The Gouldian Finch: a history by Peggy Dalrymple Originally published in the American Federation of Aviculture (Watchbird) May/June 1999 In northern Australia centuries ago, aborigines were probably the first humans to revere the bird that John Gould named ‘Lady Gould’ after his wife. After all, the aboriginal people didn’t pollute the [...]
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Specialization in Finches by Peggy Dalrymple Originally published in the American Federation of Aviculture (Watchbird) September/October 1998 Species specialization is possibly the key to a future for American finch aviculture. Sometime around 1980, I inadvertently let the quest for rare and unusual finches take precedence over the desire to actually breed [...]
Feeding Gouldian Finches by Peggy Dalrymple Originally published in the American Federation of Aviculture (Watchbird) March/April 1999 The gourmet meal I just spent 30 minutes preparing isn’t for any of the people in my life, it’s for the 200 Gouldian Finches that live and breed in my basement aviaries. On the [...]
Silver Gouldians by Peggy Dalrymple Originally published in the American Federation of Aviculture (Watchbird) January/February 1999 Now that many mysteries of the Gouldian Finch are well on their way to being solved, the bird continues to further tantalize us with mutations of extraordinary colors and with patterns rivaling a color-by-the-numbers painting. [...]
Air Sac Mites by: Louise Bauck, DVM, Hagen Avicultural Research Institute Montreal, Canada AIR SACK MITES are generally considered a problem in the Gouldian, although other finches (and frequently canaries) are affected. We have also seen air sack mites in imported conures that were being surgically sexed! Typical signs include sneezing, [...]
The Society Finch a wonderful worker by Peggy Dalrymple Originally published in the American Federation of Aviculture (Watchbird) May/June 1998 The Society Finch or Bengalese Finch as it is called in some countries, is neither rare nor difficult to breed. It can’t carry a tune and while it may be charming [...]
Handfeeding finches Can you really do it? Many people over the last few years have asked me about the possibility of handfeeding finches. There are large assortments of questions that usually accompany the handfeeding issue. Most are curious if they will remain tame, others are concerned about the time commitment, the [...]
BREEDING GOULDIAN FINCHES What Wild Gouldians Can Tell Us by Bill Van Patten with contributions by Mike Fidler In September of 2008, I had the opportunity to travel to Australia and visit Mike Fidler, co-author of the book “The Gouldian Finch” and co-founder of the Save the Gouldian Fund, a registered [...]
A Gouldian Finch Breeding Facility by Peggy Dalrymple Originally published in NCBS Journal. Bird breeders the world over take great pride in their accomplishments. I have seen Gouldian Finches being bred in living room aviaries, cages housed in small rooms, and beautiful outdoor flights. I have been fortunate that many excellent [...]
Finch Toys? by Robin Sweet Question: My parrot’s cage is filled with fun toys to keep him busy. Do my finches need toys, too? Response: Finches do not “play” the way parrots do. Nevertheless, offering toys to your finches will give them a little variety which can enrich their everyday [...]
The Business of Finches by Peggy Dalrymple Originally published in the American Federation of Aviculture (Watchbird) Nov/Dec 1999 In the not so distant past, most finches in this country were imported. The business of selling finches was controlled by large importers who often had thousands of birds of various species in [...]
What kinds of toys do Finches need? By Jayne Yantz Several letters arrived in the last few months asking about toys for finches, so it is time for a column on this topic. Although finches do not need toys, they do need a cage and cage furnishings that keep them active and entertained. [...]
Air Sac Mites by David Friddle, DVM (NFSS – Jan/Feb 1998) A common respiratory problem seen in Gouldian finches and less frequently in canaries is caused by air sac mites (Sternastoma Tracheacolum). The life cycle of the mite is still not known but is probably spread to nestling birds from the [...]
by Roger & Patty Morris Much has recently been written regarding the intricacies, or not, of handfeeding finches. This article is not intended to be a primer on handfeeding and assumes some knowledge and experience on the part of readers. Many of the current articles in BirdTalk or Bird Breeder indicate [...]
Appropriate Breeding Age (for Society Finches) The following excellent response was posted to the Finchlovers Listserv by Jim. The Question submitted by Ellen: I have another question. Someone mentioned that 7 months is too young to breed the birds. Jim’s Response: Hello Ellen, I am probably I bit behind on this [...]
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