The Many Types of Mannikins

Few bird keepers won’t have encountered the Bengalese or Society finch, those ever friendly and reliable little birds that are the basis of many an aviary alongside the Zebra Finch.  But how many of us know the rest of the family?  Known as the mannikins, munias or even nuns, this is a group of thirty…

The Strawberry Finch

If you like your finches small and brightly coloured, friendly and interesting to watch, then the Strawberry finch will be a great one to consider.  These small three or four inch long finches are members of the same family as the equally tiny Gold Breast Waxbill and make great cage or aviary birds.  Just beware…

The Diamond Firetail

The Diamond Firetail is an Australian finch that dares you to ignore it – with its bright red beak, sparkling black and while flanks and forthright personality, this isn’t a quiet little finch that disappears into the bushes.  In fact, firetails have a reputation as being not the most sociable bird with other species and…

The Cut-throat Finch

Sometimes where finch names come from can be a bit of a mystery but in the case of the Cut-throat Finch, there’s no doubt at all.  That bright red slash across the male bird’s neck is a complete giveaway as to the inspiration for their name!  The Cut-throat is one of the two members of…

The Firefinch Family

When you see most of the firefinch family, there’s little doubt how these small Estrildid finches got their name – their bright red plumage.  There are a total of eleven species in the family, which has the Latin name Lagonosticta, some of which are found in captivity with others less so. Red-billed firefinch Perhaps the…

The Gouldian – Finch of Many Colours

While every finch, no matter how muted or plain its colours, is beautiful to us finch fanatics, one that catches the eye of non-bird keepers is always the Gouldian Finch.  With its bright colours and cute features, it earns its alternative name of the Rainbow Finch.  And it comes in so many different colour variations…

The Common Waxbill

In my opinion, there’s nothing common about the Common Waxbill and that’s one of the reasons I tend to call them by their other name, the St Helena waxbill.  These beautiful little birds with their bright red beak, red Zorro style eye mask and subtle barring on their brown feathers are a truly lovely little…

Bengalese – A Most Social Finch

The first finches I ever bred were a pair of Bengalese finches, also known as Society Finches.  This was when I had a few pairs of finches in the house and they were happy enough to breed.  The result was two lovely little chocolate cock birds who I named Cocoa and Spike (Spike has two…

Orange Breasted Waxbill

The Orange Breasted Waxbill is a tiny finch with a lot of names that are somewhat misleading.  It does have an orange breast, even a gold breast as with its other name, the Gold breasted waxbill.  It is sometimes known as the Zebra waxbill, though I’m never quite sure why on what one.  But whichever…

Blue Capped Cordon Bleu

The Blue capped Cordon Bleu is a distinctive little finch of the Estrildidae family that gets its name from its beautiful breast colour – a vibrant, electric blue.  It originates from Central and East Africa and has adapted to living in captivity, though can still be tricky to breed. Natural environment The Blue capped Cordon…