Are There Different Colors of Society Finches?

Society finches exist in a variety of colors. The color of the species varies from chocolate/white, gray-brown/white, fawn/white and solid white. While some of them have patchy colors, others are considered to be pieds. Pied means that the birds have white patches of color on their bodies. No two pieds look similar. Dominant pieds are predominantly white. In order to breed a society finch with solid or symmetrical colors, they need to be bred carefully.

  1. Society Finch Hybridization

    • In Europe, there is a trend to hybridize the species with other Lonchura to bring about varying colors of society finches. The black browns are a classic example to highlight these efforts.

      The patches of these birds are quite uneven and the shade, color intensity and distribution vary greatly. Crests are formed by feather mutations while frills cover almost every part of the body. For instance, frills result in the breast feathers pointing outwards or in the upward direction.

    Possible Society Finch Color Mutations

    • It is possible to combine the base colors (chestnut, chocolate and fawn) with modifying color mutations (dilute, ino, pearl and gray). Base colors alone can be rarely combined. In some cases, tri-colored birds have white, chocolate and fawn colors on their body. However, these cannot be reproduced.

      Some classic example of hybrid color mutations include cremino, albino, pearl gray, pearl with crest, fawn self society, fawn self dilute, fawn pied society, chocolate pied society, chocolate self with crest, chocolate gray self and chestnut self society. Self means that the birds have a solid color or they do not have any white patches on their bodies.

    Characteristics of Male and Female Society Finches

    • The appearance of male and female society finches is quite identical. The only method to distinguish the sexes is by observing their behavioral pattern. The males typically sing a warbling song, keeping their neck up-stretched and fluffing their feathers. While approaching the female, he bounces back and forth while resting on the perch.

      Males start singing as soon as a new member is introduced into the cage. You need to get accustomed to the contact calls between the males and females to identify their distinct sounds. The males move swiftly, flicking their tail while they call. The hens rarely sing.

      Society finches are quite a muse for bird enthusiasts. They are highly active and the cages of these birds should have at least 20 inches of space for flying. You can offer a bird bath occasionally to entertain these birds. These birds are kind by nature and have strong immunity if properly cared for, and hence are quite easy to handle.

    Society Finch Diet

    • Society finches require good nutrition in order to build strong immunity. You can feed them good quality finch seed mix that is available in pet stores. The best diet for society finches is millet seeds and canary seeds. Supplement the seed diet with vitamins to prevent deficiencies. These birds love eggs, spinach, apples, pears and chickweed. Grit and charcoal help in maintaining a healthy digestive system. Cuttlebones provide the required calcium. Make sure your birds have access to fresh food and water throughout the day.