Gouldian finches derived their name from the wife of a British explorer named John Gould. This species is endemic to the Australian continent, meaning that they are geographically unique to this land. They are strikingly colorful, with greenish wings, purple-blue chest, black head, and streaks of red and yellow. They can be a stunning addition to your collection, and can serve as the main attraction in your backyard.
Endangerment - The Gouldian finches face the danger of extinction these days because of reasons such as fire regimens, deforestation, and widespread cattle grazing. Because they mostly depend on seeds and grasses for their food, they often times die of hunger when there is a lack of these resources. Breeding these birds is a great way of ensuring the survival of this specie. These finches love sorghum seeds in particular, so make sure that the cage has plenty of those at all times.Who Cared for Them - Gouldian finches are popular pets in many parts of the world. Pet lovers from South Africa, United Kingdom, Japan, New Zealand, and Holland keep them as one of the attractions in their home. The domestication of these finches goes back more than a hundred years ago. It is believed that these birds were first bred in the Australian continent in 1886. There are certain conditions that must be kept in order to ensure healthy breeding. They prefer warm weather to cold winters and rainy seasons. During wintertime, you can substitute natural sunlight with light bulbs in order to keep them warm. Breeding season begins on the onset of spring until summer.
Handling - Remember that while Gouldian finches are fun to be around, they are not necessarily keen to the idea of being held by human hands. They shy away when you try to feed them out of your hands. It is okay to observe them from outside the cage but avoid reaching out to them and touching them. They are quite small and nimble and can easily slip out of your grip. Although they generally look the same, Gouldian finches come in three different types. The first one is the Black-Headed finch because their faces are surrounded by dark colors. It extends to the beak and covers portions of the eyes. The Red finch has a slightly reddish face while the yellow gouldian finch has a predominantly yellow color in their head. A combination of these types would make a colorful ensemble in your cage and would surely delight house members and guests. Make sure to provide fresh water and food to your pets so they can stay healthy and active.
As social creatures, these finches like to live and go around in pairs or flocks. A pair of these finches may even share the same nest. They are known for their colorful plumage, sporting blue or green feathers on their backs, orange on their heads and red sometimes gray overall feathers with a streak of yellow, white or purple under their bellies. In other words, no one finch has the same color combination as the other, which give these finches their unique attraction.
Size and Color
In average size, these finches measure between 130 and 140 millimeters long. Their plumage has three different color variations. There are red-headed, black-headed, and yellow-headed Gouldian finches. But while their heads differ in color, their bodies are pretty much the same. The most common of the breed are the black-headed Gouldian finches. It is the explosion of colors that really make these finches wonderful as pets. Their colors include green, brown, blue, black, yellow, grey and red. These colors may be on their underbellies, heads, cheeks, beaks and feet. The most popular of the breed are the black-headed Gouldian finches followed by the red- headed varieties. About half of these finches you will see are black-headed while a quarter of them are red-headed.Males and Females
The Look - Female Gouldian finches have a much more tamed coloration as opposed to males. This may be the only way you can tell them apart. But all Gouldian birds have almost similar colorings, with the back of their head having a turquoise lining and the neck area being slightly greenish. The lower breasts and portions of the body are mostly yellow. This color combination is truly stunning, which is the reason why many bird enthusiasts seek out Gouldian birds as their pets. Of the Gouldian Finches, the rarest are the yellow-headed ones whose colors differ slightly according to gender. Although males and females essentially sport the same colors, the males have deeper and brighter colors than the females. Their heads, cheeks feathers around the eyes are yellow. It is believed that the female kind of these finches grow less eye-catching colors as a self-defense mechanism. The belief is that the female of these finches grow such plumage to draw less attention when they sit down on their nests to hatch their eggs.
Gouldian Finches Food
Like other finches, this finch is a seed eater. It also eats insects such as beetles, termites, flies and spiders. Gouldian Finches are quiet birds that generally stay away from centers of human population. Their calls do not carry very far.
These finches make their nests in desolate places like allv birds do. The Gouldian finches when newly hatched have predominantly pink color when their feathers are not yet developed.
Gouldian finches require more care, compared to other finches like the zebra finches. They would need more attention and there are several strategies you need to learn to ensure that they will be at their best.
The gouldian finches, just like any other animal, would require fresh water every day. The water of the Gouldian needs to be checked and replenished more often than other finches. Make sure that there are no molds or dirt that will come in contact with the water. It must be free of algae to prevent your guildian finches from getting sick. You can use Aviclense in order to make sure that their water would be algae free. Just put a few drops in the water. This product can also be placed in the pond or rock pools if you have an aviary.
The gouldian finches have been accustomed to the wild, which is why they are harder to keep and maintain. If you want to keep them as pets, you really have to create an environment very similar to their natural habitat. You would also need to take some time to train the Gouldian finches to eat healthy food. Normally, it would take them about 7 months before they accept the new diet you're giving. You should always be patient in feeding them. Sometimes, you would need to give them a new selection of food every now and then, just to attract their attention. Keep doing this until you get them to accept what you are offering.
The gouldian finches' diet have several stages, at first they have to undergo maintenance and resting season diet for about 3 months, and then the pre-breeding austere diet that will last up to 1 month. This would be enough time for them to cease the hormone flow and to rest their reproductive organs. The next 6 months would be their breeding season diet and the last 8 weeks would be the molting season diet. They would vary their food intake during this period and you would really have to be observant on what they prefer to eat.
The gouldian finches, just like any other animal, would require fresh water every day. The water of the Gouldian needs to be checked and replenished more often than other finches. Make sure that there are no molds or dirt that will come in contact with the water. It must be free of algae to prevent your guildian finches from getting sick. You can use Aviclense in order to make sure that their water would be algae free. Just put a few drops in the water. This product can also be placed in the pond or rock pools if you have an aviary.
What is the basic diet for gouldian finches?
Gouldian finches have a very specific diet, consisting of green vegetables and fresh seeds. As for the supplements, you can give them biscuits, eggs and cuttle fish bones for calcium in order to keep their beaks strong. You can also provide them with grit that contains oyster shells and eggs shells.bIf you are living on place with a very cold climate, then you need to make sure that the gouldian finches' cage is located where they can get direct sunlight. You can also provide them with cod liver oil for vitamin D, in case there's a storm and you need to keep them inside.
The gouldian finches' diet have several stages, at first they have to undergo maintenance and resting season diet for about 3 months, and then the pre-breeding austere diet that will last up to 1 month. This would be enough time for them to cease the hormone flow and to rest their reproductive organs. The next 6 months would be their breeding season diet and the last 8 weeks would be the molting season diet. They would vary their food intake during this period and you would really have to be observant on what they prefer to eat.
