Green Singing Finch
Scientific Name: Serious Mozambique
This finch is a superb and popular, easy-to-manage songbird which is a distant relative of the canary. It is hardy and lives for a very long time, maybe attaining as much as 20 years of age.
Description:
Size: 10 to 13 cm (4 to 5 in)
COCK:
Head: grey. Neck and back: grey-green.Chin, throat, and belly: yellow. Eye-brows: bright yellow with yellow patches on the sides of the chin. Wings and tail: black. There is a yellow edge to some of the wing feathers. Eyes: encircled with black stripe. Beak and legs: cream-grey.
HEN:
Similar, but easy to distinguish since she also sports a collar of black spots.
Diet: (Seedeater)
Plain canary seed and yellow millet form the staple diet. Spray millet is also much appreciated. Green food should be provided regularly and an occasional apple enjoyed. Grit and cuttlefish bone must always be available.
‘This finch may be kept outside all year round but should have a dry, frost-proof shelter in which to roost.
This species does not require a large aviary since it is rarely seen to fly a great deal. If several pairs are kept, they usually all roost together at night on one single perch high in the shelter.
Breeding:
Nests are built-in shrubs or trees or an open-fronted nest box. The hen is responsible for constructing the nest and incubating the eggs. The incubation period is 13 days. While the hen is nest building and sitting, the cock perches nearby, singing frequently. During the incubation period, he sits close to the nest like a sentry on duty.
Breeding birds should be fed plenty of sprouted seed, grass seed, and green food. They also benefit from finely chopped mealworms, eggs, and ants’ eggs.
The younger are independent 21 days after leaving the best. The cock feeds the young for several weeks afterward, but they should be removed from their parents before further breeding takes place. As well as breeding with its kind, cock may be mated with a small canary hen to produce an attractive mule. Cock and hen Green Singing Finches show little interest in remaining together after the breeding season is over. The Green Twin spot cock bird can be aggressive with its companions when breeding, but at other times is tolerant and peaceful, although there may be an occasional squabble with hits mate out of the breeding season. Occasionally this species may be found to be suffering from sore eyes caused by wiping its face on a dirty perch. It appears short-sighted and may frequently have difficulty in finding the feed dish. Regular cleaning of perches prevents this problem.
See more: Zosterops