Star finches

Petsmart strikes again.  We were on an innocent journey to buy pet food again when we happened by the bird section, and saw a lonely male Red faced Star finch in a cage all alone.  Apparently his mate had been bought the day before, and to speed the sale of the one left they had him on sale for 50% off.  Knowing no finch likes to be alone, and loving the sale price, we took him home with us.  He quickly acclimated to his new, much larger, home, but it was apparent something was missing.  I would pass by various stores in the area over the next couple weeks but only found already paired Star finches for sale.  Not wanting to break up another pair, I held off.  Luckily, at a different Petsmart across town, I found his mate.  She was a beautiful red faced, and like our male, was all alone and on sale.  When I brought her home it was obvious we had found the thing he had been looking for.  He immediately flew down to greet her and they instantly hit it off.  They would sleep next to each other that very night, and would investigate their new home together the next morning.

Star finches love to climb and if given a choice between a horizontal perch and a vertically hanging branch, they will choose vertical every time.  I therefore added some hanging type plants that thickened up the top reaches of the cage, which the Stars took to immediately.  After a couple weeks of getting accustomed to their environment, it became apparent that they were ready to take the next step in their relationship and have a family.  The male would begin his grass dance and sing his beautiful rhythmic song and she would receptively watch, yet no attempt was made to build a nest.  I tried various pre-built nests, and even built a wooden box type, but to no avail.  Finally I found some information that claimed Star finches like to build their own nest, about 1-2 meters above the ground in dried brush.  I therefore visited Michael's craft store and found some dried wheat bundles that I attached to a corner about halfway up in the flight cage.  That must have done the trick, because the very next day you could see the beginnings of a nest being built.  They both worked hard carrying dried grass up to the corner and weaving it into a base.  The female then began sitting on the base and creating a roof above her head, with the male constantly supplying the materials.  Last, but not least, they utilized the synthetic spanish moss, also bought at a craft store, to line the inside of the nest.  Another week went by with them modifying the nest but I was unable to tell if there were eggs inside or not.  Star finches are supposedly the most sensitive finches when it comes to nest inspection, so I stayed away and just observed from a distance.  Then one evening, about a week ago, the male was seen sleeping on his own.  Sure enough, when I glanced at the nest, a small red beak could be seen at the edge of the entrance hole...Incubation had begun.  For a week now we have seen only one at a time with one of the partners always in the nest, and the female always pulling the night shift.  We have therefore increased the fresh greens and boiled egg food that Star finches like when raising young.  They are especially fond of Dill, an herb commonly found in most grocery stores.

As members of a mixed community of small seedeaters, the Star finches are model citizens.  They are very peaceful birds, and I have only seen them act defensive when certain finch types (mainly Zebra's and Parrot finches) get extremely close to the entrance hole of their nest.  Even when on the defensive, however, the Star's only give a small chase, never going to the extremes that I have seen with the Zebra's and Gouldian's of actually pulling feathers out of the other birds.  They also have become quite talented at flying, darting in and around the various plants like a Jedi in a star fighter flying through an asteroid field.  From what I have seen, they suffer no ill effects of being in a flight cage, as oppossed to an aviary.

In summary, a beautiful and peaceful finch that gets along fantastic with other peaceful types, though may not stand up to the more dominating birds that some keep (i.e. Zebra finches).  Also one that, if given the right materials, will breed in a large cage setting.

Rating Score: 9/10

   Mixed with other finches: 5 out of 5

   Thrive/Breed in cage: 4 out of 5 (per Kingston's Manual of Finches they breed better in aviaries then cages)

Turk: Our Red Faced Star finch male.  He loves to cling to the side of the cage or to hanging branches attesting to his native instincts of clinging to reeds along river banks in the wild. 

Turk, clinging again, displaying his beautiful red face and star patterned chest.

Certainly one finch that doesn't bother any of his companions, yet still one to be curious about the Societies and their begging Gouldian chick.

One reason for the Star finches nonobtrusive behavior in a mixed colony is that they tend to go where few other birds go, choosing perches that are not exactly fought over by the other birds.

Star finches have a quiet, yet unmistakable song that they sing throughout the day, whether in courting a female or just for practice.  They remind me of Gouldian's in that respect, seeming to practice their personal song daily. 

This was while Turk was in his lonely period, without a partner.  We didn't know then, just how much one Star finch needs another.

Macy: Alas we found his partner and they have been inseparable since.

Difficult to tell a male from a female Star finch, until you see them together.   Here Macy explores her breakfast options.

Star finches are quite active, yet can hide away from sight even in a flight cage.  Here Macy decided to give her feet a rest from vertical sitting and plop right down on a nice flat rooftop.

When seen together, the differences in male and female finches becomes apparent.  Turk, the male on the left has a brighter red face and beak which is more extensive extending behind the eyes and under the chin.  He also has a less extensive star pattern on his chest.  Macy, the female on the right has a subdued red, almost orange face/beak, yet more extensive stars on the chest.  I still, however, mix them up once in a while when they are seen on their own.  That is when the song helps, as he is the only one that will sing for prolonged periods, while Macy prefers to offer only a chirp or two on occasion.

Turk hiding in the plants, while Macy waits on the sun to come back out on her sunbathing perch.  I have found that they prefer the thick plants whether I am around or not, meaning they are not simply hiding from the big human giant, but like the protective feel of dense vegetation regardless.

Besides fresh greens, Star finches relish well boiled eggs, especially when breeding.  They would spend half an hour eating both the meat and the shell of the egg.  Some books suggest a minimum of 30 minutes boiling the egg to kill any possible Salmonella bacteria that may lie within.  I typically boil a few eggs at a time, slicing each one in three parts, and freezing all but one slice.  The frozen section that I offer every morning is the first course in a Star finches breakfast.

Their nest had humble beginnings.  After I placed the wheat bundle, they decided the corner was ideal and began laying dried grass as a platform.  At this point the addition of the spanish moss did not make a lot of sense, but the Star finches knew what they were doing.

By adding more grass to the top, they created a roof, trapping the spanish moss inside.  Macy then spent hours inside of the nest weaving the spanish moss into a thick blanket and wall covering.  They have since added more grass to the top that they have woven into the wheat bundle to secure the entire structure.  This nest is exactly 3 feet from the floor of the cage, in a relatively low traffic zone.  The entrance hole is on the left side, immediately adjacent to the dried pine branch in the picture.  The entire nest is approximately 5 inches in diameter.