not change because of it. Only the red factor has the genetic predisposition to show what it eats though its feathers, much like flamingos and roseate spoonbills, which pick up their pink coloration from the crustaceans that they eat. Color feeding is usually done during a molt, when new feathers are growing in. If you don't want to color feed with commercially prepared products, you can feed your red factor canary beets, cherries,...