For people in the USA, the name Bengalese finches may sound a bit strange, but it shouldn't make any confusion because it is a synonym for society finches. Unlike other types of finches, they cannot be found in nature. Are you wondering why? Probably a thought passed through your mind that they are totally extinct in their habitats; however things didn't go that way. These birds, that we know now, never lived in wild. They are considered as domesticated form of the white-rumped munia, although some ornithologists assume that the striated finch had also important role in the process of creating the finch of Bengalese type. They are believed to be a successful product of sturdy efforts of passionate breeders in Japan and China, more than three centuries ago.
Bengalese species of finch doesn't belong to the so-called true finches, but to the munias, that are members of Estrilididae family. These birds are among the most suitable pets and there are many reasons why beginners are very satisfied with keeping them.
They are very sociable and friendly creatures that show interest for interaction with other birds, no matter if they are of the same type or not. I have tried to mix six society finches with a pair of parakeets in a little home aviary for more than two mounts. I was very pleased to observe the development of friendly relationships in their little world. They accepted the parakeets shortly after I introduced them, and they all behaved like there is no difference between them at all. They ate the same food, played with the same toys, swung on the same swings. When I finally removed the parakeets, all six finches looked disappointed the whole day, and it was obvious that they miss their friends.
Finches of Bengalese type are not very noisy, they produce very pleasant soft songs and their chirping is joyful and meek. The singing is most interesting when the male is starting to show mating behavior to the female. If you separate them visually, the male and the female would make a sound contact: the female's answer would be longer than the males' one.
Society finches are wonderful parents and they are widely considered as one of the most reliable pet birds for breeding. They are very devoted parents, taking the best care for the little chicks. I will mention that they are excellent foster parents, which means they would accept eggs and chicks from other birds and rear them like their own offspring. It happens when some other species of finches mate prematurely and they are confused without knowing what to do exactly, so they abandon their eggs or even chicks. Finches of Bengalese type would be the best replacement for those unprepared parents.
These cute birds are usually ready to hybridize with many other species of finches. It is especially easy to mate Bengalese with other munias, and some of that crosses are only virtual hybrids due to their fertility. Society finches are ready to hybridize with finches that are not their close relatives, and hybrids from mating with zebra finches are very interesting.
I should mention that they are very hardy creatures, but if their diet is improper or their cages are dirty and exposed to draft, many diseases may occur. And see now, here is the key: you only need to exclude those negative possibilities and the risk of diseases would be minimized. Here I superficially mentioned some basic and interesting information about these little birds. I'm sure you are interested to find much more.
Article By Cody Jons
No comments:
Post a Comment