Finches and Sparrows

Lady Gouldian Finch

Cloebia gouldiae

Lady Gouldian finches are some of the most colorful birds common in households and aviaries in the United States. They are native to Australia and are naturally a rainbow of green, red, yellow, blue, black, pink and purple colors. In captivity they have been bred to include a wide range of hybrid colors, including pastel yellows and blues, and lavender shades. The males are much brighter than the females, who typically have a darker head/face and a more olive colored back. These little finches eat seeds and insects in the wild. In captivity they should have a diet including high quality seeds, insects, and fruits and vegetables. They are hardy finches and breed fairly easily in moderate weather areas such as Northern or Southern California. In colder locations, they may need to be provided with heat, or taken in at night or in cold, stormy, or snowy weather.

Crimson-winged Finch

Rhodopechys sanguinea

Crimson-winged Finches are large and bulky finches, almost the size of Grosbeaks. They are native across the middle-east, found in Morocco and Algeria as well as from Isreal and Turkey, east through Iran, Iraq and Afghanistan, all the way to Russia and China. They have big stocky bills for cracking tough seeds and they are large-bodied finches capable of withstanding cold snowy temperatures and high elevations. They are often found in barren scrub areas and rocky outcroppings. True to their name, they are brown streaked birds with pinkish-red tones to their flight feathers.

Desert Finch

Rhodopechys obsoletus

The Desert Finch is found in a very similar range as the Crimson-winged Finch. Prefering the low-lands, this finch feeds mostly on seeds and small insects. It is a buff-tan color with a black bill and black around its eyes. It's wings have pinkish colors as well as white and black. It's tail is white/cream with black. This little finch is about the size of our House Finches here in the US.

Collared Warbling Finch

Poospiza hispaniolensis

Native to Equador and Peru, the Collared Warbling-finch is a tiny brown bird with magnificent black and white stripes on its head. They eat small seeds and plenty of insects!

Red-cheeked Cordon-bleu

Uraeginthus bengalus

This small finch is a medium blue color with buff-tan wings and back. The males have deep red cheek patches and the females are a duller version without the cheek patches. These birds are native to sub-Sahara Africa and enjoy a primary diet of seeds and small insects. They are often available in the pet industry in the US, popular for their bright and attractive colors.

Orange-breasted Waxbill aka Zebra Waxbill

This tiny finch is native to Africa. Often kept in homes and aviaries in the US for it's brilliant color and bright song, this little bird eats small seeds and insects. The male has a bright orange-yellow breast and olive green/yellow back with a red bill and orange stripes over his eyes. The females are a much duller color.

Pin-Tailed Whydah

Vidua macroura

Pin-Tailed Whydahs are found all through Africa, though most common in west and south Africa. Outside of breeding season, the sexes look similar: brown, striped and sparrow-like with a red beak. In breeding season, the male is unmistakable. He molts into all black and white feathering with 4 tail-feathers growing exceptionally long, roughly 7.5" (on a 5" bird.) Because males grow such long tail-feathers, they require a lot of room when kept in captivity.

In the wild, males have a harem of females, from 15 to 50. Though they are small birds, these guys can be very aggressive and cannot be kept with timid birds in an aviary. Pin-Tailed Whydahs are parasitic breeders, meaning they lay their eggs in another bird's nest and do not actually care for their own young, similar to cuckoos. Waxbills are a particular favorite as foster parents.

They are largely seed eaters, but they eat many insects during the breeding season.

Male Pin-tailed Whydah in full breeding plumage

Ortolan Bunting

Emberzica hortulana

Ortolan buntings are found throughout south and east Europe. They eat seeds and insects and are distinguished from Cretzschmar's bunting by having a yellow throat and cheek-stripes, where the Cretzschmar's has similar markings in orange, with white eye rings. Ortolan buntings have pale yellow eye rings. Both species have a pink bill. Females and males out of breeding season both look alike, with a tan streaked breast and dark brown, streaked back. In breeding season, the male (pictured below) has an orange breast and a gray upper chest and head.

These little guys are also a very popular dinner bird in Europe (France most of all.) They have been so sought after that their populations are nearly extinct in France and it is no longer legal to buy them from meat vendors. Despite their low numbers, they are still considered a delicacy and, I'm sure, are still eaten by people who can find ways to come across them.

Photograph © Erin Koski 2008