Gouldian Finches

Two of our first finches were Lady Gouldians and we never regretted getting them for a second.  Unfortunately, the day after they laid their first egg, our male Shasta would suddenly die (air sac mites).  Fortunately, we had a couple female societies finches that gladly raised the lone egg till the baby was self sufficient.   We would then replace Shasta with another Redhead named Crush.  And that's not all...

Gouldians are popular for many reasons beside their beautiful colors.  They have gorgeous yet quiet songs, are quite friendly and inquisitive, and are very peaceful in a mixed colony of small seedeaters.  They also have complex genetics that make them quite interesting when it comes to breeding.  While many call them fragile, and my only finch death so far was their founding member in my group, I still believe they are hardier birds then they get credit for.  They are just not the perfect bird for the casual bird owner who wants to throw some seeds in every few days and forget about their birds.  They need decent weather, varied fresh seeds and greens, and a good regimen of prophylactic treatments against worms and the gouldian killer air-sac mites.  But if you are willing to spend some time with them every day and willing to buy some S76 air sac mite treatment you may find they have some great qualities as well.  They are fairly easy to breed and will do so willingly in even the smaller cages out there and produce such variety of colors in their offspring that they alone will make a spectacular collection of exotic finches.

They get along very well with other finches in a mixed collection aviary and also among themselves, as long as there are no eggs to guard.  When they are breeding they can be fairly protective of the immediate area around their nest, chasing other male Gouldians away, though nothing more than a lost feather or two usually results.  But I would say, at a minimum, place potential nests away from popular hang out areas of the cage.  They are not quite as active as waxbills or parrot finches and do quite well in a flight cage, as oppossed to an aviary.

Rating Score: 9/10

   Mixed with other finches: 4 out of 5 (can be a bit testy and protective when nesting)

   Thrive/Breed in cage: 5 out of 5

The Matriarch Gouldian: Sprite, a Green/black head/white breast female.  Initially mated with Shasta and had one baby before he died named Splash.  She is now mating with Crush with eggs currently in the nest.  She is the sweetest finch you have ever seen and comes right up to you when you approach the cage at the time when most of the others run for cover.

RIP: Shasta, our first male gouldian (dilute, purple chest, red head) and father of Splash, taken right before he died.  He was such a lovely finch as well and he is missed :-(

Our first baby gouldian: Splash.  Sprite did not seem to be incubating her lone egg after Shasta died, so we put the egg in with the society finches, and what fine parents our two ladies turned out to be.  They doted on her with such attention that she grew fast and strong.  She was still blind at this point and showing the glowing mouth beads and partial yolk sac that baby gouldians show.

Beads and Feathers looking vibrant and as usual, her mouth is open showing off her beak markings and begging for some food from the overworked societies.

Our beautiful girl Splash today.  Not yet colored, but is flying around strongly and growing every day.  We are suspecting she will be a yellow (her dad was dilute) with Red face and purple breast (?).

Crush: Our completely normal gouldian finch and spectacularly colored

I can't get enough of the color explosions from Crush at various angles.

From the start he was wanting to go to nest.  He took a couple of months convincing Sprite but it seems to have worked.

As of 2 days ago he and Sprite started frequenting the old society nest.  What is he hiding?

Ahh...I can see at minimum 2 eggs and possibly/hopefully more.  I am going to watch closely to see that they are incubating properly as I have 2 proven gouldian nanny finches ready to take over should they be needed.

Tiger: Orange headed dilute male that has one of the most beautiful songs you have ever heard a bird sing.  All of the females seem enamored by his call even though he is still young enough to retain some pin feathers in his head.  He is gonna be a lady (gouldian) killer when he grows up.  Here he is doing his best puffed up song recital.

Tiger loves nothing better than to look out over Miami and the Ocean and sing for hours on end.  He is the one finch that will not budge, even when I put my hand into the cage, to the point that I can pet him.  

Stirling: Silver gouldian male.  Also still young and showing pin feathers, but is learning to sing better from Tiger.  They often sit side by side singing a duet it seems, which subsequently drives the girls crazy and gets Crush as irritated as a gouldian can get (which is not much as far as I have seen)

Topaz (left): Our Blue backed Lilac breasted female.  Spectacularly colored and sticks close by Stirling most of the time.  Likely to be a gorgeous pair when they get a bit older.

Topaz is also a very sweet finch that never causes any problems and adds a gorgeous tone to an already color overloaded crew.

Violet: Green Lilac breasted female, last but certainly not least.  She is the self elected Lady Gouldian in charge, as she likes to keep a quiet environment.  She puts up with a bit of commotion but if it gets out of hand she quickly puts an end to it.  She is also very inquisitive and is one of the first to explore any new treat I may add during the day.